TIFTON — The sixth annual Rhythm & Ribs Barbecue Festival is set for Saturday, March 2 and event organizers are excited about another big day at Fulwood Park.

“I think last year was the biggest year we’ve had in terms of the number of teams and the number of visitors we had to the park,” said Angela Elder with the Tifton-Tift County Tourism Association. “Our payouts for both the professional and backyard competitions are among the best in Georgia and we received a lot of feedback from the teams that this is one of their favorite competitions to compete in.”

Fifty total barbecue teams participated last year and Elder said registration is picking up for this year’s event as well. Registration forms can be found at www.tiftonribsfest.com.

The professional competition is sanctioned by the Georgia Barbecue Association as teams from all parts of Georgia and surrounding states will be cooking at the park. Professional teams will be competing for the Grand Champion trophy and $3,000 in prize money. The Reserve Champion will win $1,500 and a trophy while the top 10 in each category (Pork Loin, Pulled Pork and Ribs) will receive cash prizes.

In the backyard competition, the Grand Champion will receive $1,000 and a trophy. Also, cash prizes will be awarded to the top five finishers in each category (Chicken, Ribs, Pulled Pork) with certificates going to the 6th through 10th place finishers in each category.

Brent Cobb and Cedric Burnside will co-headline the entertainment this year.

Cobb is a native of Ellaville and burst onto the music scene with his major label debut “Shine on Rainy Day,” which was nominated for a 2017 Grammy. Anchored by Southern storytelling and a country-soul swagger, Cobb’s latest album, “Providence Canyon,” which was released last year, offers a more upbeat style. This summer, he will tour with country music superstar Chris Stapleton.

Burnside is also a Grammy-nominated artist who grew up around the blues scene in Holly Spring, Miss. His grandfather was singer/songwriter/guitarist R.L. Burnside and Cedric is one of the industry’s most respected drummers, winning the Blues Music Awards Drummer of the Year four consecutive times. He has played and recorded with Jimmy Buffett, Widespread Panic and the North Mississippi Allstars among others.

Among other acts who will take the stage at Rhythm & Ribs will be longtime local favorite The River, the Melody Trucks Band and Erin Coburn. There will be other local musicians on another stage Saturday and a kick-off party Friday night featuring Matt Brantley. The Kids Area will return and there will be nearly 100 vendors selling food, arts and crafts and more.

Anyone interested in participating in the barbecue competition or as a vendor, sponsorship opportunities, or participating as a volunteer can contact The Spearman Agency at 229-386-0216 or by email at spearmanagency@friendlycity.net.

“We have had around 15,000 people attend this festival in the past and it continues to grow each year,” Elder said. “It’s a great opportunity for local businesses to get their name and product in front of a huge audience and sponsorships make it possible to offer the entertainment at no charge. Rhythm & Ribs has become a signature event for Tifton and we believe this year will be our best yet.”