Twelve barbecue teams are firing up smokers on Pittsburgh's North Shore starting Thursday, September 3, as the Kickoff and Rib Festival returns to Acrisure Stadium for a five-day run through Labor Day. The free event pairs national and local pitmasters with live music and Pitt football's 2026 home opener, drawing what organizers estimate is a crowd of more than 100,000 people over the holiday weekend.
The festival, presented in 2026 by I.C. Light, opens at 11 a.m. Thursday and runs through 8 p.m., according to CBS News Pittsburgh. Hours shift daily: Friday runs 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday opens early at 9:30 a.m. and closes at 10 p.m., Sunday runs 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and the festival wraps Labor Day, Monday, September 7, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Admission to the grounds and main concert stage is free, and that free entry also gets attendees into Acrisure Stadium's FedEx Great Hall to see the Steelers' Super Bowl trophies and Hall of Fame lockers, according to Acrisure Stadium.
The event traces back to 1990, when it launched at Three Rivers Stadium to mark the start of Western Pennsylvania's football season. It moved to the parking lots and Art Rooney Avenue outside what was then Heinz Field after Three Rivers was demolished in 2001, per Acrisure Stadium. The stadium itself was renamed from Heinz Field to Acrisure Stadium in a 2022 corporate rebrand and sits near the confluence of Pittsburgh's three rivers, as noted by Table Magazine.
A Dozen Pitmasters Compete for a Wrestling Belt
This year's food lineup includes Bad Azz BBQ, Mojo's, Jim's Smokin Que, Off the Bone BBQ, Smokin T's BBQ, Pigfoot BBQ, R&G Smoke Shack, Carolina Rib King, Cowboy's BBQ & Rib Co., Swine BBQ, Afterhours and Ribbins BBQ, per CBS News Pittsburgh's rundown of vendors. Off the Bone BBQ returns as the defending 2025 championship team. A celebrity panel will judge the 2026 PA Pork Pitmaster Awards, and the grand champion will take home what CBS News Pittsburgh describes as an authentic Wild Cat championship belt.
That prize reflects a gimmick organizers introduced in recent years: swapping the traditional trophy cup for a custom pro wrestling-style title belt designed by WWE championship belt makers, according to Beaver County Radio. The station reported the belts were added to boost fan interaction and vendor prestige at what is otherwise a straightforward rib cook-off.
Concerts Run Nightly Through the Long Weekend
Free performances start Friday, with West 22nd playing at 9 p.m. and DJ Bonics taking the stage at 7:30 p.m., the station's report notes. Saturday afternoon brings a post-game street party featuring DJ Steve Maffei Jr. from 3 to 6 p.m. Sunday's bill includes Junior Guthrie and the Push at 7:30 p.m. and the Jack Wharff Band closing the night at 9 p.m.
The festival closes Monday with a themed BBQ & Blues finale, opening with House of Soul at 3 p.m., followed by Guitar Zack at 4:30 p.m. and Billy Price at 6:30 p.m., according to the same account from CBS News Pittsburgh.
Pitt Football Kicks Off With a New Jersey Patch
The festival's centerpiece remains college football. The Pitt Panthers open their 2026 schedule against Miami (Ohio) at Acrisure Stadium at 12:30 p.m. Saturday, with tickets available for purchase separately from the free festival grounds. Unlike general festival admission, a game ticket is required to get into the stadium bowl for kickoff.
That game also marks the on-field debut of Pitt Football's first jersey patch partnership, featuring UPMC, according to Pitt Athletics. The athletic department says the expanded, multi-year deal also includes presenting sponsorship of Pitt women's sports.
A Labor Day 5K and Decades of Scholarship Money
Running alongside the festival is a Pittsburgh Labor Day staple: the 38th annual Steelers 5K Run and Walk, held Monday morning. The 3.1-mile course starts along the river trail and finishes on the Acrisure Stadium warning track, with organizers expecting more than 2,000 participants, according to the Butler Eagle.
The race funds the Art Rooney Scholarship Fund, established in 1988 after the death of Steelers founder Art Rooney Sr. The fund has awarded grants to more than 90 local high school graduates from Pittsburgh's North Side, and race proceeds also benefit the Chuck Noll Foundation for Brain Injury Research, the Steelers said.
What to Know Before Heading to the Stadium
Anyone planning to enter the stadium gates during the festival needs to follow NFL clear bag rules: non-clear bags can be no larger than 4.5 by 6.5 inches, while clear plastic or PVC totes up to 12 by 6 by 12 inches are allowed, per Acrisure Stadium's guest services policy. Security screenings take place at all open stadium entrances. Acrisure Stadium is maintaining the full schedule and any updates for the 2026 festival on its website.
Hoodline covered the 2024 edition of the festival, when the event drew similar crowds for barbecue and free concerts. This year's lineup adds the WWE-style belt, Pitt's new UPMC jersey patch and a fresh slate of touring pitmasters to the North Shore's long-running end-of-summer tradition.
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