Holy Smokes Festival | 2022 Edition
A couple weeks ago, I attended the second annual Holy Smokes Festival in North Charleston, South Carolina. The event has become a perfect opportunity for leaders in the American Barbecue community to join forces in support of a beautiful mission — raising money to fight pediatric brain cancer. The festival and its cause drew thousands to the Riverside Park for an amazing experience. Anthony Dibernardo, the owner of Swig & Swine, put it best:
“We raise money and we take care of these families who have children who are going through something children shouldn’t go through.”
This year, the Holy Smokes Festival was headlined by some notable names in barbecue. Rodney Scott, Jonathan & Justin Fox, and Chris Lilly were all on the scene at Riverfront Park. They all arrived in the days leading up to the event to prepare for the thousands of festival-goers descending into North Charleston. It was quite a scene to see Pitmaster Rodney Scott cooking whole hogs for the Traditional Village region of the festival while seeing Chris Lilly and the Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q team prepare chicken leg quarters, dipped in Alabama White Sauce, and barbecued over an open fire. Dozens of other pitmasters were also on site to man the Texas, Coastal and New School Village areas.
As always, Rodney Scott attracted quite the crowd of fans wanting to catch a few moments of his time. More than a few times, I was stopped and asked where he was and if I could introduce him to his admirers. At one point, he took a break to sign a copy of his popular cookbook for one of his fans.
This year’s attendees numbered well over a couple thousand and ultimately overtook the Riverfront Park, a change in venue from last year. The feeling of community was tangible once the gates opened. Each tent was overwhelmed by crowds of people. Similarly, the VIP tent had a large crowd hanging out on plush lawn furniture and seated at outdoor bar tables. If they weren’t laughing with friends or sipping their drink, they were enjoying a mouthful of cue’. I knew everyone was having a blast when a man posed for me to grab a picture and then waved me over to see if I could grab one of him with his friends.
The true unsung heroes of the event were the volunteers. Pitmasters from Atlanta to Texas were on hand to volunteer their time to prepare food. Countless individuals also volunteered to help serve the massive crowd, keeping food rolling and people fed. The North Charleston Police Department also had officers on the grounds to help with directing traffic and keep everyone feeling safe.
I’ll admit it. I love this festival. Having the opportunity to experience such a wonderful atmosphere, meet great people and serve a fantastic cause is absolutely amazing. These are all reasons why Holy Smokes has been at the top of my list when it comes to festivals over the last two years. Being able to bring together so many people in support of others who are going through a terrible part of life is truly something to be thankful for. And I am thankful for getting to experience it again.
If you or anyone you know would like to donate to the battle against pediatric brain cancer, I encourage you to head over to Hogs for the Cause or donate directly using this link.
