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Poppa earles tailgate festival 2026
FESTIVAL EVENT OVERVIEW
THIS IS A FREE EVENT TO THE PUBLIC! Kick off the weekend Friday night with live music from Thomas Cain, a huge fireworks show on the levee, and a true Louisiana cochon de lait! We’ll be serving up BBQ plates fresh off the pit, with a full bar open all night.
Come hungry, grab a drink, enjoy the music, and help us kick off the Poppa Earle’s Tailgate Festival the right way! Friday November 20, 2026.
Saturday is all about food, football, family fun, and competition! Cooking teams will compete in a Chicken & Sausage Gumbo Cookoff followed by the Best Tailgate Dish, with combined scores crowning the Best Tailgate in the South and $5,000 in trophies and prizes up for grabs. Food will be served to the public where you can grab a $25 dollar food pass to try all the cookoff teams dishes.
Catch LSU vs. Tennessee on a massive 25-foot TV, enjoy kids games and activities, vendors, a live DJ, full bar, and live & silent autographed sports memorabilia auctions throughout the day.
Admission is FREE to the public, so bring the family, come hungry, and enjoy a full day of Louisiana food, football, and fun while supporting the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank.
FRIDAY NIGHT KICKOFF PARTY!
FRIDAY NIGHT KICKOFF PARTY WITH THOMAS CAIN!
Kick off the weekend Friday night with live music from Thomas Cain, a huge fireworks show on the levee, and a true Louisiana cochon de lait! We’ll be serving up BBQ plates fresh off the pit, with a full bar open all night.
Come hungry, grab a drink, enjoy the music, and help us kick off the Poppa Earle’s Tailgate Festival the right way! Friday November 20, 2026
The Cookoff EVENT
Have what it takes to be crowned the BEST Tailgate of the South?! More than $5,000 in trophies and prizes will be awarded to cook-off contestants! Think your team has what it takes? Businesses, friends, families, and backyard tailgate crews are all welcome to compete.
Each team prepares two dishes on day of event. You can only win the Grand Prize by competing in both categories:
- Chicken and Sausage Gumbo Cookoff — Judged by a panel of celebrity judges morning of event. Cooked onsite.
- Best Tailgate Dish — Served to the crowd when gates open at 11am, crowds vote on their favorites.
Trophies and prizes will be awarded in both categories, and the team with the highest combined score will take home the ultimate title: Best Tailgate of the South! $5,000 in total prizes awarded.
Spots are limited, so get your team together and sign up early. Full cookoff rules can be found at the bottom of the page.
Pay cook-off or Vendor fee HERE
Submit Team Entry Fee or vendor now to reserve your spot for the upcoming cookoff event. Limited spots available. $150 entry fee per team for cookoff. $75 fee for vendors ***PLEASE LEAVE YOUR NAME IN THE NOTE when paying so we can verify which team/vendor payment is for.
Cancelation Policy: Cancel before 9/15/2026 to receive full refund. Cancel after 9/15/2026 for half refund. Cancelation within 72 hours of event receives no refund.
We are cooking for a cause!
The Greater Baton Rouge Foodbank
The Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank is a nonprofit organization that solicits, procures, inventories, and warehouses donated food and other products. This food is then distributed to a variety of community agencies such as pantries, meal sites, homes, shelters, and soup kitchens that serve the people in need.
Our mission is to feed the hungry in Baton Rouge and the surrounding parishes by providing food and educational outreach through faith-based and other community partners. With community support, we have served the hungry in our 11-parish service area for 40 years. The Greater Baton Rouge Foodbank provides services to up to 50,000 people a month. Click the link where you can donate directly to the Greater Baton Rouge Foodbank!
DONATE NOW TO HELP FIGHT HUNGER!
Every dollar donated can provide up to 3 meals! 100 percent of every dollar donated goes to directly to The Greator Baton Rouge Foodbank. Let's help them in their mission to ending hunger!
event Sponsors
LIVE AND SILENT AUCTIONS DAY OF EVENT
We are Auctioning off some amazing sports memorabilia Saturday November 21st!
Bid on an incredible lineup of autographed sports memorabilia, including helmets, jerseys, framed photos and more! Our Silent Auction runs throughout the day Saturday November 21st, followed by the Live Auction that evening featuring some of our biggest items.
From LSU legends to NFL greats, to baseball stars, there’ll be something for every sports fan and collector. All autographs' items come with certificates of authentication, so you can bid with confidence!
Best of all, 50% of all auction proceeds will benefit the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank, so every winning bid helps support a great cause!
