The Glen Ellyn Backyard BBQ returns to the Duane Street Public Parking Lot on Sept. 12 for its 18th year.

More than three dozen amateur teams will compete in the daylong cookout, Patch reported. The event runs from 1 to 9:30 p.m., and proceeds benefit Bridge Communities, the Glen Ellyn-based nonprofit that provides transitional housing to families facing homelessness.

The 2025 competition drew 42 teams and an estimated 2,000 attendees, competitors and volunteers, according to Bridge Communities' 2025 impact report. That edition raised $37,886 in net proceeds for the organization's transitional housing program, which serves more than 100 families a year.

The impact report describes the Glen Ellyn Backyard BBQ as the largest amateur BBQ competition in Illinois.

Kansas City Barbeque Society-certified judges will score entries across five categories. Attendees can also vote for a People's Choice Best Sauce winner.

Four live acts fill the stage throughout the day, according to the Bridge Communities event page:

  • Blank Tape: 1–2:15 p.m.
  • Lake Effect: 2:45–4:15 p.m.
  • Amy Kelly and the Beaver Moon Band: 4:45–7 p.m.
  • Serendipity: 7:30–9:30 p.m.

Food and drink vendors will sell alongside the competition fare. A children's area called Piglet Playland will offer inflatables, face painting and other activities.

The Bridge Communities Associate Board is hosting a corn hole tournament at the event. Participants register as two-person teams.

Bridge Communities, founded in 1988, partners with families to overcome homelessness through stable housing and support services. Among the nonprofit's 2025 graduates, 91% secured permanent housing and 100% grew their savings, according to the organization's website.

Details on registration and admission are available at www.glenellynbackyardbbq.org.

Upcoming community events

  • Sept. 11: Glendale Heights silent vehicle parade for the 9/11 anniversary
  • Sept. 12: Glen Ellyn Backyard BBQ, 1–9:30 p.m., Duane Street Public Parking Lot
  • Sept. 26: Glen Ellyn Craft Beer Crawl
  • Sept. 26: New Philharmonic 50th season opener