Washington Missouri boasts a population of just under 15,000 people. And yet, every year the last weekend of April that same number of people come to enjoy the WashMo BBQ & Bluesfest.
When: April 26 – 28, 2024
Where: Throughout Downtown
317 West Main Street
Washington, MO 63090
The town was named after George Washington when taken over by the United States, having been started by the Spanish Empire. Areas across the Missouri River were settled by family and followers of Danial Boone. And lest you thought it had no further claim to fame, Washington is the corncob pipe capital of the world with the oldest and largest manufacturer of said, Missouri Meerschaum, smoking away since 1869.
The WashMo BBQ & Bluesfest is a KCBS sanctioned event with over $10k in prize money and typically about 50 teams competing for points and cash.
In 2023 the winners were:
Grand Champion: Shake ‘N Bake BBQ
Reserve Champion: Heavy Smoke BBQ
Categories:
Chicken; Smoke This BBQ MO
Pork Ribs; Damn Fine Beef & Swine
Pork; Smoked & Furious
Brisket; Shake ‘N Bake BBQ
In addition to world class barbecue and quality live blues music, the folks in Washington make this a great event. First off there’s a bacon tasting…and a bourbon tasting. Mic drop. What more do you need to make a festival?
Apparently, they bring even more, with food and local vendors and all kinds of other activities. Being a river town, the waterfront is right there, spring weather can be dicey but is often beautiful.
Perhaps, not the biggest event, the WashMo BBQ & Bluesfest is a valued stop among the competitive Que crowd, boasting good competition and even better, enthusiastic event attendees.
