Cape Breton Ribfest marks 10th anniversary, more than $500K in donations

It has now been 10 years since Rotary Ribfest first came to Cape Breton.

The annual summer event started Friday at Open Hearth Park in Sydney. It started in the community in July 2015 - when it was held on the Sydney Waterfront, before being moved to the larger venue for the subsequent years.

With more than 300,000 people passing through the gates in the past decade, there were bound to be some diehards.

Liam Scanlan of Westmount, Nova Scotia is one of them.

“I have attended every year since the first event down by the Cruise Pavilion in 2015,” Scanlan said.

Scanlan has made it a point to come not only every year, but most days of the three-day festival each year.

He has sampled from all of the vendors, many times over.

“I’ve made it a habit to sample all the ribs every year,” he said. “I always make sure to try the chicken brisket, sausages and pulled pork from at least one vendor each year as well.”

The ribfest has also fundraised a large amount of donations over the years.

“Since we began this event, we have raised more than $500,000 for local charities like Hospice Cape Breton, the Cape Breton Regional Hospital Foundation and the United Way,” added Rotary RibFest’s Michele MacKinnon.

Another charity that has benefited in some recent years is Caleb’s Courage, a movement in memory of Nicole MacArthur’s three-year-old son Caleb, which helps provide pediatric services at the Cape Breton Regional Hospital.

“We were recipients for three years,” MacArthur said on Saturday.

Cape Bretoners have long been known for their generosity when it comes to charitable causes, and that’s something MacArthur is reminded of each summer when she comes out to RibFest.

“We never miss,” she said before attending the event on Saturday evening.

This year, the money raised at the gate has been able to reach even more new charities.

“The Rotary Clubs of CBRM support everything from Loaves and Fishes to scholarships for students, young people, the Ally Centre,”

MacKinnon said. “There’s a huge number of charities that are going to benefit from this event. It’s kind of ironic - sweet irony - that an event all about food is actually going to help us feed the hungry.”

Cape Breton Rotary RibFest 2025 wraps up on Sunday.

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