Git your bibs on, New Mexicans. A celebration of meat and beer is knocking at the door for the 16th year in a row and you’ll want to sink your teeth in.
Welcome back, Pork and Brew Festival.
Once featured on The Cooking Channel’s “Carnival Eats,” this Rio Rancho festival is inviting all barbecued pork and beer lovers to town July 5-7 for a weekend of glorious feasting and drinking. What a way to wrap up your Fourth of July weekend.
While the organization has not yet released who will be there serving up food and drink, according to the Albuquerque Journal, last year there were 18 food vendors, including nine barbecue vendors and nine non-barbecue vendors, who were selling everything from tacos and lemonade to funnel cakes – essentially all your favorite county fair food options.
Last year’s brewers included Albuquerque’s Red Door Brewing Co. and Tractor Brewing Co., as well as Cazuela’s Brewery of Rio Rancho.
For those of you wimps who don’t like beer, wine, margaritas, and mimosas will be available in the Santa Ana Star Center, where you can hang out and enjoy the luxury of an air conditioner if you’re not feeling the weather.
While there’s obviously a helluva lot of meat and booze to go around, that’s not all this summer fest has to offer. Festival-goers can load up on live music, visit the petting zoo, check out the arts and crafts vendor booths, hang out at the water slide, compete in pie-eating contests, and participate in giveaway contests.
Plus, this year attendees no long have to exchange cash for BBQ Bucks in order to purchase items at the event. Y’all are free to use your cash and credit cards, which is what Zuul intended anyway.
The following are the event date and times:
Friday, July 5 from 2 to 8 p.m.
Saturday, July 6 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Sunday, July 7 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
General admission is $6, seniors and children ages 3-12 are $4, and children under 3 are free. Buy your tickets at rioranchonm.org.
Amanda Push
