NORTH CHARLESTON — Anthony DiBernardo is proud of the Holy Smokes BBQ Festival 's impact on the community. In just three years, the festival has donated over $300,000 to its beneficiaries, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Charleston and Hogs for the Cause, which directly supports families with children in pediatric oncology at MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children's Hospital. One hundred percent of proceeds from the one-day barbecue event, scheduled for Nov.
9 at Riverfront Park, will again be donated to those recipients in 2024. But that’s not the only reason the now-annual gathering has become a mainstay of the Lowcountry’s fall festival circuit, DiBernardo said. The owner of Swig & Swine pointed to the number of participating pitmasters who have returned each year, raising the level of barbecue cookery and cuisine for attendees.
“That speaks volumes to me,” DiBernardo said. “We try to make it a one-of-a-kind festival for the participants.” The Holy Smokes BBQ Festival will take place at Riverfront Park in North Charleston in November.
With the barbecue community’s camaraderie in mind, Holy Smokes was born in 2021, when DiBernardo and Aaron Siegel of Home Team BBQ teamed up with Post and Courier contributing restaurant critic Robert F. Moss, John F. Davis and Joe Norton to make the inaugural event happen.
Holy Smokes’ founding members set out to create a festival that wouldn’t be too taxing for those preparing food. The festival covers travel expenses and food c.