Ribs-N-Rock Festival will expand to four days and five rib vendors for its 2024 edition.

Promoter Corey Ward added Sunday to the event, which starts today at DeBartolo Commons at Southern Park Mall in Boardman.

“We did it (four days) one time before in 2019, and it was OK,” Ward said. “Three went very, very well for us, but last year when we were tearing down on Sunday, people kept showing up. We talked about it with the crew and everybody and, OK, let’s give it a go.”

Ward expects to keep the festival at four days in the future. Last year’s attendance was just shy of 20,000, and he said he’s hoping for 23,000 to 24,000 over four days this year.

Expanding the vendor lineup was driven by demand.

“With the crowds and everything, lines are good, but it was getting to where it was time to add a fifth,” Ward said. “Our goal was always to add a fifth. I think the facility can hold a fifth and with the bigger crowds and the bigger acts, it was time to do it.”

This year’s rib vendors will be three cooks who’ve been at the event before — Carolina Rib King of Spartanburg, South Carolina; Texas Outlaw BBQ of Sugarland, Texas; and Off the Bone BBQ of Mobile, Alabama — and two newcomers — Cowboys Barbecue & Rib Company of Fort Worth, Texas, and Porky Chicks BBQ, of Fayetteville, Arkansas.

“We have a waiting list (of vendors that want to participate),” Ward said. “One (rib vendor) retired and we were planning on adding one anyway, and they were the next two on the list. We wanted to work with them for a while and now we were able to do that.”

Adding a fourth day also allowed Ward to broaden the entertainment lineup. The festival opens today with Pittsburgh’s The Clarks as the headliner. The band, which has been together for 38 years, has been an opening night staple for the festival.

The group released a new single, “Supernatural,” earlier this month, and if the teaser video on its social media can be believed, vinyl editions of its two compilations, “Between Now and Then” and “Between Now and Then Vol. 2,” have been pressed and should be released soon.

Friday’s headliner is Josey Scott, former lead singer of the hard rock band Saliva. During Scott’s tenure fronting the band, Saliva had gold- and platinum-selling albums and more than a dozen mainstream rock radio hits, including “Your Disease,” “Always,” “Survival of the Sickest” and “Ladies and Gentlemen.”

Saturday’s headliner is Vince Neil, lead singer of Motley Crue. Last year, Neil was playing stadiums as Motley Crue was touring with Def Leppard and Poison. Neil is playing Rib-N-Rock, with a $10 admission on Saturday, on an off day between Motley Crue dates, where the cheapest ticket this weekend is $50 plus.

“We booked that last fall,” Ward said. “It was a Hail Mary kind of situation where we had done business with him before, saw he was on tour and had the night off. That’s pretty much how it worked out.”

Based on past setlists, Neil’s gigs with his solo band are dominated by Crue favorites with more than 80% being songs he recorded with that band.

Country will be the focus on Sunday with Chris Higbee performing, and all four days feature local and regional acts opening.

“Each night is a different genre,” Ward said. “The Clarks are a mainstay with us on Thursday. Josey Scott’s band fits one demographic, and Vince’s band fits an ’80s demographic, so why not take it a different route on Sunday, which is country and gets a whole different demographic?”

If you go …

WHAT: Ribs-N-Rock Festival

WHEN: Noon to 11 p.m. today, Friday, Saturday and Sunday

WHERE: DeBartolo Commons at Southern Park Mall, 7401 Market St., Boardman

HOW MUCH: $7 today, Friday and Sunday and $10 on Saturday with free admission until 3 p.m. daily.

ENTERTAINMENT LINEUP: The Clarks, AC & the Heat and No Funk No Justice tonight; Josey Scott (the original voice of Saliva), The Undone, Bad Juju and Becky Kimble on Friday; Vince Neil (of Motley Crue), Turbo Lovers, Epic, The Huckin’ Fillbillys and Becky Kimble on Saturday; and Chris Highbee, Broken Reins, Candace Campana and Becky Kimble on Sunday

Have an interesting story? Contact Andy Gray by email at agray@tribtoday.com. Follow us on X at @TribToday.