The inaugural Baton Rouge Soul Food Festival is launching in the Capital City this spring, joining an array of new festivals rolling out this year.
On the weekend of May 19-20, soul food connoisseurs will converge on Riverfront Plaza downtown to take in live music and Southern cuisine. Over 1,500 people are expected for both days.
The Soul Food Festival joins The Louisiana Sports Festival and The Wingamania! Festival as new events taking place for the first time in Baton Rouge this year. Geaux Rouge Productions, the business partnership behind Wingamania, also has two other festivals in the works.
The Soul Food Festival is a free, family-oriented event, featuring live blues, soul and gospel music, a vendor’s village and a judged soul food cooking competition. VIP tickets are available for $25, which includes access to VIP areas, unlimited food and soft drinks, and opportunities to have photos taken with musicians. Musical acts scheduled to perform include Henry Turner Jr. & Flavor, SmokeHouse Porter and Miss Mamie, Demetrio Batiste and Friends, Lee Tyme, and Wyanda Paul, among others.
The soul food cooking competition will include meats, vegetable and side dish categories, as well as breads and desserts, appetizers and soups. Entrants, pre-selected by a committee, will be judged on presentation, taste and the story or history behind each dish.
