The Sugar River Fire and Smoke BBQ Festival is a weekend-long celebration of BBQ presented by renowned pitmaster and TV personality Michelle Wallace and hosted by Seven Acre Dairy Company. It takes place in Paoli, Wisconsin, on September 19 and 20th, 2026. The festival includes 25 acclaimed pitmasters, music from local and national touring acts, an incredible line-up of celebrity judges, a weekend full of BBQ demos, plus a curated marketplace of local food businesses and artisans.

The primary dates of the Festival are Saturday and Sunday, September 19 and 20, 2026. The Festival takes place between 11am and 3pm both days. There is also a weekend-long experience, Michelle Wallace’s BBQ University.

Paoli, Wisconsin is a tiny hamlet in the rolling hills of southern Wisconsin, about 20 minutes from the capital of Madison. Paoli is just over an hour’s drive from Milwaukee and about a two hour’s drive from much of Chicago.

Guests who visit us from around the country typically fly into Dane County Regional Airport (MSN), about 45 minutes away, or Chicago O’Hare (ORD), about 2 hours away. From there, visitors either Uber, taxi, or rent a car to get to Paoli.

The Sugar River Fire and Smoke Festival has partnered with our friends at Hyatt Place Madison/Verona for a special hotel rate of $149+taxes. The hotel is 3 miles north of Paoli and is within walking distance of Lake Louie Brewing, where there’s a free, continuous shuttle to Paoli during the Festival. The Inn at Seven Acre also has a limited number of rooms and suites, available for those who are taking part in Michelle Wallace’s BBQ University.

Paoli is a charming historic village on an oxbow of the Sugar River in the Driftless region of southern Wisconsin. We have lots of amazing assets, but car parking is not one of them. In other words, parking is extremely limited in our tiny village. All parking is on a first-come, first-served basis. 

We recommend festival guests park at Lake Louie Brewing and Wisconsin Brewing Company. The Brewery is 3 miles north of Paoli and has plentiful parking. Our friends at Lake Louie will run a free, continuous shuttle between Lake Louie and Paoli between 10:30 and 3:30 on Saturday and Sunday. Door to door, the shuttle takes about 5 minutes. Lake Louie Brewing is an incredible sponsor of the Festival as well and will have drink specials and Festival-themed activities before and after the festival on both days. 

If you’re in the Madison area, we also recommend taking Uber, Lyft, or a taxi to Paoli.

The Sugar River Fire and Smoke BBQ Festival is carnivore-centric and we have not asked our pitmasters or food vendors to make foods available that specifically address the dietary restrictions of our guests. That said, there will be dozens of food vendors at the Festival that will offer a wide variety of foods.

The Sugar River Fire and Smoke BBQ Festival is family friendly. We welcome people of ALL AGES! We’re taking EXTRA steps to make sure LOCAL SMOKE on Saturday, September 19th is especially kid friendly. Because, hey, we love kids! On Saturday, we have special kids-priced tickets and will feature multiple kiddo-centric vendors and activities.

Except for service animals, we ask that you leave pets at home or with a well-behaved neighbor or relative.

We kindly ask that you not bring outside food and beverages into the Festival. Of course, foods for babies, toddlers, or really picky eaters (preferably kids) is OK.

The Festival is rain or shine. In the case of rain, Festival organizers plan to tent the entire festival.

The Sugar River Fire and Smoke BBQ Festival is held in a large, natural outdoor setting. From one end of the festival grounds to the other is about ¼ of a mile. The grounds and walking areas contain a variety of terrain, including well-manicured grass and flat event grounds connected by walking paths made up of crushed gravel or wood chips. Some of the terrain at the festival is uneven: it includes river bottom and hilltop, with the elevation change between the hilltop and river bottom being about 50 feet, which guests navigate by sloping paths and stairs. Seven Acre Dairy has a limited number of disabled accessible and ADA accessible restrooms.

All ticket sales are final, but tickets are also transferable.

Send us an email at dairydelights@sevenacredairyco.com. We’d love to discuss sponsorship of the Festival!