CRENSHAW DISTRICT, LOS ANGELES (KABC) — Every year, over 300,000 attendees fill the iconic Crenshaw Boulevard (the Mecca of Black Culture and Business) at the Annual Taste of Soul festival in Los Angeles, California.
The Taste of Soul Festival is taking place for the 18th year on Oct. 21 from 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.
The free festival brings businesses to the community to offer food and resources like health resources, job opportunities, education information, voter awareness, economic empowerment, and more.
Taste of Soul was founded 17 years ago by Danny J. Bakewell, Sr., Chairman of Bakewell Media and executive Publisher of the Los Angeles Sentinel.
This year the Taste of Soul Festival has recruited comedian actress Tiffany Haddish as the festival’s celebrity chair.
Danny J. Bakewell, Sr. stated, “We are honored to have Tiffany as part of this year’s Taste of Soul Family Festival. I could not think of a better ambassador/chair for this year’s event. Tiffany Haddish is truly a superstar with a worldwide following, but she is also one of us, she lives right here in our neighborhood. The programs and businesses she involves herself with are here in this community.”
This year is also special because it marks the 90th Anniversary of the Los Angeles Sentinel.
“We are celebrating 90 years of news, views, advocacy, growth, and service to the community, and Taste of Soul is the perfect place for us to culminate the anniversary, ” stated Bakewell.
StarQuest, a singing competition spotlighting our communities’ diverse talent, is also back this year. Children and adult R&B or gospel artists submit performances and the chosen winners perform live at the festival.
Bakewell continued, “Taste of Soul was created to highlight the positive aspects of African American life and to encourage the enjoyment, respect, and appreciation of our community and each other in an atmosphere of respect, peace, pride, and pleasure.”
For more information on the 18th Annual Taste of Soul, visit tasteofsoulla.com.