World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest 2027
Memphis in May's world championship of pork — the Super Bowl week of barbecue towns.
Blues and soul drift from the Beale Street bars into the Mississippi night.
Expected dates
May 12–15
Memphis, TN · Tennessee
These dates are awaiting official confirmation, so check the event's site before booking.
Search RVs for these datesWhere to sleep in Tennessee
Tennessee campgrounds we keep verified — rig limits, fees and booking windows straight from the operator. Distances to Memphis, TN vary, so check the map before you commit.
- Cades Cove Campground (Great Smoky Mountains NP)Nearest town: Townsend · National Park Service$30/nightRigs to 35 ftBooks 6 months ahead via recreation.gov
- Elkmont Campground (Great Smoky Mountains NP)Nearest town: Gatlinburg · National Park Service$30/nightRigs to 40 ftBooks 6 months ahead via recreation.gov
- Fall Creek Falls State Park CampgroundNearest town: Spencer · State Park / State Forest$25–$50/nightRigs to 50 ftBooks 12 months ahead via tn state parks portal
- Cumberland Mountain State Park CampgroundNearest town: Crossville · State Park / State Forest$22–$45/nightRigs to 45 ftBooks 12 months ahead via tn state parks portal
Going to Memphis BBQ Contest 2027? Tell us the nights.
Local owners list their own rigs here. You get a single email when one is listed for your window.
What you need to know
Memphis's World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest is the anchor of the city's barbecue calendar — hundreds of teams, elaborate multi-story team booths, and a week when the whole city smells like hickory. The 2027 dates are not yet officially announced: the contest has run mid-May for decades (the 2026 edition was May 13-16 at Liberty Park), and the organizers of SmokeSlam have announced they are pausing to prepare a unified Memphis barbecue festival with the contest for 2027, so expect the format details to firm up once that plan is published — treat the mid-May window here as the planning target and confirm against the official Memphis in May calendar before booking flights. For an RV trip, Memphis is well set up: T.O. Fuller State Park has a campground inside the city limits, Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park sits on the bluffs north of town, and Tom Sawyer's RV Park across the river in West Memphis, Arkansas parks you on the Mississippi's bank watching towboats push past your windshield. May in Memphis pairs the contest with peak patio-and-blues season on Beale Street.
Official source: memphisinmay.org
Safety + legal
Mid-May in Memphis brings real heat and fast-moving thunderstorms — check the radar before an evening on the river bluffs and never ride out a warned storm under festival canopies.
Insider tip
Tom Sawyer's RV Park in West Memphis is the connoisseur's base: riverfront sites where barge traffic glides past at eye level, ten minutes from downtown. Riverside rows go first — take an inside row over skipping it.
Plan your trip · May 12–15, 2027 · Memphis, TN
Rent an RV near Memphis BBQ Contest 2027
Search runs on your May 12–15, 2027 window with a one-day buffer on each side — arrive early, leave late. Whether an RV is listed for those dates depends on what Tennessee hosts have posted, so the campsite plan below is worth locking either way.
- Expected dates
- May 12–15, 2027
- Days away
- 249
- Location
- Memphis, TN
- Book ahead
- 10+ weeks
- Planning window
- Plan ahead
Hosting near Memphis, TN? List your rig and put your calendar in front of event travellers.
List your rig →Start early, arrive easy — the whole runway
The honest runway from start-looking to head-home, with a one-day buffer on each end.
Start
~10 weeks out
Give yourself ~10 weeks to line up a rig and a campsite.
Arrive
May 11
Roll in a day early and set up camp.
Event
Expected window
World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest 2027
Head home
May 16
Leave a day late and skip the exodus.
Best rigs for Memphis BBQ Contest 2027
First pick first — each row opens a search for these dates, already filtered to the class.
Plan it by rig
Each class above has its own planning page for Memphis BBQ Contest 2027 — class fit and booking guidance in one place.
Frequently asked about Memphis BBQ Contest 2027
When is World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest 2027?
World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest 2027 is expected to run May 12–15, 2027 in Memphis, TN, Tennessee. Official dates are not confirmed yet — verify on the event's official site before booking.
Where is Memphis BBQ Contest 2027 held?
Memphis, TN, Tennessee.
What are the exact 2027 dates?
May 12–15, 2027. These dates are provisional until officially announced.
What RV should I rent for Memphis BBQ Contest 2027?
Best categories: rv, towable, trucks-vans. Memphis's World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest is the anchor of the city's barbecue calendar — hundreds of teams, elaborate multi-story team booths, and a week when the whole city smells like hickory. The 2027 dates are not yet officially announced: the contest has run mid-May for decades (the 2026 edition was May 13-16 at Liberty Park), and the organizers of SmokeSlam have announced they are pausing to prepare a unified Memphis barbecue festival with the contest for 2027, so expect the format details to firm up once that plan is published — treat the mid-May window here as the planning target and confirm against the official Memphis in May calendar before booking flights. For an RV trip, Memphis is well set up: T.O. Fuller State Park has a campground inside the city limits, Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park sits on the bluffs north of town, and Tom Sawyer's RV Park across the river in West Memphis, Arkansas parks you on the Mississippi's bank watching towboats push past your windshield. May in Memphis pairs the contest with peak patio-and-blues season on Beale Street.
How early should I book an RV?
Recommended lead time: 10 weeks. Event windows book up early, so search and lock your dates as soon as your plans firm up.
Are the 2027 Memphis barbecue contest dates confirmed?
Not yet. The contest has held a mid-May slot for decades (May 13-16 in 2026), and a unified 2027 Memphis barbecue festival is being prepared per the SmokeSlam organizers' announcement. Treat mid-May 2027 as the planning window and confirm on the official Memphis in May calendar before locking travel.
Where do you park an RV for Memphis barbecue week?
Three real options: T.O. Fuller State Park's campground inside Memphis city limits, Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park north of the city, and Tom Sawyer's RV Park on the riverbank in West Memphis, Arkansas — the last one is a destination in itself.
Can the public eat at the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest?
The contest is team competition first — public food comes through vendors and ticketed tasting experiences rather than walking into team booths uninvited. Many teams do host guests; being invited in is part of the event's social sport.
What safety and legal guidance applies?
Mid-May in Memphis brings real heat and fast-moving thunderstorms — check the radar before an evening on the river bluffs and never ride out a warned storm under festival canopies.
What's an insider tip?
Tom Sawyer's RV Park in West Memphis is the connoisseur's base: riverfront sites where barge traffic glides past at eye level, ten minutes from downtown. Riverside rows go first — take an inside row over skipping it.
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Cross-discover same-state events you can stack with your trip, plus festival events in other states.
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Hub state · nearest city · nearest park · recommended rig category — one click each.
State rules, safety and legalLicence + towing rules, insurance basics and the non-affiliation notice.
Important: travel + safety + insurance disclaimer
This guide is provided for general informational purposes only. PickRV is not an insurer, legal advisor, or vehicle-safety authority. Trip planning, route selection, rig suitability, weather, and emergency decisions are the renter's responsibility. Always consult the rig manufacturer's owner's manual, your insurance provider, the U.S. National Park Service (nps.gov), NOAA / NWS weather alerts (weather.gov), state and local emergency-management agencies, and current local regulations before and during travel. Cost figures, season windows, road conditions, and fee references on this page are estimates as of May 2026 and vary by season, location, rig, carrier, and operator. Mentions of brand names, state-tourism marks, national-park feature names, or third-party programs are informational only and do not imply affiliation, sponsorship, or endorsement.
Before you rent in Tennessee — key local rules
CDL rules start at 26,001 lbs — below that the standard license applies — TN Driver Services
Boating Safety Certificate required for operators born after 1988 — TWRA — Boating Safety
Royal Blue OHV + Brimstone Recreation: per-area permits — TWRA — OHV/ATV Recreation
0.08% BAC; the open container ban applies to the driver only — TN Department of Safety — Public Safety
Editorial summary, not legal advice. Verify with TN Driver Services before relying. Reviewed in the last 4 months (as of 2026-05-24).
Tennessee rules · last verified 2026-05-10
- State rental tax
- 7% · not collected by PickRV
- Min driver age
- 21+ std · 25+ Class A
- Gravel roads
- Allowed — disclosure required
- Generator quiet
- 22:00-07:00