The Greater East Pasco Chamber of Commerce announced the winners of the 2026 Pigz in Z’Hills BBQ & Blues Festival competitions, highlighting both rising young grill masters and seasoned barbecue teams from across Central Florida.
One of the festival’s most popular traditions, the Kidz Grillin’ Contest, showcased the creativity and skill of young chefs ages 5–15. Sponsored by Bahr’s Propane Gas & A/C, Chick-fil-A Zephyrhills, BayCare Wesley Chapel and Sonny’s BBQ, the contest gives children a safe, hands-on opportunity to test their grilling talents.
This year’s Kidz Grillin’ Contest winners were:
• 1st Place: Cassidy Hartz
• 2nd Place: Adalynn Bristow
• 3rd Place: Bentley Douglas
The festival also welcomed the return of competitive barbecue with an official Backyard BBQ Competition sanctioned by the Florida Barbecue Association (FBA). Teams traveled from across Central Florida and the Tampa Bay region to compete, joining several local Zephyrhills pitmasters.
The top honors in the Backyard BBQ Competition went to:
• Grand Champion: Powered by Smoke
• Reserve Grand Champion: Parrothead Pokers
Festivalgoers also had the chance to get involved by tasting and voting in the People’s Choice competition, sponsored by Effie Mae’s Kitchen. Attendees sampled barbecue entries and selected their favorite team.
The People’s Choice Award went to Mike’s C7 BBQ, a local team proudly representing Zephyrhills. The interactive contest gave festival guests the opportunity to crown their favorite pitmaster — and this year, hometown talent took the top honor.
The Greater East Pasco Chamber of Commerce also recognized the support of Zephyrhills Florida Spring Water, which donated bottles and gallons of water to help keep competitors, volunteers and attendees hydrated throughout the day. The contribution supported the mission of the Greater East Pasco Chamber Foundation.
The annual Pigz in Z’Hills BBQ & Blues Festival continues to be one of East Pasco County’s signature events, bringing together community members for barbecue competitions, live music and family-friendly activities.
Proceeds from the festival benefit the Greater East Pasco Chamber of Commerce and its foundation, which awards scholarships each year to Pasco County students.