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Great food, live music and family-fun awaits at 16th Annual Orangeville Rotary Ribfest

July 10, 2025   ·   0 Comments

By Sam Odrowski

Delicious food, live music and fun activities for families are returning to the community in support of a good cause.

The 16th Annual Orangeville Rotary Ribfest is coming to the soccer fields of the Alder Street Recreation Centre from July 18 to 20. This year’s event features six ribbers: Brickyard BBQ, Boss Hog’s BBQ, Gator BBQ, Bubba Lou’s Bar-B-Q, Fatboys Southern Smokehouse and Jack the Ribber.

“We have a wide variety of food to support different tastes. It is a ribfest, so we’re going to feature ribs, but we also have a car show, Kidsfest, and good live music,” said Charles McCabe of the Orangeville Rotary Club, who’s helping organize the ribfest. “We hope we’ve got something there for most people to enjoy, and we look forward to seeing everyone.”

Similar to past years, the Ribfest will feature live music on all three days it runs, with the Campfire Poets headlining on Saturday, July 19, from 7 to 10 p.m. Larry Kurtz will be playing right before the Campfire Poets, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.

Also on July 19, from 3 to 7 p.m., David Murphy is bringing his Classic Car Show back to the ribfest, with free vehicle entry. Attendees can check out classic and custom vehicles for a trip down memory lane. For more information, email David at dmurphy@macmastergm.com. Registration starts at 2 p.m.

New this year is a batting cage, sponsored by the Orangeville Headwaters Minor Baseball Association.

Returning to the festival is a climbing tower for children to play on, family-friendly activities, and food trucks offering alternatives to barbecued meats. Some of the food trucks include F.N. Good Burgers, Lioness Jerk, Rico’s Churros, Rhett’s Donuts, Lemon Heaven, BeaverTails and Anna’s Rice Hot Dogs.

“We’ve got a lot of good variety for food,” said McCabe. “We’re trying to broaden the menu so people have more choices.”

Kidsfest will be back by popular demand on Sunday, July 20, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., featuring Dan the Music Man, Musical Munchkins, an Elsa (Frozen) Performance, the Bubbleology Show and a Baker Magic Show.

Kids can enjoy arts and crafts with Artsploration, bucket truck rides with Orangeville Hydro, face painting, balloon animals, button making with the Museum of Dufferin, and Ontario Provincial Police officers will be present.

As usual, admission is free, but donations are gratefully accepted, as all the proceeds raised go to the Rotary Club of Orangeville. The club is currently helping to fund the reconstruction of the Rotary Park playground and donates to local organizations and charities. Some groups that have received funding include the Orangeville Headwaters Minor Baseball Association, the Orangeville Northmen, Choices Youth Shelter, the Orangeville Wolves, Headwaters Health Care Centre and Orangeville Food Bank.

New this year is a partnership between the Ribfest and Bioped Orangeville to run a shoe drive for Soles4Souls. Gently used shoes can be dropped off at the ribfest’s entrance.

Describing the festival’s atmosphere, McCabe said, “I think there’s two energies. During the day, there’s a lot more families there, and so you see families listening to the music and sitting around the tables, often with their friends.”

“Then, when you get into the evening, for the night performances, you’ve got more of the vibe of a live concert,” he noted.

As a musician, McCabe said he really appreciates the live music component of the Ribfest. Ribfest organizers try to include a mix of popular local bands and some out-of-town talent that suits the event well.

McCabe noted the event is very weather dependent, with 25,000 to just under 30,000 people attending over past years that have been sunny.

The event is rain or shine, but increased attendance helps to bolster the total amount of money raised by the Orangeville Rotary Club.

On a weekend with good weather, the club is able to raise around $75,000.

The ribfest runs from 4 to 10 p.m. on July 18, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on July 19 and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on July 20.

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