Meatstock Festival

Meat lovers worldwide will gather at the Sydney Showgrounds in April for the Meatstock Festival, a three-day event held every year.

This beloved meat-filled event will feature bands, beer, barbecues, and more!

Meatstock 2025 is bigger and better than ever, returning to Sydney with a fun-filled sensory explosion from Fri, 9 May to Sunday, 11 May! Set across three huge days celebrating the best of barbecue culture, live music and unforgettable good times.

The Jack Daniel’s live stage features Hip-Hop royalty alongside some of Australia’s finest music talent! Friday starts with performances from Bliss n Eso, Illy, Hot Potato Band and Little Green. On Saturday, Furnace & The Fundamentals, 19-Twenty, and Andy Golledge Band – will rock the stage, joined by The Beefs, Large Mirage, Chaperone and The Sweet Jelly Rolls. Sunday features the high-octane band Bullhorn, joined by Frank Sultana, Minnie Marks, Chaperone and Alvarez & Rollan.

In the BBQ pit yard, national and international teams will battle it out in the Heat Beads BBQ Wars, vying for the title of best in their specific protein category. Meanwhile, the butchers will showcase their skills in the meat-filled Butcher Wars showdown.

The competition never stops at Meatstock! Don’t miss the infamous Better Beer Dad Bod Contest, the Beard and Mo Wars, or the always-exciting Australia’s Strongest Man and Woman competition. From muscle-popping Arm Battles to the crowd-favourite Sausage Sizzle Throwdown, there’s action at every turn.

Need a break from the heat of competition? Check out the Rod+Custom Rumble, featuring some of the country’s most impressive vehicles. Explore the extensive BBQ expo to find everything you need to enhance your at-home barbecue setup, or even get inked at the on-site tattoo station.

After a hugely successful inaugural year in New Zealand, Fire Kitchen is now in Sydney! Some of the world’s best Pitmasters will serve barbecue-tasting dishes, all cooked over live fire. Fire Kitchen features some of the world’s most pre-eminent live fire chefs worldwide.

As the sun sets, prepare for an epic fire show that will light up the night. Meatstock is the ultimate celebration of barbecue culture and a carnivore’s dream! Don’t miss out on Australia’s biggest barbecue and music festival.

Most dishes range from $18 to $55+, depending on the size of the dish. Meat is expensive, and when you add in up to 12 hours of cooking, yes, it isn’t cheap. Yes, we know you can cook it yourself cheaper at home, and fast food is cheaper. The Pitmasters are some of the hardest-working people you’ll ever meet, and they are passionate about what they do. If you want real food cooked by Australia’s best, Meatstock is a barbecue wonderland.

Meatstock prides itself on gathering some of the best and most unique vendors in the country. However, good quality barbecue, by nature, is very time-consuming for the pit masters to cook and is not at all like fast food. They do their best to make sure any queues for food are kept to an acceptable level and move as quickly as possible. However, The wait times are the longest at around 12 noon to 4pm. Outside those times, the lines should generally be 20 minutes or less. Saturday is our busiest day; if you want to minimise any lines, Friday or Sunday is the day for you.

We take tap-to-pay, EFTPOS, and Cash (selected areas), and ATMs will be available at the venue.

Rod + Custom Rumble

The Rod + Custom Rumble is for any unique or custom car, truck, big rig or bike with a preference for Australian or American-built motors.

Around 25,000 people attend the festival over two days to celebrate American Barbecue culture.

Two VIP tickets to the event (per car/truck) will be offered complimentary to the festival valued at over $400, plus there are some great trophies and prizes to be won.

There is an option to attend the show for one day, but the judging will take place on Saturday, and the presentations will be on Sunday.

Cars will be secured overnight in a locked showground hall, and security will be present.

There is limited space, so registration is essential.

BETTER BEER BEARD AND MO WARS

Held live on stage at Meatstock, the Better Beer Beard and Mo Wars is a crowd favourite. Register on the day at the Indoor Stage.

Each category is capped at 10 contestants to be chosen by the crew.

Beard – Mo – Hairy Chest – Dad Bod – Mullet

Getting There

Sydney Showground is in Sydney Olympic Park, about 17 kilometres west of the CBD. You can get there by car via the A4 (on-site parking is available) or public transport, with train, bus, and ferry options available.

Car parking
Sydney Olympic Park is easily approached by road, with the M4, Victoria Road, and Parramatta Road nearby.

Free Parking
There are 2-hour free-parking spaces on Grand Parade, Olympic Boulevard and Dawn Fraser Avenue for short visits.

Casual parking
Sydney Olympic Park has over 10,000 parking spaces site-wide. Carparks P1, P5, and P6 are close to the Sydney Showground. The cost is $7 per hour, up to a maximum fee of $35 per day.

We recommend pre-booking parking if you plan to visit Sydney Showground on the day of a major event. The cost is $35 per car for the day, and this is for one entry and exit into your selected car park.

By Public Transport
Conveniently serviced by bus, train, and ferry services, the site was purpose-built for the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games and has been designed to cope effortlessly with high visitor volumes.

By train
Olympic Park train station is on Sydney Showground’s doorstep. The Sprint service, operated by CityRail, travels between Lidcombe and Olympic Park Stations daily, every 10 minutes.

A limited number of direct services also operate between Central Station and Olympic Park Station on weekday afternoons and for some major events.

By bus
Sydney Buses operates direct bus services to Sydney Olympic Park from several locations, including Lidcombe, Strathfield, and Parramatta.

By ferry
Sydney Ferries runs a daily service between Circular Quay and Parramatta, stopping at Sydney Olympic Park Ferry Wharf. To travel to Sydney Showground, visitors must also catch a connecting bus.

By Car
There are many easily accessible public transport options to Sydney Olympic Park, but driving to the venue is just as easy.

Located in the geographical heart of greater Sydney, the Park is easily reached from any direction.

With the final stage of WestConnex, Rozelle Interchange, and the M4 tunnel now open, the trip from the Sydney CBD to the Sydney Showground is quicker than ever, taking around 20 minutes (16km).