TIFTON — The fifth annual Rhythm & Ribs Barbecue Festival has been set for Sat., March 3 at Fulwood Park and event organizers say the response from barbecue teams is running ahead of schedule.

“Last year, we had more teams than we’ve ever had and so far this year, we’ve got more teams registered than we did at this point last year,” said Angela Elder with the Tifton-Tift County Tourism Association. “We raised our overall payouts this year for the professional and the backyard division and we’ve also gotten a lot of positive feedback from the teams that this is one of their favorite competitions to compete in.”

The Early Bird registration for both professional and backyard teams ends Friday, Feb. 2. Teams can save $50 by registering next week. Registration forms can be found at www.tiftonribsfest.com.

The professional competition is sanctioned by the Georgia Barbecue Association as teams from from all parts of Georgia and surrounding states will be cooking at Fulwood Park. Interest is especially high from the professional teams because this year’s competition will be a “double points” event, making it even more important to those competing on the circuit.

Professional teams will also be competing for the Grand Champion trophy and $3,000 in prize money. The Reserve Champion will win $1,500 and a trophy while the top 10 in each category (Pork Loin, Pulled Pork and Ribs) will receive cash prizes.

In the backyard competition, the Grand Champion will receive $1,000 and a trophy. Also, cash prizes will be awarded to the top five finishers in each category (Chicken, Ribs, Pulled Pork) with certificates going to the 6th through 10th finishers in each category.

A strong lineup of entertainment will also highlight the festival. This year’s headliners are Southern Avenue, a five-piece blues and soul band from Memphis. Less than one year after forming, they were signed to the Stax label and were labeled by one Memphis radio station as “the most talked about band in Memphis.”

The co-headliner is Cris Jacobs, a singer/guitarist/songwriter who has opened for Steve Winwood and Sturgill Simpson and began his 2018 tour in Maya, Mexico. Jacobs mixes country and soul for a unique sound that continues to draw big crowds.

Other acts that will take the stage throughout the day include Mermaid Motor Lounge, the Justin Spivey Band, the Tyler Neal Band featuring Yonrico Scott and Ryn Crider. There will also be other local musicians on another stage Saturday and a kick-off party Friday night with entertainment as well. The popular Kids Area will return with bounce houses, slides, a rock climbing wall and a zipline. Also, there will be dozens of vendors selling food, arts and crafts and more.

Anyone interested in participating in the barbecue competition or as a vendor and for information on sponsorship possibilities or being a part of the festival as a volunteer can contact The Spearman Agency at 229-386-0216 or by email at spearmanagency@friendlycity.net.