Smoked Festival returns bigger to Rockhampton

Key points

• Rockhampton's Smoked Festival will return to Rockhampton Showgrounds on 5 and 6 February 2027, with expanded barbecue competitions, live music, bull riding and wrestling. Organisers are also taking the event to Nambour Showgrounds on 19 and 20 March 2027.
• The inaugural festival drew nearly 15,000 people over two days, and about a quarter of visitors came from outside the Rockhampton region. Organiser Callan Buchholz said ticket prices were kept low so cost would not stop people attending.
• Local butchers and businesses have backed the event, and community groups used it to start conversations about men's mental health.