More than a cook-off tent

Great BBQ. Strong community. A Houston tradition with a bigger purpose.

For more than 30 years, Regroup has brought people together at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo’s World’s Championship Bar-B-Que Contest. What began with smoke, friendship, competition and hospitality is now growing into something even more meaningful.

Regroup is a place to eat, reconnect, catch live music, bring clients and friends, and settle in before heading back out to explore one of Houston’s biggest annual traditions.

We have always believed the best part of the cook-off is the people. The food matters. The music matters. The competition matters. But what keeps supporters coming back year after year is the feeling of having a familiar home base inside an event that can otherwise feel enormous.

How we got here

Three decades of smoke, friendship and Houston tradition

The tradition

Regroup began with a shared love of barbecue—cooking for friends and family, testing our skills in competitions, and building a team around the pit.

The gathering

The World’s Championship Bar-B-Que Contest became our biggest annual tradition: three days of cooking, competition, music, hospitality, and time with the supporters who make it possible.

The experience

Over the years, Regroup has become more than a place to grab a plate. It is a comfortable home base where supporters can host guests, reconnect throughout the evening, and enjoy the cook-off at their own pace.

The next chapter

Today, Regroup is a Texas nonprofit and 501(c)(3), using the community built around the pit to help Houston-area community college students overcome short-term financial and technology barriers that can threaten their education.

The Regroup experience

Your home base inside one of Houston’s biggest parties

With more than 300 tents to explore, the cook-off is part competition, part festival and part giant Houston reunion. Regroup gives supporters something valuable in the middle of all that activity: a place to come back to.

Meet at Regroup. Grab food and a drink. Head out to explore. Then reconnect later for more BBQ, music and conversation.

Regroup BBQ tent at the World’s Championship Bar-B-Que Contest

Live music

Houston talent, right inside the tent

A great cook-off experience needs a soundtrack. Live music gives supporters a place to bring guests that feels energetic and distinctly Houston without losing the relaxed atmosphere that makes Regroup special.

Room to regroup

A place where you can actually talk

Our outdoor patio creates something rare at the cook-off: room for more intimate conversation with clients, coworkers, friends and family.

Step away from the packed tent, catch up without shouting, and use Regroup as a comfortable meeting point throughout the evening.

Outdoor patio area at Regroup BBQ

The people behind it

Built by people who love Houston

Our next chapter

BBQ with a bigger purpose

Regroup is putting the strength of this community behind Houston-area community college students who need one timely boost to keep going.

Emergency assistance

Short-term help when an urgent financial problem puts a student’s enrollment or attendance at risk.

Technology access

Support for essential educational technology, including reliable computers needed to complete coursework.

Stay on track

Focused support for students who are most vulnerable to giving up on their college goals because of a temporary obstacle.

Keep the tradition cooking. Help us give back to the city.

Bring your guests. Enjoy the BBQ. Catch the music. Step outside to the patio. Explore the cook-off. Then come back and do it all again.

See ways to support

Regroup BBQ Team is a 501(c)(3) organization. Contributions are deductible to the extent permitted by law. Payments made in exchange for event tickets, admission, merchandise, advertising, or other benefits may be deductible only to the extent the payment exceeds the fair-market value of those benefits. Please consult your tax adviser.