World of Smoke Festival Hosted in New York City
The inaugural barbecue event at Resorts World New York City showcased diverse global cooking traditions.
Updated on Oct. 6, 2026 in Food and Drink
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Resorts World New York City hosted the inaugural World of Smoke Festival, bringing together a variety of international barbecue styles for the public. The event featured live music performances alongside food offerings from numerous pitmasters and restaurants.
Why it matters
The festival was organized to celebrate and unite distinct cultural barbecue techniques under one roof. It highlighted the variety of approaches to smoke-cooked meats ranging from Argentine to Caribbean jerk styles.
A total of 12 restaurants and pitmasters participated in the event to showcase various styles. The festival remains a singular inaugural occurrence with no publicly released attendance metrics.
The players
Resorts World New York City
This is a prominent entertainment and gaming destination located in the Queens borough of New York City.
The Rakiem Walker Project
This musical act was one of the featured performers providing live entertainment during the barbecue festival.
The details
Attendees sampled diverse barbecue styles including Memphis-style, Argentine, Korean, and Caribbean jerk offerings from 12 featured vendors such as Dinosaur BBQ and Mable's Smokehouse. The Rakiem Walker Project and GLRYA provided live musical accompaniment throughout the day for visitors at the venue.
Timeline
The World of Smoke Festival took place on October 6, 2026.
Industry Dynamics
This event reflects the broader shift in the entertainment sector toward experiential dining festivals that aggregate diverse local food options. By utilizing a large venue to host multiple niche pitmasters, the festival mirrors industry efforts to turn culinary variety into a singular destination attraction.
Because the event was free to the public, attendees were able to access a wide variety of high-end barbecue options without an entry fee. Visitors could sample food from different cultural traditions in one location, simplifying the process of experiencing multiple top-tier pitmasters at once.
The takeaway
Large-scale food festivals offer a practical way for enthusiasts to compare diverse cooking techniques side-by-side in a single afternoon. Future attendees should look for similar multi-vendor events to maximize their exposure to different regional barbecue specialties.
Further reading
For more on the local culinary scene, explore New York City Food and Drink.
Source note: This article includes information reported by QNS.
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