The 67th Plantation Volunteer Fire Association Barbecue is Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, noon to 5 p.m. at Pine Island Park. Free entry; meals $15 online, $18 at gate.

Last checked Oct. 14, 2026. This page is updated each year. Sources: the Plantation Fire Department’s barbecue page, its vendor page and history page, and the City of Plantation’s 2025 calendar listing. Questions: Plantation Fire Department, 954-797-2150.

The 67th annual Plantation Volunteer Fire Association Barbecue is Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, from noon to 5 p.m. at Pine Island Park, 320 S. Pine Island Road. Admission is free. Meal tickets are on sale now through the fire department’s barbecue page.

Updated Oct. 14: the fire department’s meal prices are now $15 for adults and $8 for children online, and $18 and $11 at the gate.

Plantation’s fire department dates the barbecue to 1957, when its founders held a barbecue to raise the money to start a fire department. The department now calls it “the largest and most enduring event on the city’s calendar.”

At a glance

  • When: Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, noon to 5 p.m.
  • Where: Pine Island Park fields, 320 S. Pine Island Road
  • Admission: free
  • Meals: $15 adult, $8 child online; $18 adult, $11 child at the gate
  • Tickets: plantationfire.com/bbq
  • Questions: Plantation Fire Department, 954-797-2150

Tickets and the menu

Entry is free, and you pay only for food. The fire department sells meal tickets in advance:

  • Adult meal: $15 online, $18 at the gate
  • Child meal: $8 online, $11 at the gate

Each ticket is for one chicken or one pulled pork meal, adult or child, the department says. Its ticket button goes to an Eventbrite page for the 67th barbecue. Buying ahead saves $3 a meal. The department says donations are welcome.

What happens

The fire department promises “a day of BBQ, music, games, and more.” The barbecue raises money for the Plantation Volunteer Fire Association and the city’s volunteer firefighters. Plantation calls its department the largest volunteer fire department in Florida, according to the department’s history page.

Local businesses sell and exhibit at the event. Vendors sign up through the vendor registration page, and sponsors through the sponsorship page. Call 954-797-2150 for help.

Where it is and parking

The barbecue fills the fields at Pine Island Park. The fire department’s main page gives the park’s address, 320 S. Pine Island Road; its vendor page lists the fields at 8200 SW 3rd St. Neither page lists road closures, a shuttle or parking instructions. We will add them if the department or the city posts any before Nov. 1.

A history in smoke

The department’s history page tells the story:

  • 1957: 21 residents, among them future Mayor Frank Veltri and city founder Fred Peters, form the Plantation Volunteer Fire Department and start the barbecue to pay for it.
  • The first station was a donated warehouse at East Acre and Broward; a single engine served from there from 1957 to 1978.
  • Veltri, later mayor and fire chief, visited the 50th anniversary barbecue before his death.
  • The barbecue was canceled for the first time in its history during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 2025 barbecue was Sunday, Nov. 2, from noon to 5 p.m. at Pine Island Park, according to the city’s listing. The last two barbecues were both on the first Sunday in November.

What to know before you go

  • Rain: the department has not posted a rain plan. Check its Facebook page on the morning of Nov. 1.
  • Dogs: the barbecue page does not say. The city does not allow dogs at its Rock the Park concerts in the same park, so leave them at home if unsure.
  • Tickets: keep your Eventbrite meal ticket handy for the gate.

What this means for you

  • Buy meal tickets online before Nov. 1 to pay $15 instead of $18.
  • Come back to the same park for Rock the Park, the city’s free concert series, which it bills as running November through May.

Related: things to do in Plantation, things to do this month and parks and trails.

Frequently asked questions

When is the 2026 Plantation firefighters barbecue?

The 67th annual Plantation Volunteer Fire Association Barbecue is Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, from noon to 5 p.m. at Pine Island Park, 320 S. Pine Island Road.

How much are tickets for the Plantation fire department barbecue?

Admission is free. Meal tickets bought online are $15 for an adult meal and $8 for a child’s meal; at the gate they are $18 and $11, the fire department says. Each ticket is one chicken or one pulled pork meal.

Where do I buy Plantation firefighter BBQ tickets?

Through the link on the fire department’s barbecue page, plantationfire.com/bbq, which goes to an Eventbrite ticket page, or at the gate on the day.

How long has Plantation held the firefighters barbecue?

Since 1957. The department’s founders started it to raise money for a fire department, and the department calls it the largest and most enduring event on the city’s calendar.