BBQ & Fly In on the River

04/30/2026

🔥 95 TEAMS REGISTERED… ONLY 4 SPOTS LEFT! 🔥

We’re officially sitting at 95 teams for the 2026 BBQ & Fly-In on the River and that means just FOUR spots remain to join the action!

If you’ve been thinking about it… this is your sign.
Lock it in NOW and get ready to for your shot at the .

Don’t wait. Once we hit capacity, that’s it.
This year is bigger than ever as a BBQ World Cup Qualifier, and those final spots will go FAST.

Register today before it’s too late.

⚠️ Important Note for Teams
Teams marked with an asterisk (*) currently have an outstanding balance. Their space is not guaranteed if we reach a waitlist.

First to pay = first to secure their spot.

04/21/2026

Our mass email provider, Constant Contact, appears to be having some issues. If you are a competition team and just received a judging application received email, please disregard. When the system is back up and running, we'll login and determine what the glitch is. We apologize for any confusion this may have created.
Gotta love technology. Thank you for understanding.

02/27/2026

And then there were 8!

The KCBS Banquet Freebie has been claimed, so there is room for one more! We're down to the last 8 spots for the 2026 BBQ & Fly-In on the River! Who wants them?

02/20/2026

🚨 87 TEAMS REGISTERED!!! 🚨

We are officially sitting at 87 teams for the 26th Annual BBQ & Fly-In on the River in Downtown Excelsior Springs...and remember, we are FULL at 99!

We've given one space to KCBS for their banquet, which means we only have 🔥 11 SPOTS REMAINING 🔥

Airplane trophies | Million-dollar dreams

If you've been thinking about it, this is your sign!

02/17/2026

🔥✈️ CALLING ALL CERTIFIED KCBS JUDGES ✈️🔥

The 26th Annual BBQ & Fly-In on the River is about to be NEXT LEVEL…

And we need YOU at the table.

This year, Downtown Excelsior Springs has officially been selected as a BBQ World Cup Qualifier — which means we are expanding to a 99-Team Field. 👏🔥

Ninety. Nine. Teams.

🗓 Saturday, August 15

Because of the size and prestige of this year’s contest, we will only be accepting:

✅ Certified KCBS Judges

No exceptions. If you’ve got the credentials, we want you in Excelsior Springs.

This isn’t just another contest.
This is airplane trophies.
This is Road to the World Cup.
This is teams chasing million-dollar dreams. 💸🔥

And we need experienced, professional judges to help us execute one of the biggest competitions in our event’s history.

👇 Apply here:
https://visitexcelsior.com/bbq-judge-registration/

You’ll receive either a CONFIRMATION or WAITLIST notification as we build out our judging team.

ABOUT DEP STAY IN THE KNOW BECOME A PARTNER OUR INVESTORS SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES MEET OUR SPONSORS ANNUAL REPORT ANNUAL REPORT PRESENTATION

02/13/2026

Updated Team Roster | 2/13/2026 | 4:05 PM

Whoa! You guys are ready to in Downtown Excelsior Springs, Missouri this August! This field is 🔥🔥🔥

Never thought I would say this in February... But we've only got 18 spots left!

01/30/2026

CURRENT TEAM ROSTER

Updated: February 7 | 2:34 PM

Moving forward every Friday we'll update this post, that's pinned to the top of the page with 2026 Team Roster. We're sitting at 71 and we're full at 99!

01/29/2026

🔥 UPDATED TEAM ROSTER 🔥
You guys are REALLY out here chasing airplane trophies and million-dollar dreams! ✈️💸 ...and you're making a girl WORK in January! And we're loving every minute of it!

Despite technology trying to keep us on our toes this year, we've officially received all registrations on the back end of the website.
If you haven't completed payment yet, check your inbox and your texts, we've sent a direct invoice link to get you squared away.

Friendly reminder: When we're full, we're full. We don't hold spaces, so if you're registered, but unpaid, please make sure to get that taken care of ASAP to lock in your spot.

We're officially sitting at 69 teams registered for this year's event... and this competition field is 🔥🔥🔥

LET’S. GO. 👏🔥✈️

01/28/2026

🔥 FLASH SALE is officially closed...and WOW, did y’all show up! 👏

We're already sitting at 58 teams registered for the 26th Annual BBQ & Fly-In on the River!

That means 58 teams are locked in and ready to throw down in Downtown Excelsior Springs, all with a shot at qualifying for the BWC! The competition field is already looking 🔥🔥🔥 and we're just getting started.

Miss the flash sale? No worries - Early Bird pricing is LIVE!
Use code: EARLYBIRD2026 to save on registration now through March. But don't wait too long, when we're full, we are full.

01/28/2026

Just under 2 hours left to take advantage of this year's flash sale!

Use code: ROADTO1MILLION at check out and save $50!

We're getting full fast! You don't want to wait on this one!