Guelph Ribfest expected to draw 40,000 people to Riverside Park

Whether you’re going for the food or the activities, this year’s Ribfest in Guelph will have what you’re looking for.

The 26th annual event is back as residents in the Royal City will gather at Riverside Park to celebrate the city’s largest end-of-summer festival, which runs Aug. 23-25.

Co-chair Dan O’Donnell said it is a family-friendly event. He said a recent guest described it as her family’s version of the Canadian National Exhibition.

“They couldn’t afford to go to Toronto, and this was an opportunity for them to come and spend the day in the park, have access to the midway, food, entertainment,” O’Donnell said.

He said it is free to attend, however the organizers do ask for donations. The proceeds from the event will go back into the community, O’Donnell said.

The initiative will be bringing back a few things from last year — including the shuttle bus.

Breaking news from Canada and around the world sent to your email, as it happens.

The bus was introduced in 2023 as a trial and it was promoted only a week or two before the event, which saw just under 300 people board on the Saturday alone.

The ridership was enough to bring it back, he said. “It runs every 30 minutes so you can get to and from the park on Saturday this year using our shuttle.”

The shuttle is an opportunity for guests to use an alternative method of transportation as traffic can be an issue and there is limited public parking at the park, he said.

If you’re arriving on two wheels instead of four, O’Donnell said valet bike parking will be provided.

As for the events, visitors can expect to see ribs atop the menu, live music and children’s activities, including the Rotary duck race.

And if ribs aren’t your first meal of choice, he said there are plenty of options on the menu.

“Blooming onion is always popular,” O’Donnell said. “We’ve have had Italian offerings in the past. We’ve had wood-fire pizzas, lots of desserts. So there are lots of alternatives for people to enjoy.”

Organizers are currently looking for volunteers for the event and you can sign up online using the ribfestguelph.com volunteer page.

O’Donnell said the event almost didn’t happen last year due to a lack of volunteers.

Ribfest runs Aug. 23-25.