Tops Friendly Markets will serve as official grocer of the 25th anniversary National Buffalo Wing Festival, and is running a sweepstakes with Frank’s RedHot that will send one winner to the judging table.
The festival returns to Sahlen Field in Buffalo, New York, on Saturday, Aug. 29, and Sunday, Aug. 30. Organizers expect more than 25,000 attendees to work through roughly 12 tons of wings over the two days.
The festival typically is held on Labor Day weekend, but the Buffalo Bisons Minor League Baseball team plays at Sahlen Field, and due to the team’s schedule, the festival dates were moved up.
The grand prize is billed as “Frank’s RedHot for Life,” awarded as $1,500 in Tops gift cards, plus two festival admissions and a seat as an official Best of Show judge during Sunday’s competition.
“The National Buffalo Wing Festival is one of Buffalo’s most iconic traditions, and we’re proud to celebrate its 25th anniversary with Frank’s RedHot and give one lucky customer an experience every wing lover dreams about, helping judge the very best wings in the world,” said Ron Ferri, president of Tops Markets.
Frank’s RedHot is the festival’s official hot sauce.
How it works
Entries run Aug. 9-Aug. 22 at topsmarkets.com/WingFest or by mail, with no purchase necessary. Shoppers can earn bonus entries by buying participating Frank’s, French’s, Lawry’s, Grill Mates, Stubb’s, Treasure Cave and Springer Mountain Farms products at participating stores. The sweepstakes is open to residents of New York, Pennsylvania and Vermont, 18 and older.
The tie-in gives Tops a merchandising hook across condiments, seasonings, cheese and poultry during a late-August window that runs into Labor Day grilling and the start of football season.
Williamsville, New York-based Tops operates 152 grocery stores in New York, Pennsylvania and Vermont, including one run by a franchisee. With more than 14,000 associates, it is the largest private, for-profit employer in western New York.