Soul food festival
The Soul Food Festival is more than just an event—it’s a movement to break down barriers for BIPOC-owned food businesses by providing blanket permits and creating opportunities for exposure that many entrepreneurs in our community lack. This festival redefines what Soul Food means by celebrating cultural foods made with love, history, and flavor, no matter their origin. From Southern cuisine and classic Soul Food dishes to Creole, African, Jamaican, Trinidadian, Polynesian, Hispanic, Asian, and more, you’ll experience an incredible variety of flavors that reflect the richness of diverse cultures.
Beyond the food, the festival is alive with Neo-Soul music, a beer garden, comedy, kid zones, beatboxing, dance performances, and the Black Night Market marketplace showcasing unique vendors. It’s a vibrant celebration of community, culture, and creativity, where food made with Soul brings us together.
2024 recap
Make a difference.
Blanket permits are special permits that allow multiple vendors to operate under a single permit for a specific event or series of events. This is especially beneficial for food vendors, as it simplifies the process of obtaining individual permits for each vendor. For the Soul Food Festival, Black Night Market provides these blanket permits to BIPOC-owned food businesses, ensuring they have the necessary health and safety certifications without having to individually apply for each permit. This removes one of the barriers to entry for food entrepreneurs, allowing them to focus on what they do best—serving delicious, culturally rich dishes to the community.
We are calling on community members and organizations to help make the Soul Food Festival a continued success by sponsoring or donating to this important event. Your support allows us to provide blanket permits for food vendors, ensuring that BIPOC-owned businesses can participate without the burden of individual permit costs and to support local performance arts.. By contributing, you’ll help us keep the festival free for the community, breaking down barriers and creating access to incredible cultural experiences and diverse foods. Your generosity will directly impact the lives of local entrepreneurs and expose our community to a wide range of cultural cuisines and performances, while fostering unity and understanding through shared experiences.
Together, we can make a lasting difference—join us in celebrating culture, food, and community at the Soul Food Festival!
In 2024, the Soul Food Festival was a resounding success, with every vendor selling out and over 3,200 attendees enjoying the festivities! We provided 12 blanket permits to BIPOC-owned food businesses with sponsorships. For 2025, our goal is to expand to 40 permits, with 75% of the festival’s vendors being Black-owned.
Black food entrepreneurs face significant barriers—Black-owned food businesses are 30% less likely to secure funding than their white counterparts, and only 7% of Black Americans own food businesses. Your sponsorship or donation will directly support these businesses, providing critical exposure and resources while promoting economic empowerment. By partnering with us, you’ll help create opportunities for growth, celebrate cultural diversity, and make the Soul Food Festival an even bigger success in 2025!
