American Royal Barbecue

2015, the first and most certainly last visit to the World Series of BBQ, by the american royal. So it was out at Arrowhead, a place known for it’s vast and expansive parking lots. Despite this, we spent literally 2 hours in our car after paying the $ 20 to park. Two hours. ²⁄₃ lanes from Gate 5 were «directed» through the complex, around Arrowhead, and then out another exit, down a public road outside of the complex, and then back in another entrance. The 3^rd lane looped around a while longer inside the complex and finally almost reached the parking lot. Because someone didn’t unchain ANY of the entrances (like off the internal driveways) everyone was forced to go offroad over medians to get into the actual lot. Same story on the way out, but twice as much offroading. And the parking attendants? Bunch of idiots. Just stood around waving the constant lines of traffic, not knowing where anyone was supposed to go. I can’t believe they had the audacity to charge money to park. TWO HOURS just to get to the parking area. Have you ever driven around Arrowhead for two hours?
This was a failure to the most extreme extent. Everyone involved should be ashamed at how poorly they do their job. Your event was bad and you should feel bad. Unfortunately, this event is a KC «tradition» and is simply too big to fail. No matter how poorly this event is planned and executed it will continue year after year.

I finally remembered to review this place.
So I was excited to go to this after finding a huge BBQ festival in one of the best BBQ cities, I was ready to try the best and stay hours sampling bbq.
Not the case at all! So basically you pay to park, pay to enter, and upon entrance you find out that there are FEW vendors selling bbq, like few as in under 10. Like seriously? What the heck are you charging for?
The fun part is there are a lot of people cooking for competition and private parties. So yes, to sum it up from a random stranger walking by us «did we just spend money just to watch others eat?». Yeah pretty sad state of affairs, how isn’t there at least 50 vendors selling bbq? I mean you would make tons of cash if you did. I left pretty quick after seeing what the deal was.
Avoid general public if you want to save cash and time, this one is a big let down.

Ah, the American Royal. This the the grand-​daddy of them all as far as competition barbeque is concerned. It’s several days of smoky awesomeness that happens every year in early October.
It is NOT a tasting event, so don’t come expecting to get samples from lots of different BBQ houses. There will be some vendors & food trucks selling their wares for the Friday night street fair, but the primary attraction on that night is the live music & the private parties. If you’re lucky enough to score passes for a private event, do yourself a favor and pick up a map at the main gate so you can find the space without walking hundreds of miles. (Something I failed to do my first year — a mistake)
There are a few places that sell event tickets to the public, if you don’t happen to have an old chum who’s now a pitmaster for a sponsored team. As Matt says, do your research before the event.
Saturday & Sunday is when the real business takes place: the actual judging & awards. These events are generally not open to the public, but if you get a chance to volunteer, don’t hesitate!
A word about parking: Don’t even try to get your car into the West Bottoms during the festival. Best bet for Friday night is to park at Union Station & take the shuttle bus (runs continuously) which drops you off right at the gate. Costs $ 10, but will save you untold amounts of hassle.
This is quintessential Kansas City barbeque culture distilled into one crazy, smoky weekend. Don’t miss it.

WOW! I wish I took the time to read this thread before letting my poor husband get all hyped up for a major major let down. Being new to Kansas City, and the hubby being a HUGE BBQ fan, we went to what we thought would be a BBQ superbowl social event where we would meet new people and sample some amazing BBQ. How mistaken we were!
The worst part is that we didn’t even pay for the tickets, a couple (perhaps way way smarter than us) handed us free tickets as we were walking the 2 miles from the car park to this inconvenient location. As another reviewer stated below, we we walked in excited…“only to watch everyone else at private/​invite-​only parties have a great time. I don’t know why it’s even opened to the public.” It’s a crime to advertise something open to the public only to pass miles of who’s who, brown-​nosing, in-​the-​know socialites chow down on craft beer and world class BBQ. Meanwhile those who aren’t as connected were literally forced to walk through the entire event only to realize that the only BBQ for sale was provided by two sub-​par food trucks in the back by the bathrooms serving, poorly portioned, low quality food! We could barely believe what we were experiencing. Our interest in a tent playing live music was intercepted by a drunk «bouncer» telling us we needed wristbands. Upon asking how to obtain, I was told that I needed to be a millionaire of billionaire! After which he quickly said we needed to know someone. OK!
Tired of freezing our tails off, we decided to go inside? Not sure what exactly the attraction or venue was, as there were multiple flee-​market style vendors complete with a mini grocery store, an underwhelming dog training show and 2 men trying to sell us trips to Vegas! What?
I’m considering writing a letter to this pretentious, self-​serving and money grabbing organization to they can make this a completely CLOSED event for wristband-​holders only and save people the money, time and extreme disappointment.

Went last night to check it out with my wife and some friends who had never been to the annual event before and all I can say this morning is WOW! What a disappointing and painfully disorganized joke the American Royal bbq cook-​off is!
Dreadfully inconvenient location where you can pay an arm and a leg – if you have CASH, i.e., PAPER CURRENCY – to watch everyone else at private/​invite-​only parties have a great time. I don’t know why it’s even opened to the public. Amidst a literal OCEAN of world class bbq, the «unwashed masses» get their choice between TWO uninspiring vendor trucks parked next to a row of busy port-​a-​johns selling product that is on par with Applebee’s at best. TWO VENDORS!
NEVER again.
Next year we’ll have dinner at Oklahoma Joes and go see a movie… a lot more fun for a lot less money.

What a blast. I recommend this experience to everyone. Great people, great food, and a great atmosphere. The air is filled with the smell of great BBQ and, if you can manage to hook up with at least one competing team, your fun will be quadrupled. Still, if nothing else, it’s a great walking tour. Consider volunteering as a way of immersing yourself in this one-​of-​a-​kind Kansas City experience. Whether you help with parking or serve as a tasting judge, volunteering will make this a great experience. What a hoot!

I attended two parties here this year, my first time at the event. Yes, private party tickets are mandatory on Friday or you shouldn’t bother.
This thing is huge. Huge. Come prepared to walk forever from tent to tent and finding your event might be challenging as well, among the hundreds of tents, RVs and structures they put up.
The smell of barbecue, if that’s your thing, is intoxicating. If it’s not your thing, it seems overwhelming and pervasive.
One event I attended was fun. It was smaller scale and the music and drinks were enjoyable. I even tried out the ubiquitous mechanical bull for about 2 seconds.
The food was decent and enjoyable for the carnivore with me. I had potato salad and chips… which was not a good base for all the free drinks.
The second, larger charity party I attended was jam packed. Many food items were gone already. The music was way too loud. Drink lines were long. Not my scene.
I quite enjoyed the petting zoo area and a wine tasting booth and the Bloody Mary tent.
But unless you are connected and really into meat and meat products, this may not be the event for you.
I do have to give credit to the organizers for the transportation. It was easy as pie to hop a bus at Union Station for free and ride over and to ride back. Parking? God, no!

Thus far, all reviews for the American Royal have been either 5 or 1 star, which I think perfectly speaks to the nature of the event. The American Royal Barbecue is a simply fantastic evening in Kansas City… if you know the right people. Otherwise, it is easy to see how people would consider it nothing more than an overcrowded, underperforming money grab. It’s definitely not for everybody. Since I am fortunate enough to know a good number of people in Kansas City, I have a frickin blast. I do wish it would be a bit more accommodating to those that aren’t as connected or travel in from out of town, and for me, that’s enough to knock a star. You can read other reviews to learn about the experience from the perspective of the uninitiated, but let me tell you about the Royal through the eyes of a relative insider.
First things first: You need to plan ahead and act smart.
1) ALWAYS buy your general admission tickets in advance. Yeah, you’ll have to pay a couple of bucks in Ticketmaster convenience fees, but you do NOT want to stand in the crazy mobs trying to buy your tickets the night of.
2) Take a cab or one of the busses. You don’t want to be trying to get your car in and out of the West Bottoms. It’s a total madhouse, and one that’s simply not designed to accommodate these types of crowds.
3) Bring cash! You’ll want it, trust me.
4) Before you ever even make the event, do your research. Ask your network of friends if they know of any parties. It’s true that the majority of them are private functions, ranging from tiny gatherings to huge corporate events. Maybe your friends have a connection. However, there are a number of public ones, typically fundraisers. I recommend Dead Poultry Society, which for $ 50 or so gets you unlimited food, drink and entertainment. Whatever you do, don’t just show up day of without a battle plan. This is (barely) controlled chaos and you are responsible for your own good time. Nobody is there to make sure you have fun.
Follow these steps and I think you’ll have a great time. It’s typically right when the seasons are changing. The air is crisp, you get to bundle up in your fall attire, and the entire area smells of bbq smoke. The drinks are flowing, the food is delicious and everybody is in a great mood. While the focus is obviously on BBQ, in my mind the American Royal is more a celebration of Kansas City and the people/​organizations that make it great. And it’s one that so long as I live in KC, I never plan to miss.

This event is a joke.
Do not come here unless you are part of a private party. Or unless you like spending lots of cash and being bored.
This is not an event for spectators or tourists. They simply pay the freight for everyone else.
STAY AWAY!!!

This event is the superbowl of BBQ that competitors come from far and wide internationally. 500 teams compete to make their best smoked meat, sauces, and sides. Now, it isn’t only about the food, as if you are invited to a private party Friday night or you buy your way in (some places charges $ 10-​$ 30), you’ll be entertained by live bands, dj’s, and have an open bar on top of sampling the amazing food. If you are lucky enough to be invited in and sample their smoked meat, it’ll beat your favorite BBQ restaurants by far. They also have fireworks. For a few weeks before and after the event, there are plenty of themed things going on from a parade through the streets, to rodeo’s with some well known bands, etc.
Why all the one star reviews? Well, I think that people really don’t do their research and realize that it IS a competition and that the parties are expensive, require a lot of work, and have limited supplies. If you aren’t a judge or competitor and haven’t been invited to or bought into a private party, you probably shouldn’t go! I feel bad for those that paid the fee and didn’t realize it really is an «insiders» party.
Don’t want to drive and park there? Park somewhere downtown and there are several free shuttle buses. It’s a great idea as many drink too much (but are well behaved drunks). It’s not uncommon for people to take taxis home if they are too inebriated to drive.
I for one am excited to be going this Friday and if you know someone competing or throwing a party, I highly encourage you to go. It’s a once in a life time experience.
Just remember to shower and wash your clothes afterward as you’ll smell like smoky meat and your dog will start licking you.

The World Series of BBQ. This is the largest and greatest BBQ competition. You would not expect to play football at the Super Bowl, then you should not expect free food.
There are lots of opportunities if you look and ask. Friday is an evening for corporate parties and kick off to the best BBQ event. Even if your not invited still a good chance you will still walk in and be greeted with a smile and free food and drink.
The BBQ judging is done by certified KCBS judges… if you are not a member — you should. Still there is an opportunity to judge the OPEN Event on Sunday if you not certified. Get there by 8am and be on stand by… a very good chance you will be picked to join the over 560 judges needed for the Sunday event.
Have fun and join the BEST and largest BBQ event in the nation.

Very disappointed at this event. I, like many others expected a fun food festival that I could walk around and try different BBQ– whoa– I was WRONG.
You pay 15 $ entrance fee to walk around and look into «private event» parties eating their BBQ. To get into these private parties you have to know someone.
BBQ is available from 3 vendors to purchase. Eh– I could go to their restaurants and sit down and try it!
Really nothing ROYAL about the experience. Save your money and go out to eat.

I wish I had saw the first review before I waited in hugely long traffic lines, paid for parking, walked a mile to the gate, paid $ 15 (cash only) to get in, and then walked around watching TONS (maybe 700 – 800) of teams make AWESOME BBQ. While most of that was expected for such a huge event, the let down came quick.
What it is:
— Hundreds of teams setup (some with some unique layouts and equipment) over multiple acres.
— Live bands everywhere! The main stage (for the rest of us) and tons of bands at all the corporate private parties
— A national-​level BBQ event
— An AWESOME place to go IF you’re in a private party
What it REALLY is for ‘the rest of us’:
— $ 5-​$ 12 drinks (not unreasonable)
— 4 or 5 vendors selling food that is so-​so and NOT «national competition» quality or size appropriate for the money.
— There is a Funnel Cake vendor (a minor highlight and NOT what I was expecting as a highlight at a BBQ event)
— The American Royal center inside is a «buy my toys» commercial trap, including a mini WalMart! UNLESS you want some BBQ sauce or grilling utensils (there is some good selection here)
— Sadly, the petting zoo was a highlight just because they had a spider monkey and we spent 30 minutes making Talladega Nights references
But — everything is all about the «private party» signs which are EVERYWHERE. My buddy said it best, I just spent a bunch of time and money to watch someone else have a great time.
I’m used to a BBQ event being tons of teams — you pay an entrance fee but get samples (or pay a nominal fee for samples) so you get to try out what the competitors are bringing to the party.
The other issue — almost everything is CASH ONLY — these guys need to get with the times and get things like THE SQUARE for iPhone that lets you take CC payments…
Oh yeah — be careful about street parking, KCPD Parking enforcement were printing tickets as fast as their little machines could work (and this was around 11pm)
We got tired of watching other people having fun and went to GCFB to drink

this is actually billed as the largest international (national, really, because people in cambodia prob do not give a crap about slow-​smoked brisket) BBQ festival competition IN THE WORLD. there are supposedly HUNDREDS of competitors, with 60 to 70 thousand visitors.
to the average meat-​atarian who happens to watch quite a bit of Food TV, this means Lots Of BBQ To Eat. so this meat-​loving lover convinced the husband, as well as meat-​loving sister and bro in law (who, incidently, live on the E coast) to fly god knows how many miles to meet in KC with the promise of eating ridiculous amounts of BBQ.
well, that was stupid. apparently all the BBQ made is only for the competitors, the judges and their friends. we were not included. there were 2 sad small trucks in the multi-​acre compound at which we could actually purchase (really awful) BBQ to eat. OH HOW COULD I FORGET the petting zoo. other than that, and the weirdly extensive tempurpedic mattress display, was all we were able to participate in.
the website even has a section «Will I be able to eat competitive barbecue?» the answer should be «NO YOU DUMBASS GO BACK TO CALIFORNIA» but instead it says:
«Yes, if a licensed food vendor is also a competitor. Food Vendors who cook and sell barbecue have the option of competing. The American Royal will host several vendors who will prepare barbecue for the public to enjoy.»
all 2 of them. apparently it is a well-​known local ‘secret’, known even by the cashier at the local ann taylor.