World Champion Squirrel Cook Off Fills Springdale With Free Food
Woodsmoke drifts across a Springdale pasture as forty cook teams fire up cast iron and camp stoves, and squirrel is the star of every skillet. The World Champion Squirrel Cook Off pulls in hunters, backyard cooks, and plenty of first timers who swore they would never eat squirrel, and you can walk away with a full stomach and probably a new favorite recipe.
THE DEETS
📅 Saturday, September 12, 2026
🕘 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM
📍 J.B. and Johnelle Hunt Family Ozark Highlands Nature Center, 3400 N. 40th St., Springdale
💵 Free admission and free parking
🔗 More info
Squirrel Takes Center Stage
Forty cook teams turn squirrel into gumbo, dumplings, and fried squirrel with gravy, working the pasture from early morning until judges call it. Judges score each dish on taste, look, and use of the squirrel, and showmanship gets judged from the cooking areas all day long. You can wander the rows and catch free samples as teams hand them out.
Squirrel Isn’t the Only Free Meal Here
Townsend Spice and Supply fries up more than a thousand free pulled pork tacos, and you can grab free catfish from Cajun Fryer’s fish fry too. BBQ Hall of Famer Mark Lambert, the head cook behind Sweet Swine O’ Mine, steps away from the judges table this year to cook wild rabbit and dove for the public, and every plate he puts out is free for you to try.
Contests Get Wild Beyond the Kitchen
A squirrel skinning contest pays out a cash bounty, and a hottest squirrel eating competition takes sign-ups on-site for anyone brave enough to try. You can also catch a southern beard competition or step up against a national-level arm wrestler, with categories open to hunters, women, kids, and anybody who thinks they can hang.
Something for Every Kid in the Crowd
Arkansas Game and Fish Commission brings a cave trailer, a K9 demo, and a slingshot range where your kids can test their aim at backyard bass. ACC Crappie Stix hands out free combo fishing rods, and Cal Dittmar gives away free lure packs to go with them. Air-conditioned cooling stations sit ready inside the building whenever you need a break from the heat.
Cameras Rolling All Day
Man v. Food, MeatEater, and Meet Joe Wilson on the Outdoor Channel all send crews to film the event, along with local news and podcast teams. The MeatEater podcast crew records live with hosts Brent Reaves and Lake Pickle, giving you one more reason to post up and stay a while.
Organizers keep the ground rules simple. Be happy, skip the complaining, and clean up your own mess, and the whole day runs smoother for everyone who shows up.
Bring a lawn chair and stick around for a few more surprises. The Oddity for a Prize contest runs through the afternoon, and random giveaways pop up around the grounds all day. Free DUDE Wipes are on hand too, in case the tacos get messy. Grab your crew and make the trip to Springdale for the whole show.
