Niagara Falls Ribfest saved and set for new time and place

The world has changed quite a bit post-pandemic, with the hospitality and entertainment sectors seemingly bearing the brunt of the impact over six years after the world first shut down. 

One long-standing casualty of a changing recreational landscape is the summer festival, with Toronto losing its iconic Taste of the Danforth festival for two summers, Mississauga saying goodbye to Port Credit Buskerfest and Paint the Town Red and Oshawa announcing that its waterfront Ribfest–ongoing since 2002–will be on hiatus this summer.

While the news hasn’t been great for food festival attendees, it appears that an endangered Ribfest in one of Ontario’s best-known tourist hotspots will go ahead this year.

Recently, the Stamford Centre Volunteer Firemen’s Association announced it will be hosting the Niagara Falls Ribfest at Firemen’s Park (2275 Dorchester Rd.) on May 22, 23 and 24.

The future of the event, which had been run by the Rotary Club for 20 years, became uncertain in March 2025, when the organization announced plans to conclude the annual tradition due to “escalating expenses, a decline in available assistance, and a noticeable decrease in community participation and revenue.” 

Last week, Niagara Falls council approved a request by the SCVFA to help fund the 2026 festival for close to $15,000. 

According to a city report, the transition from the Rotary Club to the association created an opportunity to “revitalize the event while positioning Firemen’s Park as a premier destination for large-scale community festivals, tourism activations, and family entertainment.” 

The report notes that despite the short window for planning–the meeting took place on May 12, just weeks away from the planned event–the association has already made significant progress on plans to relocate the festival, secure vendors, hire entertainers and find sponsors. 

In the report, the SCVFA said their plan is to keep Ribfest free for attendees, increase tourism and economic activity, create a sustainable annual event and “build a long-term community asset for Niagara Falls.” 

To host the event, the SCVFA requested financial and operational support from the city, including $6,500 in sanitation support, $2,400 in security support, and $6,000 in community programming funding. 

The organization also asked for help placing up to 300 promotional signs, managing parking and promoting the event to the local community. 

According to the event’s Facebook page, live entertainment will include a performance by Tragically Hip cover band The Hip Experience, who will take to the stage on May 23 at 8:30 p.m. Other bands slated to perform over the three-day festival include the Marty Allen Band, Liza Silagan, Avenue Inn, Grass Mud Horse and more. 

Beyond ribs, festival goers can also purchase bloomin’ onions, hot dogs, ice cream, gyros and dessert. 

There will also be a karaoke competition and community zumba led by the Niagara Zest for Zumba Community Group.