ST. LOUIS — One of the biggest barbecue events in St. Louis has been canceled, despite the event being scheduled for next week.
Started in 2015, Q in the Lou was supposed to run from Sept. 6-8. The annual event would have been held at the Gateway Arch National Park.
One of the event organizers, Sean Hadley, confirmed the news on Monday.
Hadley cited a lack of support for the event, including low VIP ticket sales and trouble finding corporate sponsors, at least in part due to concerns sponsors had regarding safety downtown.
“We’re disappointed that Q in the Lou won’t be back this year," Conner Kerrigan from St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones' office said in a statement on Monday. "St. Louis knows how to throw a festival. Between the Festival of Nations which just wrapped in Tower Grove Park, City Social which was hosted downtown earlier this year, and so many others, bringing people together to celebrate our culture is one of the things we do best as a city. Should Q in the Lou try to come back next year or any year after that, they’ll have the support of the Mayor Jones administration.”
With the recent announcement of such a large barbecue festival being canceled in St. Louis local business owners like those at Broadway Boat Bar say it's hard not to think about the excitement and joy it would have brought back to the city.
"It's disappointing to hear that such a successful event from the past has not returned," Greg Jordan, co-owner of Broadway Boat Bar and Mississippi Underground, said.
Jordan was expecting hundreds of people walking around on Saturday, Sept. 7 and Sunday, Sept. 8.
So was Kerrigan who emphasized Tuesday he doesn't blame crime. Instead, he said there may have been internal issues.
"I don't think it's a St. Louis-specific thing, sounds like there might have been some issues in the organization," Kerrigan said.
Kerrigan said the Q in the Lou group faced challenges in Denver and also canceled in Dallas this year.
"That's one of the biggest parts of the disappointment. St. Louis is a barbecue city," Kerrigan said. "Sugarfire Smoke House has some fantastic barbecue. I know there were other barbecue vendors in the city who were excited to bring that talent to the national stage at this event."
Q in the Lou was also canceled in 2022 after organizers said they couldn't devote enough energy to the St. Louis gathering.
Related: Q in the Lou postponed to 2023
Kerrigan added that if those barbecue leaders decide to come back next year or any other year in the future, they'll have the support of Mayor Jones' administration.