Retro Ribfest returns to Richmond Green this weekend with barbecue, live music and family activities. The popular event gives residents a place to gather close to home, but it also raises questions about how city festivals can better reflect and support the community hosting them.
By Staff Writer
Richmond Hill’s Retro Ribfest is underway at Richmond Green Park, bringing three days of barbecue, live entertainment, contests and family activities to one of the city’s largest public gathering spaces.
The festival runs until 10 p.m. Saturday, July 18, and from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday, July 19, at Richmond Green Park, 1300 Elgin Mills Road East. Admission is free, although visitors pay for food, drinks and amusement attractions.
As of Saturday, the City says Ribfest remains open despite a power outage in the Richmond Green area, although some vendors, performances, services and park amenities may be affected. Visitors should check the City’s event page for the latest updates before attending.
Five professional rib teams—Bibbs Texas BBQ, Billy Bones BBQ, Camp 31, Hawgs Gone Wild BBQ and Sticky Fingers—are serving alongside vendors offering festival favourites such as corn, lemonade, bubble tea, doughnuts, kettle corn and blooming onions. Vegetarian and vegan options are also available.
Saturday’s entertainment includes Logan Levi, Killer Hooks and Canadian rock musician Carl Dixon, along with taste-testing and rib-eating contests. Sunday’s program includes Sara Kae, Uncle Bevy and Vaughan-based cover band AV-OX. The winners of the festival’s best rib and best sauce awards are scheduled to be announced Sunday at 4 p.m.
Children’s activities include scavenger hunts, games, crafts and contests, while a paid Fun Zone offers inflatables and other attractions. The FIFA World Cup final will also be shown inside the Richmond Green Sports Centre on Sunday, with doors opening at 2 p.m.
More Than Something to Eat
Events such as Ribfest provide something Richmond Hill does not always offer enough of: an informal place where residents can spend time together without travelling to Toronto or another municipality.
They bring life to public spaces, give families an activity close to home and create opportunities for neighbours who might otherwise never meet. A busy park filled with food, music and conversation can help turn a collection of subdivisions into something closer to a shared community.
That goal is also reflected in Richmond Hill’s new 10-year Events Strategy. The City says festivals can create a stronger sense of belonging, celebrate Richmond Hill’s diversity and help residents develop connections with their city and one another.
Ribfest also includes some clearly local elements. Richmond Hill establishment King Henry’s Arms is operating the beer garden, while the Richmond Hill Public Library, Fire and Emergency Services and Energy and Waste staff are participating in the marketplace area.
Young entrepreneurs supported through the Richmond Hill Small Business Enterprise Centre’s Summer Company program are also showcasing businesses during the weekend. Their offerings range from jewellery and outdoor services to detailing, swimming instruction and creative products.
Could a Richmond Hill Festival Feel More Like Richmond Hill?
Still, Ribfest raises a reasonable question: how much of a city-supported festival should come from the travelling festival circuit, and how much should be rooted in the community where it is held?
Professional rib teams and experienced concession operators help make a large event commercially viable. They have the equipment, staffing and experience to serve thousands of people safely and efficiently. Their recognizable displays are also part of what audiences expect from a rib festival.
But when the main food vendors, merchandise booths and attractions travel from one municipality to another, city festivals can begin to feel interchangeable. The signs and location may change, but much of the experience remains the same.
For residents who find Ribfest overly commercialized, the concern is not necessarily that travelling vendors should be excluded. It is that local restaurants, independent businesses, artists, musicians and community organizations should have a more prominent role—not simply a few booths around the edges of an event built largely around outside operators.
A better balance could retain the professional ribbers as the main attraction while reserving more affordable and visible spaces for Richmond Hill businesses. A dedicated “Taste of Richmond Hill” area could showcase the city’s diverse restaurants and food cultures. Local musicians and cultural organizations could be given more stage time, while neighbourhood groups and community projects could be placed where visitors naturally gather rather than in a separate corner.
The City could also establish a clear target for local participation, offer reduced booth fees to qualifying Richmond Hill businesses and publish how many vendors, performers and contractors are locally based.
Ribfest succeeds in getting people out of their homes and into a shared public place. That is valuable, particularly in a suburban city where community life can otherwise feel fragmented.
The next step is ensuring that when residents attend a Richmond Hill festival, they do not simply see an event taking place in Richmond Hill. They should also see Richmond Hill itself reflected in the food, businesses, cultures and people around them.