TIFTON — Rain or shine, residents of Tifton can expect a return of Rhythm and Ribs this weekend.

The annual barbecue festival is set to explode onto Fulwood Park for its eleventh year the weekend of March 1, bringing its special brand of food and fun the Friendly City has come to enjoy.

Alongside the marketplace of vendors and musical performances familiar to the festival, including over fifteen barbecue vendors, Rhythm and Ribs organizers have planned several new attractions and forms of entertainment for patrons to take part in.

The celebration will be adding a dash of carnival fun to the festivities with a Ferris wheel, plus a pinch of pooch through Disc-Connected K-9, a professional Frisbee dog touring show. Both will be set up at the north side of the park, with the Ferris wheel offering $5 rides and Disc-Connected putting on shows throughout the event.

Ribs & Rides, the car show sponsored by Southern Gearheads that debuted at last year’s festival, will be making a return, lining Tift Ave. up and down with hot rods and vintage cars.

Alcohol will be served on park grounds, but organizers have mandated that patrons will need to wear a “Think Tifton” wristband to be served any alcoholic drinks.

Stations will be set up around the park to offer the bands for $5 apiece, with one band serving a patron for the entire run of the festival.

Patrons can expect a full setlist of top musicians to perform throughout the event on the Agri Supply main stage, including The Grass is Dead, Travis Denning, and Little Country Giants. Grandville and Heart of Pine will also be performing as part of the festival’s kickoff party March 1.

On the side of the barbecue competition, organizers have reported nearly thirty professional teams and over thirty five backyard competitors will be vying for top spot in pork loin, pulled pork, and ribs for professional and chicken, ribs, and pulled pork for backyard.

With the help of the Exchange Club of Tifton, this year’s competition will include a People’s Choice division, allowing patrons to sample the cooking of 9 professional and backyard teams for a $15 entry fee. All proceeds from this portion of the competition will go to the Exchange Club.

The Georgia Barbecue Association also plans to hold a Kids Cook Challenge Friday night, inviting the youths of Tifton to take their best shot at making a hamburger. Aspiring contestants have been encouraged to get creative.

Rhythm and Ribs will begin March 1, starting with a kickoff party from 6 to 10 p.m. and picking up the next morning from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. For more information, visit their website at tiftonribsfest.com or contact the Spearman Agency at (229)382-8700