Competition Built for Community, Passion, and Live-Fire Culture

The Backyard BBQ Competition is designed to celebrate the teams, cooks, and communities that help fuel the spirit of BBQ culture.

Built for passionate backyard pitmasters, local teams, first-time competitors, and rising cooks, the Backyard Series brings authentic competition energy into a high-energy festival environment while creating opportunities for teams to compete, connect, and grow within the BBQ community.

This is where competition meets camaraderie, creativity, and community.

Competition Highlights

• 50+ projected Backyard teams
• community-focused competition atmosphere
• live audience engagement
• integrated festival visibility
• Friday night competition crossover
• People’s Choice participation
• live music and entertainment throughout the weekend
• western lifestyle and festival atmosphere

A Competition Designed for Growth & Community

The Backyard BBQ Competition is intended to create an approachable and exciting environment for teams looking to:

• enter the competition world
• build team visibility
• compete in front of large audiences
• connect with the BBQ community
• grow their experience and reputation
• become part of a larger festival culture

The Backyard Series is designed to feel welcoming, competitive, energetic, and deeply connected to the overall atmosphere of Mile High BBQ Fest.

Competition Weekend Experience

Backyard competitors will compete within a fully immersive festival environment featuring:

• live music throughout the weekend
• western attractions and activities
• vendor marketplace experiences
• beer garden and hospitality areas
• audience interaction opportunities
• People’s Choice participation
• Friday Night One Meat Challenge opportunities
• Saturday night concert finale

The goal is to create a competition experience that feels highly visible, interactive, and connected to the full festival atmosphere.

Who Should Compete

The Backyard BBQ Competition is ideal for:

• local BBQ teams
• first-time competitors
• community cook teams
• live-fire cooking enthusiasts
• hobbyist pitmasters
• family and friend teams
• rising competition cooks

The competition is designed to support both experienced backyard competitors and teams looking to enter the BBQ competition world for the first time.

More Than a Backyard Competition

The Backyard Series is intended to become a major part of the culture and personality of Mile High BBQ Fest by combining:

• authentic BBQ culture
• community involvement
• entertainment
• audience participation
• western lifestyle identity
• festival energy

As the festival grows, the Backyard BBQ Competition is expected to become one of the strongest community-driven elements of the event.

Building Colorado’s Backyard BBQ Community

Mile High BBQ Fest is being developed as a long-term western lifestyle and entertainment festival with significant growth potential.

Early Backyard competitors will help shape:

• future competition traditions
• community culture
• team recognition
• audience engagement
• the long-term identity of the competition grounds

The Backyard Series is intended to grow alongside the festival as one of its most approachable and community-focused competition experiences.

Registration & Competition Information

Additional details regarding:

• team registration
• competition structure
• rules and judging
• schedules
• awards and recognition
• site logistics

will continue to be added as the competition develops.

Join the Backyard BBQ Competition Experience

For Backyard BBQ registration details, competitor information, and participation opportunities, contact the Mile High BBQ Fest team or explore the additional competition categories throughout the site.