2019 Smithfield Bacon, Bourbon & Music Fest
There are few things on this earth that I enjoy more than bacon. As a child, I eagerly awaited Sunday mornings when my mom would prepare two pounds of bacon for my dad and I to battle over. As an adult, I feel that same joy in the fall when its time for the annual Smithfield Bacon, Bourbon & Music Fest.
This sold-out event brings thousands to Windsor Castle Park in Smithfield, Virginia. For my readers outside of the Commonwealth, Smithfield is home to the meat-processing company, Smithfield Foods. Combining the town’s affinity for meat with bourbon and the upbeat sounds of beach music, the Smithfield Bacon, Bourbon and Music Fest has become a highly anticipated event.
I first attended the festival in 2018 on behalf of the Virginia BBQ Trail. When I started seeing event promos for this year’s event, I texted my long-time friend Elyse, a fellow bacon lover. “Wait, should I come for that,” she replied to me. Initially I thought that there was no way she’d come from Ohio to Virginia just for bacon, yet she did.
Click here to read about the 2018 Bacon, Bourbon & Beach Music Fest.
This year’s festival was Saturday, Oct. 5. Before we made the hour-long journey to Smithfield, Elyse and I stopped by nearby restaurant Citrus for a pre-bacon fest beverage. What better way to kick off a festival dedicated to bacon than sipping a Bacon Bloody Mary? Citrus uses Bakon vodka to create this slightly smoky-flavored Bloody Mary, garnished with a strip of crispy bacon. Once we finished, we headed out from Virginia Beach to Smithfield.
Festival goers are invited to grab a half-pound of cooked bacon then go down the condiment line. The tasting ticket also includes unlimited tastings from Virginia breweries and cideries at the Brewery Village. Those who purchased a Bourbon ticket received all of this plus over 60 bourbon and whiskey samples from local and national distilleries. There are also stages for live music at Manor House Village, Brewery Village and Amphitheater Village.
Not wanting to get “tore up from the floor up,” Elyse and I stuck with the regular non-bourbon tickets. When we arrived, we decided to wait to get our bacon and start sampling some Virginia brews. I took Elyse to the tables of some of my favorite local cideries, including Sly Clyde and Bold Rock.
After a few laps around Windsor Castle Park, we were finally ready for our bacon. Unbeknownst to us, we managed to miss the bacon eating competition during that time. Honestly, I didn’t care to see it because I wasn’t in it.
This year’s process for receiving your bacon went much faster than the year before. The bacon station was right next to the bacon bar line. There was also plenty of bacon pre-portioned, stacked up and ready to grab.
As we made our way down the bacon bar condiment line, the lady behind us asked how things worked. Your half-pound of bacon is served on two tortillas. You have the choice of eating your bacon strips plain or heading down the condiment line and dressing it up with an array of toppings, seasonings and sauces. You can make BLT wraps, tacos or add some sweetness to your bacon. Since I’m avidly against dessert bacon, I opted for a BLT wrap with a jerk Caribbean sauce on one wrap and nacho cheese and onions on the second. Elyse pretty much did the same but added a couple of donut holes on the side.
We didn’t bring our own chairs, so we searched for a place to stand while we ate. “You need a place to sit?” a gruff voice said to us. I am a true crime lover, so any time a stranger speaks to me, I get suspicious. However, this man was an employee of Smithfield Foods and had extra wristbands for the Riverfront Pier Chalet. We happily accepted them then ate our bacon against the backdrop of the Cypress Creek.
Never in my life did I think I could eat too much bacon, but it happened. Let me start by saying that Elyse and I started our day with bacon, egg, cheese and hash brown bagels from Bagel Baker (the B.B. on Broadway, if you’re wondering). With that, plus the Bacon Bloody Mary and now the half pound of bacon wrapped in a tortilla, it didn’t take long for us to fill up. Also, I don’t think the nacho cheese was great for our digestion, but it was totally worth it.
After the festival, we headed back to Virginia Beach in a total food coma. This year, I learned not to eat a big breakfast, then you’ll have plenty of room for bacon.
For more information about the Smithfield Bacon, Bourbon & Music Fest, visit SmithfieldVAEvents.com
Check out my recap video of the 2019 Smithfield Bacon, Bourbon & Music Fest