The Goats Are Baaaack!
Don’t miss the second annual “Great Goat Graze-Off” happening this weekend! The coveted prize of G.O.A.T Grazer can only be awarded to one–who will it be?
| 13 Jul 2026 | 03:17
The “Great Goat Graze-Off” is the only professional eating competition between goats, who help to clear terrains of invasive plants such as poison ivy, mugwort, and porcelain berry. (
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Festivities from the “Great Goat Graze-Off” in 2025, during which Mallomar won the championship title. (
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Romeo, Mallomar, and Big Buddy--the three competitor goats who will compete in the race for G.O.A.T Grazer, or who can eat their botanical portion the fastest. Mallomar won the championship title in 2025. (
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The goats are back in West Harlem for the second annual “Great Goat Graze-Off” contest, an environmental initiative initiated by the Riverside Park Conservancy in efforts to clear the park of invasive plants.
This year’s event will be held on Saturday, July 18 (rain date July 19), from 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., in West Harlem on the lawn north of Ten Mile Playground, at West 151 Street and the West Side Highway.
As part of the contest, three goats–Mallomar, Romeo, and Big Buddy–will demonstrate their grazing skills onstage by attempting to eat their portions of botanical weeds the fastest.
This is a free community event which will offer festivities including a goat sign-making contest, music, vendors, and family activities.
The event will be overseen by George Shea of Major League Eating, the host program for Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest. The program will accommodate English and Spanish speakers.
Following the event, the three competitor goats will reside in Riverside Park for 10 weeks, helping remove poison ivy, mugwort, and porcelain berry from the park’s hillside near West 137 Street as part of the park’s natural-area restoration initiatives. The goats’ summer residency will allow passers-by to engage with and learn about the various ways in which this creative initiative is providing sustainable environmental solutions.
2026 marks the seventh year of the Conservancy’s Goatham Initiative, a pesticide-free technique for clearing invasive plants from Riverside Park. Unlike human gardeners, goats are extremely agile climbers who can navigate challenging terrains while removing overgrowth and preparing the soil for future plantings.
This initiative has proven successful in the clearing of jobsites at 119th St and 143rd St which are now being replanted with new and biodiverse greenery.
In a press release, Merritt Birnbaum, President & CEO of Riverside Park Conservancy, shared, “This event is about two things: celebrating sustainability in our Park, but most importantly, bringing joy and whimsy to our community. This is definitely an ‘only in New York’ moment, and one that we’re proud to lean in to during a time when New Yorkers are craving more ‘collective effervescence’ in our public spaces.”
Mallomar won Riverside Park Conservancy’s “Great Goat Graze-Off” in 2025, and the competition is coming in hot for the 2026 champion. Will Mallomar hold on to his prize, or are Romeo and Buddy tight competitors?
Birnbaum is rooting for Romeo’s win in the tight race.
Everyone of all ages is invited to join and watch the goats baaaatle it out! The link to RSVP is here.