Taste of Soul is back on Crenshaw Boulevard on Saturday, October 17, 2026, running from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Admission is free and no ticket is required.
This is the festival’s 21st year. Founded by Danny J. Bakewell Sr. and presented by Bakewell Media and the Los Angeles Sentinel, Taste of Soul has grown into one of the biggest street festivals in the city, with organizers reporting more than 400,000 attendees annually and over three million guests across its run.
Food is the draw that gives the festival its name. Vendor booths line the boulevard with barbecue, soul food, shrimp and crab, wings and desserts. Returning names include Casey Family BBQ and Kobbler King. Organizers say the food vendor spaces for 2026 are already sold out, with more than 90 vendors published so far.
Three live music stages carry R&B, soul, gospel, hip-hop and local acts through the day, and a Children’s World stage runs age-appropriate performances. The full run of show and artist announcements had not been released as of this writing.
Beyond food and music, the festival doubles as a resource fair. St. John’s Community Health provides health screenings and wellness resources, and the grounds include education and employment resources, voter registration, and free eye and dental exams for children.
Bakewell has said he designed the festival to strengthen the community as much as entertain it. Twenty-one years in, the event still runs on the same stretch of Crenshaw where it started.
Sources
- Los Angeles Sentinel, Taste of Soul 2026 event page
- KJLH, Taste of Soul 2026
- Los Angeles County Justice, Care and Opportunities Department, 20th Annual Taste of Soul
