Northern Heat Rib Series has announced its 2025 schedule, with four events in Hamilton over the next few months.
While the first Ribfest of the season already took place in Binbrook over the Victoria Day long weekend, North America’s largest rib and beer tour will also be coming to Ancaster, Stoney Creek, and Hamilton Mountain.
The next event in Hamilton will be at the Ancaster Fairgrounds from Friday, June 20 to Sunday, June 22.
Free parking is available on site, and the music lineup includes Jack Sith and the AC/DC Show Canada on Friday, The Electric Merchants, High Court County, and Wicked Truth on Saturday, and Big Dan Band and Otis Wonder and The Hustle on Sunday.
Next, the Ribfest will be coming to Eastgate Square Mall in Stoney Creek from Friday, July 18 to Sunday, July 20.
This is the second year in a row that the Ribfest is coming to the mall.
The event will be held in the northeastern parking lot off Centennial Parkway.
The music lineup for the Stoney Creek event is The Trip (Tribute to The Tragically Hip) and Wicked Truth on the Friday, The Wobblers, Jack Sith, and AC/DC Show Canada on the Saturday, and Otis Wonder and The Hustle and Pearl Jamming (Tribute to Pearl Jam) on the Sunday.
The final Ribfest in Hamilton will be on the Mountain at Lime Ridge Mall at the northwestern lot near Fortinos from Friday, August 8 to Sunday, August 10.
For music, Friday will feature The Trip (Tribute to The Tragically Hip) and Wicked Truth, Saturday includes Otis Wonder and The Hustle, Jack Sith, and AC/DC Show Canada, and Sunday will have Big Dan Band and The Wobblers.
There is a $2 admission fee per person for each event, with children under five years of age permitted entry for free.
The Ribfests also feature a Beer Market, which will reportedly feature “an ice-cold selection of Molson products” and “a variety of wine, spirits, and ready-to-drink coolers.”
The event sponsors this year are Molson Canadian, Pelee Island Winery, Blackfly Spirit Beverages, and Pepsi.
Each ribfest has up to five rib trucks per show, with some also including rides for small children.
Northern Heat Rib Series, which is a locally operated festival group that originated in 2016, notes that all BBQ teams are supplied with “all Canadian-produced ribs and other meat.”
Friday is coupon night, with a downloadable coupon for two free sides ($6 value) available online on the event website.
At the festival, those who vote for their favourite ribs and sauce will be entered into a draw for a $100 gift card.
Pets are welcome at the event but must be leashed and cleaned up after. Those wishing to bring pets must also fill out a waiver, which can be found online.
There are 16 different ribfests across Ontario this year, with other locations outside of Hamilton including Windsor, Newmarket, Thornhill, Toronto Beaches, Brampton, Caledonia, Downtown Toronto, Milton, Waterloo, Midland, Orillia, and Georgetown.
More details for all events can be found at www.northernheatribseries.ca
Based in Hamilton, he reaches hundreds of thousands of people monthly on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. He has been published in The Hamilton Spectator, Stoney Creek News, and Bay Observer. He has also been a segment host with Cable 14 Hamilton. In 2017, he received the Chancellor Full Tuition Scholarship from the University of Ottawa (BA, 2022). He has also received the Governor General’s Academic Medal. He formerly worked in a non-partisan role on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
