Kicking off the festival on Thursday, June 3rd will be rockers Blue Oyster Cult. With hit songs like “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper”, “Burnin’ for You” and “Astronomy”, Blue Oyster Cult has sold over 14 million records worldwide.

On Friday, June 4th, Minneapolis rock group Soul Asylum will bring their catalog of hits to the RibFest stage. Rising to popularity in 1992, the group has enjoyed success from hit singles “Runaway Train” and “Misery”.

Wrapping up the string of national headliners is Bucky Covington, country new comer and American Idol finalist. Covington’s self-titled debut album featured three top 20 songs on the Billboard Country chart – “A Different World”, “I’ll Walk” and “It’s Great to Be Us”.

Starting on Friday, May 21st, fans will be able to bid on special VIP packages. Two VIP packages are available for each night Thursday through Saturday. These auctions include a meet & greet with that evening’s headliner, a one night stay & dinner for two at the Sheraton Hotel in Sioux Falls and a reserved table for eight at that night’s concert. Auctions will run from May 21st – June 1st and will be online at www.ticketmaster.com.

In its thirteenth year, the Argus Leader RibFest has become one of the region’s largest festivals. “South Dakota’s Biggest Backyard BBQ” attracted over 45,000 festival goers last year. KidzFest, a free entertainment area for children within RibFest, will again offer many activities, performances and special appearances on Sunday.

Eight world-famous barbeque vendors are set to compete in the Arena parking lot again this year. The “ribbers” will be vying for cash prizes and the “bragging rights”.

Additional local acts will be announced in the coming weeks. Tickets go on sale Monday, May 3rd at 10:00 am and can be purchased at

the Sioux Falls Arena Box Office and all Ticketmaster outlets. Festival goers can also charge by phone at 1-800-745-3000 or on-line at www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets will also be available at the gate.