When the smell of smoked meat begins wafting through the air in the middle of Manhattan, you know it’s time for the Big Apple Barbecue Block Party. For this barbecue bash, prime pitmasters and chefs from around the country congregate in New York’s Flatiron neighborhood. Fill up on smoked meat, dabble with dessert, listen to live music, make some friends, share some stories, and let your nose follow those smoked trails.
The Big Apple Barbecue Block Party is the nation’s largest culinary and music festival dedicated to the best in barbecue. The free, weekend-long event is set in the heart of New York City. Each year, hundreds of thousands of guests flock to the festival to enjoy mouthwatering ’cue from the world’s most celebrated Chefs and Pitmasters. Founded in 2002 by Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group, the Big Apple Barbecue Block Party has evolved from a single-street affair on 27th Street to a large scale annual festival that stretches across a handful of city blocks in and around Madison Square Park. In addition to all the wonderful sites, smells, tastes, and sounds, guests can feel good about the event’s charitable mission, with proceeds benefiting the Madison Square Park Conservancy to support its beautiful gardens, amenities, and world-class art and civic programming.