BaconFest is arguably the most glorious of all festivals in Atlanta. In fact, anyone who contends otherwise should be tried for crimes against humanity. Quite simply, any individual who doesn't enjoy engorging themselves on excess amounts of bacon while joining in an inebriated chorus of "I've got two tickets to Porkadise" is no friend of mine. Now in its 12th year, BaconFest is an annual festival orchestrated by the genius folks at Dad's Garage Theatre Company in Inman Park. The festival continues to grow each year, but recurring highlights include hoards of bacon (1,200+ lbs from Vortex and DBA Barbecue), plenty of beer (PBA), live entertainment, hilarious carnival games (e.g. wheelchair obstacle course, insult booth, Hobo wine tasting), and a silent auction with enough variety to please almost anyone with a pulse. In fact, the festival has garnered such a strong following that even Kevin Bacon made a cameo appearance in 2012. The festival is typically held on a Saturday at the end of March, with festivities commencing at 1PM and ending around 6PM. Various levels of tickets are available, which include Portioned Porking ($25 online/$35 door), Bottomless Bacon ($45 online/$55 door), and Whole Hog ($85 online/$95 door). The Portioned Porking option includes admission, 5 carnival game tickets, and 3 cups of bacon or beer. The Bottomless Bacon option includes unlimited bacon/beer/games, while the Whole Hog option affords you the opportunity to enjoy a whole roasted pig (P'Cheen), a free BaconFest t-shirt, and unlimited bacon, games, and premium beer (Ale Yeah!). Although tickets are advertised as being available at the door, they typically sell-out online well before the event, so make sure to snag yours before someone else gets their greasy little snout on them. First time festival goers should know that BaconFest is restricted to adults only (ID required at door), no pets are allowed, and is held rain or shine (no refunds). Parking can be problematic, so you'd be wise to either carpool or take MARTA (Inman Park Station). It's also important to note that this event is a fundraiser for Dad's Garage, which is a non-profit theatre company with some incredibly commendable talent. As such, you should rest assured that all funds you spend at the festival are going toward a worthwhile cause. read more

Baconfest - Festivals Near Me - Atlanta, Georgia

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First I want to explain what my expectations were of what a baconfest should be: it should be a foodie Mecca for bacon overs, there should be many food companies there with everything from bacon ice-cream sundaes, bacon crepes, bacon candy, bacon chips, Mac n cheese with bacon, bacon ravioli, bacon wrapped dates, bacon/pork cookies, different styles of just bacon like thick pepper spiced bacon, bacon jam on crackers, bacon on a stick, etc. I was also expecting bacon inspired drinks like vodka infused bacon shots, bloody Mary's with bacon, not even ciders that go well with bacon by the way. Instead, there were only a handful of vendors there and the one or two who had just bacon, the bacon was standard affair Oscar myer. The only reason I would even give this festival 1 star is because my favorite restaurant Barcelona was there serving up the most delicious pork belly with cherry caramel sauce. They were the only saving grace. And the festival had other vendors there charging for food. What the heck did I pay for?? Unacceptable! For the price should be all inclusive and upgrades should have access to quicker wait times. The other disappoint was that there was very little drink varieties. 3 plain beers and 3 plain wines. The other disappointment was that I upgraded my ticket to bottomless bacon and beer thinking that would get me into a quicker line but for the price of $125 for 2 people we still waited with the regular ticket holders with limited coupons. For the 2 hours we wasted, we only got to try 4 vendors and 2 beers. As a foodie, this is unacceptable. I paid for a food experience, not a carnival spectacle. If this was family focused then I could possibly see the value but as an adult with no kids to saw no value. I wish I could get a refund, totally wasted my day and left utterly disappointed and famished as I didn't get my share of food. We ended up at Woodys enjoying the most delicious Phillys with bacon added lol Please please rename this to Bacon Carnival Spectacle or Pig Farm Fair not Baconfest when it clearly missed the food focus. I won't be going back unless it improves and even then I will need convincing read more

I absolutely LOVE bacon and can't believe I didn't know about BaconFest until this year! Thanks to Yelp and our lovely Empress, Kathleen M., I scored two free "Portioned Porking" tickets to BaconFest last Saturday and had a blast! =) My friend and I drove to BaconFest and actually didn't have a problem finding street parking around 2:30 pm. Although it was about a block away from Dad's Garage, we didn't mind the walk, and we knew we could probably use the extra bit of exercise after indulging in bacon! Our "Portioned Porking" tickets (worth $25 online or $35 at the door) got us orange wristbands, which allowed us to get three cups of Pabst Blue Ribbon (PBR) beer, three cups of bacon, three BLT sandwiches, or any combination of 3 of those items! I got one of each, and that was plenty! There are also $45+ and $85+ options for those who want to indulge in unlimited bacon, beer, carnival games, and more. I was so glad they offered BLT sandwiches because I had thought it would be a little strange to eat cups of just bacon! And I'm not a huge fan of beer, so one cup of PBR was plenty. The BLT sandwich was exactly that - bacon, lettuce, and tomato between two slices of white bread. Simple but good! They had condiments like mayo and mustard, but I ate mine plain and thought it was fine. I crunched on my cup of SUPER CRISPY bacon (a little too crispy/thick for my taste, though...) the same way I would eat fries with a sandwich or burger. In addition to the combo of three cups of beer, bacon, or BLT sandwiches, the "Portion Porking" ticket includes 5 carnival game tickets. It seemed like most of the "games" cost 2 tickets each, but some of the booths didn't even bother asking for the tickets. They had plenty of amusing carnival booths/games, including "Hunt an Improviser" (people throw water balloons at improv comedians), "Sanitary Smooches" (real, Saran wrap-protected kisses!), "Is (S)he Naked" (self-explanatory?), "Hobo Wine Tasting" (nastiest, cheap liquor), "Insult Booth," "Terrible Caricatures," "Reel Steel with Hugh Jackman" (Rock'em Sock'em Robots), "Victorian Phone Sex," "Madame Talley's Palm Jobs" (get your palm read), and even a "Wheel Chair Obstacle Course"! My friend was poorly insulted (the guy was reading insults off his notebook!) at the "Insult Booth" while I choked down samples of crappy, cheap liquor and Ritz crackers topped with store-brand cheese spray at the "Hobo Wine Tasting" booth. Since we're both Yelpers, my friend and I got a Yelp-themed "Terrible Caricature" of us drawn. Our artist actually did a pretty good job, unlike others that we saw. Some drawings seriously looked as if a 5-year-old drew them! =) In addition to the funny booths and games, there were also many businesses that had booths and were giving out free samples of food or products! Some of the awesome businesses represented included Yelp (woohoo!), Pine Street Market (Beer Cheese Soup w/Bacon samples - yum!), Whynatte Latte (thanks for the free can!), and Corner Tavern, who gave out samples of their amazing Pig and Whiskey Brunswick Stew! There was also a silent auction of cool stuff, including bacon-themed products, inside the Dad's Garage theater. Overall, BaconFest easily gets 5 stars for their good and plentiful bacon (thanks to Vortex and DBA Barbecue!!!), BLT sandwiches, PBR, and interesting games and booths. If I had paid $25 for my "Portioned Porking" ticket, I would have definitely thought it was worth it - but it was even sweeter because it was free. Thanks again to Yelp for an awesome time! I would happily return to BaconFest again next year! P.S. Apparently, Kevin Bacon himself was at BaconFest, but I missed him!!! Boo! [Review 095 of 366] read more

That was oodles of fun. I was a bit dissapointed as I thought they would feature a gourmet array of different types of bacon, but seems only Oscar Mayer made it to the party. read more

I have found baconvana!!! Venue is a little on the small side but extremely popular. I'm definitely going 'Whole Hog' for next year's Baconfest (unlimited beer and bacon plus a few exta goodies). Be aware that tickets sell out quick - but it all goes to support Dad's Garage Theatre. read more