The Boss of the Sauce BBQ Festival started off as a fun idea to get some friends together for a one-day amateur BBQ competition. From there, the idea caught on fire. The Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce, Visit Jacksonville, Downtown Jacksonville, and City of Jacksonville got excited and wanted to support the event. Through these partners and an initial committee of over 50 community leaders, The Boss grew to be a 3-Day event with its inaugural festival to be held on April 8-10, 2021. The event will be held on the sprawling Riverfront Plaza (former site of the Jacksonville Landing).

The Competition was then sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbeque Society, which is the world’s largest association of its kind. With this designation, the event became the first ever World Championship Qualifying BBQ Competition to be held in Northeast Florida.

The Boss will now host Teams from around the country and celebrate the growing Barbeque culture and all that it encompasses. World class country music talent, BBQ Chefs, as well as local craft beer and bourbon distillers will be highlighted as part of the festivities.

While this event will attract many visitors, it will also draw attention to the beautiful Jacksonville riverfront skyline and local hospitality.