Giant Food Announces Third Year As Title Sponsor Of Giant National Capital Barbecue Battle

WASHINGTON — For the third consecutive year, Giant Food will be the title sponsor of the annual Giant National Capital Barbecue Battle, Washington D.C.'s tastiest summer festival, taking place on Saturday, June 23rd and Sunday, June 24th. The award-winning festival benefiting the USO of Metropolitan Washington-Baltimore and Capital Area Food Bank is one of the largest and most popular food and music festivals in the country, welcoming over 100,000 fans annually.

The two-day event, located at the iconic National Mall on Pennsylvania Avenue, between 3rd and 7th Streets, will offer attendees live music, tasty barbecue food, cooking demonstrations and competitions, celebrity appearances, representatives from local professional sports teams and a variety of unique exhibits and special attractions.

"We are thrilled to be returning as the title sponsor for this year's Annual Giant National Capital Barbecue Battle," said Gordon Reid, President of Giant Food. "Our local communities and barbecue fans from all over look forward to this annual celebration to kick-off summer and we anticipate another successful weekend that will help raise money for USO-Metro and supply plenty of food to the Capital Area Food Bank."

The Taste of Giant Sampling Pavilion and Giant Local Flavors Tent will offer free BBQ and grilled food samples throughout the weekend. Countless popular BBQ restaurants from across the country will also be in attendance serving up a variety of options. The celebrated Giant National Barbecue Championship Cooking Contest will feature barbecue legends competing side-by-side with other chefs and teams from around the country. Attendees can also sample and vote for top military chefs cooking off in the Military Chef Contest.

Musical highlights across the three stages this year include The Plain White T's, Back Yard Band "BYB", Experience Unlimited "EU" featuring Sugar Bear, reggae with See-I, international jazz recording artist Marcus Johnson and many more. This year's special attractions will include Johnsonville's Big Taste "World's Largest" Grill, the Oscar Mayer Wiener Mobile, Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest, the Mr. Peanut Tour, the Comcast Techno Pavilion and more.

Tickets to the Giant National Capital Barbecue Battle will be sold at the entrance gate and are currently on sale online. All Giant Food stores are also offering a buy one, get one free admission coupon. Children 12 years old-or-under can enter for free when accompanied by an adult. To learn more about Giant National Capital Barbecue Battle and to purchase tickets, visit http://bbqindc.com.

About Giant Food
Giant Food of Landover, Md. is committed to helping its customers save time, save money and eat well. Headquartered in Landover, Md., Giant operates 166 supermarkets in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and the District of Columbia, and employs approximately 20,000 associates. Included within the 166 stores are 156 full-service pharmacies. For more information on Giant, visit www.giantfood.com.

About Giant National Capital Barbecue Battle
Now celebrating its 26th year, the Giant National Capital Barbecue Battle has become one of the largest and most unique food and music festivals in the country. Celebrating the art of cooking and the joy of eating, the Barbecue Battle offers residents of the Greater Washington area and throughout the east coast the chance to enjoy America's favorite pastime right here in the National's Capital. For more information on the Barbecue Battle, visit www.bbqindc.com.

Source: Giant Food