Yellowknifers can expect to get a taste of something sweet and savoury when the Western Canada Rib Fest Tour comes to town in August.

The festival is slated for Aug. 2-Aug. 4 at the Multiplex.

Paul Mendonca has 15 years experience doing Ribfests across Canada. As the co-owner of Ribs Unlimited, the managing team behind the tour, he said the decision to come to Yellowknife was a matter of community interest.

鈥淧eople attend another city鈥檚 event and are like, 鈥楬ey, why is this not up here?鈥欌�� Mendonca said. He added that after a conversation with Mayor, Rebecca Alty, and some business partners, they decided to go for it. It will be the farthest north they鈥檝e ever been, he said.

鈥淲e think it鈥檚 going to be a main staple event for years to come in Yellowknife,鈥� he added.

Admission is free for the event. It鈥檚 family-driven, Mendonca said, and that鈥檚 something he seems to take pride in.

鈥淓ven if you don鈥檛 want to spend a dollar on buying any food, who cares? You come on down, have fun, pull up a鈥� chair. We鈥檒l have some live entertainment, hopefully some good local artists that want to come and just have a sense of community.鈥�

It might be family-friendly, but by no means is it recreational, least of all for the cooks and rib connoisseurs alike. According to Mendonca, there are four teams that travel for the fest. On the tour鈥檚 website, the list includes Billy鈥檚 BBQ, Blazin鈥� BBQ, Bone Daddy鈥檚 BBQ and Buckeye BBQ.

Each of the food trucks start off with the same raw product, Mendonca explained. How they prepare it is up to them.

There are a number of competitions to win, with a panel of judges deciding who鈥檚 got the best sauce, ribs and more. But there is also a people鈥檚 choice award. For this year, there鈥檚 quite the appetite for each team to be Yellowknife鈥檚 first-ever champion.

鈥淓veryone鈥檚 going to want to win that first award,鈥� Mendonca said.

There鈥檚 also going to be beer there. But food and drink aside, for Mendonca, Rib Fest is for family.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 how it鈥檚 always been. It鈥檚 a family event. We want as little a barrier to entry as possible for people,鈥� he said.

For Yellowknifers unsure where to start when they reach the fest, Mendonca鈥檚 advice is simple: give things a try.

鈥淓veryone will be able to try sauces for free from each truck,鈥� he said.

Visitors can also walk right up to a grill and see for themselves how each team prepares their ribs.

鈥淪ome of the trucks even have their smokers that you can open up, check in and that鈥檚 part of the fun.

鈥淩ib Fest will become a staple in the community 鈥� not just for the fact that we give back, but that it鈥檚 good food, good entertainment and a good vibe.鈥�