If your idea of a good Saturday involves trying food from around the world while listening to live music in the middle of downtown Tacoma, clear some room on next weekend's calendar.
The third annual SoulFull Festival returns to downtown Tacoma on Saturday, Sept. 5, bringing more than 30 food vendors, live entertainment, dancing, art and a marketplace to Broadway.
And admission is free.
The festival runs from noon to 7 p.m., with activities centered on Broadway between 9th and 11th streets.
“Soul food” means more than you might expect
Despite the name, don't expect the festival's food choices to stop with traditional Southern soul food.
Organizers use a much broader definition of food made with “soul” — dishes rooted in culture, family, history and community.
That means visitors can expect everything from Southern and Creole cooking to African, Jamaican, Trinidadian, Polynesian, Hispanic and Asian food, along with other cuisines.
It turns what might sound like a single-cuisine food festival into something closer to a tour through Tacoma's multicultural food scene.
The Washington State Commission on African American Affairs says 30-plus food vendors are expected.
For anyone planning to sample several of them, arriving hungry seems advisable.
It's not just about eating
Food may get people through the gates, but organizers have built a much larger community festival around it.
The day is expected to include live performances, a DJ and line dancing, along with local vendors and interactive art.
Black Night Market, which organizes the festival, also lists Neo-Soul, R&B, hip-hop, comedy, poetry, beatboxing and dance among the entertainment planned around the event.
There will also be a beer garden and activities for kids.
And the Black Night Market marketplace will bring local merchants and creators downtown alongside the food vendors.
The result is intended to be less of an eat-and-leave food-truck gathering and more of an afternoon-long community celebration.
A Tacoma festival that's still growing
This will be the third annual SoulFull Festival, according to both organizers and the Washington State Commission on African American Affairs.
Black Night Market describes the festival as a gathering built around food, music and shared cultural experiences — with people from different backgrounds coming together over food made with “soul.”
That philosophy is also reflected in the variety of cuisines invited to participate.
The festival has evolved from its original Soul Food Festival identity into SoulFull Festival, emphasizing that broader definition of what soul food can mean.
It also puts another substantial community event directly into Tacoma's downtown core.
And there's free parking
Here's a phrase you don't hear particularly often when discussing a downtown event:
Free parking.
Organizers say parking garages will be available free all day for festival visitors.
The main festival area is listed at approximately 915–917 Broadway, between South 9th and South 11th streets.
With seven hours of food, music and entertainment scheduled, that's particularly useful for anyone who wants to make an afternoon of it rather than worrying about feeding a meter.
SoulFull Festival at a glance
When: Saturday, Sept. 5, noon–7 p.m.
Where: Broadway between 9th and 11th streets, downtown Tacoma
Cost: Free
What: 30+ food vendors, live entertainment, DJ, dancing, art, local vendors, kids activities and more
Parking: Free parking available in downtown garages
The festival's central idea is pretty simple: food has always been one of the easiest ways for people from different cultures to find common ground.
Next Saturday, Tacoma gets seven hours to put that idea to the test.
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There’s more in today’s Tacoma Local Minute.
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