The Atlanta Jewish Life Foundation announces the return of the Atlanta Kosher BBQ Festival on Sunday, October 18, 2026, from 12 to 4 p.m., this year at a new location: 66 Perimeter Center East, near Perimeter Mall in Dunwoody. Rain or shine, there will be something for everyone.
The festival centers on a kosher BBQ competition, with about 25 teams competing in brisket, beef ribs, chicken, and chili. Around it, expect a large vendor village, children’s activities, live music, and a silent auction, on top of the BBQ itself. Admission is free, and BBQ taste tickets are $1.25 each, available in advance online or on-site.
About 4,000 BBQ lovers and community supporters turned out last year, and the Festival is supervised by the Atlanta Kashruth Commission. Because it’s fully compliant with AKC kosher food handling requirements, every part of the Jewish community can take part, and because it’s BBQ, the rest of Atlanta shows up too. That combination makes it one of the most diversely attended food events in Georgia.
You do not have to be Jewish to field a competition team or to come enjoy the BBQ. Fielding a team is simpler than it sounds: to keep everything kosher, the Festival provides everything a team needs. For a $700 entry fee, teams get two Weber kettles, two bags of lump charcoal, a whole brisket, beef ribs, chicken, and ground beef and beans for chili, plus everything needed to make a rub and sauce. Teams just bring a 10×10 canopy, a recipe, and some skill. Here’s the team registration page and the team information packet to give your Pit Master a feel for how the competition runs. For more on fielding a BBQ team, reach out to Jacqueline Morris at teams.AKBF@gmail.com.
The Festival is also collecting donations for its silent auction: sports and concert tickets, restaurant gift cards, a timeshare week, or even a trip to Israel are all welcome. Businesses looking to reach an audience of about 4,000 attendees can sponsor, set up as a vendor, or donate to the auction. For details, reach out to PitBoss.AKBF@gmail.com.
Proceeds from the Atlanta Kosher BBQ Festival have supported the Atlanta Jewish Times, the Atlanta Jewish Connector, and the Atlanta Jewish Life Festival, as well as the Greater Atlanta Jewish Community as a whole.
For more details, please visit the Atlanta Kosher BBQ Festival webpage, the Facebook page, YouTube, or watch 11Alive’s segment on the 2021 Atlanta Kosher BBQ Festival to get a flavor of what the Festival is all about.
Watch “No Pork on the Fork: A Kosher BBQ Story”, which tells the story about the Atlanta Kosher BBQ Festival and how it connects the Jewish Community and non-Jewish Communities of Atlanta and brings them together over the common bond of BBQ.
About the Atlanta Jewish Life Foundation
The Atlanta Kosher BBQ Festival is a community event managed by the Atlanta Jewish Life Foundation and founded by the Hebrew Order of David International. It’s a 501(c)(3) organization, and donations are tax-deductible under current tax law.
The Foundation is a charitable Jewish organization connecting Atlanta’s Jewish community now and into the future, through the Atlanta Jewish Times and events like the Atlanta Kosher BBQ Festival, the Atlanta Jewish Life Festival, and Atlanta’s Bar and Bat Mitzvah Expo. Learn more here.
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