CONTRIBUTED CONTENT — Mesquite Gaming, owner of the CasaBlanca Resort and Virgin River Hotel, is excited to announce the sixth annual CasaBlanca Rib Fest from Friday, Sept. 8 through Sunday, Sept. 10! For the first time ever, the three-day family fun event will be held inside the CasaBlanca’s remodeled 9,000-square-foot Grand Ballroom to eliminate any weather concerns.
Some of the country’s best barbecue vendors return in a top-notch cooking competition serving up delicious ribs and meats. In addition, attendees will enjoy fun tailgating games, daily eating contests, a live DJ and delicious dessert treats from Sin City Kettle Corn. The CasaBlanca Rib Fest is free to attend and open to the public.
“I’m already hungry,” said Christian Adderson, assistant general manager at Mesquite Gaming, “because the best BBQ all-stars in America will be back this year to compete for the prestigious Rib Fest cooking awards. Events like this one are the reason we hold the Gold Award for Best Destination in the Best of Las Vegas Readers Poll in the Las Vegas Review-Journal.”
Notable food vendors participating include Chicago BBQ Company, Texas Outlaw BBQ (with more than 250 first-place awards in its 25 years) and Austin’s Texas Lightning (with over 30 years of serving award-winning barbecue). Attendees will choose which barbecue they love the most and vote for the People’s Choice Award. Participants can vote once per day on casablancaresort.com, and the team with the most votes by Sunday evening will win $2,000.
2023 schedule of activities (all event times in PDT)
Friday, Sept. 8, from 1-7 p.m.
Beginning at 1 p.m., attendees can enjoy barbecue and carnival-style food vendors, the beer garden, tailgate activities and games, and live music with DJ Ricochet. The day’s schedule also includes children’s watermelon eating contests and prize giveaways.
- 4:30 p.m. Watermelon-eating contest.
- 5 p.m. Watermelon-eating contest: 8- to 9-year-olds.
- 5:30 p.m. Watermelon-eating contest: 10- to 11-year-olds.
- 7 p.m. Watermelon-eating contest: 12- to 13-year-olds.
Saturday, Sept. 9, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Beginning at 11 a.m., attendees can enjoy barbecue and carnival-style food vendors, the beer garden, tailgate activities and games, and music with DJ Ricochet. The day’s schedule also includes children’s watermelon-eating contests and prize giveaways.
- Noon Watermelon-eating contest: Virgin Valley High School principal vs. Hughes Middle School principal.
- 2 p.m. Watermelon-eating contest: Mesquite Police Department vs. Mesquite Fire Department.
- 3:30 p.m. Watermelon-eating contest: 8- to 9-year-olds.
- 4 p.m. Watermelon-eating contest: 10- to 11-year-olds.
- 5 p.m. Watermelon-eating contest: 12- to 13-year-olds.
Sunday, Sept. 10, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Beginning at 11 a.m., attendees can enjoy barbecue and carnival-style food vendors, the beer garden, tailgate activities and games, and music with DJ Ricochet. The day’s schedule also includes children’s watermelon-eating contests and prize giveaways.
- Noon Watermelon-eating contest: 8- to 9-year-olds.
- 1 p.m. Watermelon-eating contest: 10- to 11-year-olds.
- 2 p.m. Watermelon-eating contest: 12- to 13-year-olds.
The CasaBlanca Rib Fest is free and open to the public. For more information, click here or follow Mesquite Gaming on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram.
About Mesquite Gaming
Mesquite Gaming, located 77 miles north of Las Vegas, includes Virgin River Hotel/Casino/Bingo and CasaBlanca Resort-Casino-Golf-Spa. A premier golf destination, Mesquite Gaming owns and operates The Palms Golf Club and CasaBlanca Golf Club.
Combined, the two properties feature 1,186 guest rooms, 76,000 square feet of casino space with 2,000 slot machines and 36 gaming tables, and 70,000 square feet of meeting and convention space. For more information, visit mesquitegaming.com.
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