Stalls, mountains of Armenian barbecue, live music and even GRILLED WATERMELON?! I need to head north to Stepanavan for the return of Armenia’s Khorovats Festival!
FESTIVAL DETAILS / GENERAL INFO
📅 DATE: Saturday, 1 August 2026
🕛 TIME: From 12:00 noon
📍 LOCATION: Alea Recreation Area, Stepanavan
🌍 REGION: Lori Province, Armenia
🔥 FESTIVAL: 13th Pan-Armenian Khorovats Festival (Armenian Barbecue Festival)
🇦🇲 ARMENIAN NAME: Խորովածի համահայկական փառատոն
📖 ESTABLISHED: 2008 traditionally held in Akhtala, Lori Province
🎟️ ENTRANCE FEE: FREE
👨🍳 ORGANISER: Armenian Cookery Traditions Development and Preservation NGO
🤝 SUPPORTED BY: Tourism Committee of Armenia
held since 2008, The 13th Pan-Armenian Khorovats Festival (Barbecue Festival) is taking place in Stepanavan, Lori Province, on August 1, 2026, marking its return after a four-year hiatus
50 booths with chefs presenting original barbecue creations, including innovative dishes like grilled watermelon, which will be judged for categories such as Best Taste and Grand Prix.
Key details for attendees include:
- Schedule: The festival officially opens at 12:00 p.m. with a live concert program throughout the day.
- Activities: Visitors can sample traditional and vegetable barbecue, watch culinary competitions, and explore local agricultural products and crafts at 20 free booths for local residents.
- Transportation: Free round-trip buses will depart from Republic Square in Yerevan at 10:00 a.m. and return from Stepanavan at 8:00 p.m.; advance registration via social media is recommended.
- Regional Tourism: The event aims to boost tourism in Stepanavan, encouraging visitors to also explore local attractions like the Lori Fortress, Dendropark, and Surb Nshan Chapel.
The last one was held in Akhtala in 2022 – what an awesome place to hold a festival! – this would have been a fun one to go to with a beautiful location on top of the mountains!
We got to Stepanavan and drove through the streets which took us back in time
People were excitedly mingling around the stage area
The Khorovats sign hanging at the beginning of the stalls… not sure what to expect at this point, but we stepped under and through the BBQ archway and into the smokey world of Armenian food!
And this was the entry point with all these Armenian carpets on the ground, was quite creative actually
Meat galore! smoke and grilled vegetables from around the region
There was even a vegan stand with just vegetable skewers for sale, nice!
They even had avocado which you dont see a lot of in Armenia as its expensive
And the meat dishes keep going and going! They had different methods of grilling the meat
2 of the streets were closed off for the festival and kids and adults a like were around having some fun
Armenian local sweets and pastries… now THIS is what I want to see in Yerevan cafes, not croissants and muffins, can someone open up a cafe like this for me LOL
Fresh figs brought from some locals from the side of the road… Did you know these are actually flowers?
Some of the stalls were selling wine which was great, I love how they decorate the stalls in such a festive way
We walked over to the town centre and went to the theme park there where they had some rides, we did some bumping around in the bumper cars before going back to the festival
The town was very much a typical soviet Armenian town and reminded me a bit of how Yerevan was like back in 2003 times
And back to the festival!
They had had some barbecue competitions where chefs were competing for culinary awards, it was being judged
Trying out some yummy dips, we bought some and they were actually really good
And the meat keeps going and going and going, the festivities went on until late at night, people were sitting around the area under the trees, eating and chatting and drinking and having fun
Someone had pain stakingly carved a watermelon with the logo of the festival! – just looking at this picture, its SUCH a typical Armenian photo! Lavash and watermelon…
An interesting and full on set up of a bbq
The dancing and singing went on until late into the night, I dont think this village had seen so much action and so many people in a long time!
After the event, we went back to our accommodation and chilled with a bottle of wine
1AUG26
