Long Beach BBQ Festival 2025 is ready to take over Shoreline Aquatic Park this Friday and Saturday, May 23 and 24. You’ll notice some favorites vendors that I featured last year—Black-owned Brother’s Keepers and the Mexican-American-driven Big Brian’s Meats—returning again along with a stacked lineup.
Qiana and Ian Mafnas—the powerhouse couple behind the massive endeavor—not only helm the festival, they also run Axiom Kitchen, the BBQ popup that’s helped put what we proudly call West Coast BBQ on the map.
“Our hope is that the Long Beach BBQ Festival continues to grow, not just as a celebration of incredible food and music, but as a true community event that brings people together,” Qiana said. “We want to create memories for families, provide a platform for emerging chefs, and support local businesses. This year, we’re also aiming to raise $50,000 to support NoahS’s Arc Foundation, our nonprofit that helps families in need. We’re excited to see our community come together to make that happen.
“This year, we’ve expanded the festival with even more vendors, a larger Kids’ Zone, and an enhanced VIP experience. We’re excited to feature a diverse lineup of BBQ chefs, each bringing their own unique flavors and styles. We’ve also added new community-focused activities to ensure there’s something for everyone.”
First, the line up for the Long Beach BBQ Festival 2025.
A prime example of SoCal barbecue—highlights include Bludso-honored Brother’s Keeper, Axiom Kitchen, and Big Brian’s Meats, all of Long Beach—here is the 2025 lineup:
- Axiom Kitchen
- Big Brian’s Meats
- Brother’s Keeper BBQ
- Cafe 949
- Califas BBQ
- Casey Family BBQ
- Chaudown Kitchen
- Dragon Fire BBQ
- El Guero y La Flaca
- Fresh Off The Yacht Catering
- Jamrock Grill
- Just Wright BBQ
- Local Overlanding
- Magilla’s BBQ
- Midway City BBQ
- Nova’s Craft BBQ
- Q Bellie’s BBQ
- PS Smoked Meats
- Rib Bones BBQ
- Smoked and Blazed BBQ
- Smokin Rubens BBQ
- Vinegar and Smoke
- Watson’s Pizza
- White Oak Craft BBQ
- Wrigley’s BBQ
Courtesy of festival.
Why Long Beach BBQ Festival 2025 is important to the local food scene.
As someone who has both participated in and organized events, it is far too easy for patrons to assume, well, how easy it is to put these things on. It is a massive collaboration between organizers, the City’s various departments—from events to health—and an assortment of vendors, contractors, and security organizations.
But even beyond that, the festival itself is an ode to celebrating a very SoCal-specific interpretation of such a respected food in the Black and Southern American food diaspora.
“Planning the Long Beach BBQ Festival is about more than just putting together an event,” Qiana said. “It’s about bringing the community together, supporting local small businesses, and providing a platform for chefs to showcase their talents. It’s an opportunity to highlight the incredible diversity and creativity that Long Beach has to offer, all while giving families and friends a place to make memories.
“This festival is a stage for talented chefs, both established and emerging, to showcase their skills and connect with new audiences. It’s an opportunity for small brands to gain exposure and for chefs to share their passion with thousands of attendees. We are proud to support these culinary artists and give them a space to shine.”
Long Beach BBQ Festival 2025 takes place on May 23 and 24. It will be located at Shoreline Aquatic Park at 200 Aquarium Way. For tickets, click here.
You should not be hyping up this event. We paid $80 for 4 tickets and arrived at about 1 pm after a ridiculous parking experience. The venue had 1 entrance consisting of a gate with about 3 staff members and a huge line extending along the shore. We walked for 15 minutes and could not find the end of the line. According to reviews on YELP paid ticket holders waited up to 2 hours to get inside, to stand in more lines. We decided to eat the costs and leave as did many other frustrated people in line. We attended because of glowing write ups in newspapers such as yours. Maybe you could do a quick check of reviews about events before you given them an endorsement and help them to sell tickets to suckers such as my family and the many others who were also ripped off. There are many negative reviews on YELP going back several years. I wish I had checked YELP first.