The annual Taste of Soul Festival brings live music, food, and family entertainment to the community.

Student drummer from Crenshaw High School walking through the Taste Of Soul Festival on 15th of October 2022. (Andrea Marcy | The Corsair)

On Oct. 15, 2022 the Taste of Soul Festival was held on Crenshaw Boulevard, between Stocker Street and Obama Boulevard. Created by Danny Blakewell in 2005, it is known as Los Angeles' biggest street festival. Every year, Taste of Soul celebrates different Black cultures, food, and local vendors.

Although it was paused for 3 years, it came back stronger than ever, with over 300 vendors, booths and 5 live stages. There were many booths for the community that shared different resources from medical screenings, financial support, and public transportation to college recruitment booths.

In preparation for the big day, Andrew Escobar, the producer of two stages, said “we try to find performers that relate to the audience or are people that we can remember from back in the day.” Local organizations including the L.A. City Council, police department and fire department have weekly meetings starting around June each year. Escobar said that his favorite part of the festival is music and even has a significant memory of a time Stevie Wonder volunteered to perform as he was visiting the festival.

During the event there were also local High School bands and drill teams that performed. Juquari Baskin, the Dorsey High Drill Team choreographer said, “I think it may be even more important for high school students to come and get involved to see the different opportunities they might have.” With there being more than 300 vendors, booths, and some big universities, students are able to inform themselves about the admission and application process to attend colleges.

“The festival gives local black owned businesses the chance to come to get support from the community as well as entrepreneurs trying to find opportunities to branch out as well as find resources for the communities,” he said. This was the third year that Baskins attended the festival.

L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti made a special guest appearance coming on stage as his last time attending Taste of Soul as Mayor. Garcetti has been supporting Taste of Soul from the very beginning, back in 2005.

Festival goers line up for Seafood Po-Boys, Garlic Crab Fries, and Creamy Cajun Seafood Nachos at the 17th Annual Taste Of Soul Family Festival on Crenshaw Boulevard, in the Crenshaw District of Los Angeles, Calif., on Saturday Oct. 15, 2022. (Rebecca Hogan | The Corsair)

“This is as big as I can remember it, people are ready to party, but also ready to celebrate,” Garcetti said. “After a week like this week, where we saw such hateful things come out of so-called leaders' mouths, this is a good reminder of who we actually are.” Garcetti referred to the recent controversy between L.A. council members Kevin de León, Nury Martinez, Gil Cedillo and Ron Herrera.

During a live performance, Garcetti and Blakewell introduced mayoral candidate Karen Bass to the audience as a special guest. When asked about the importance of the festival, she emphasized that it is important for younger generations, which was why she also brought her grandchildren to the festival.

Taste of Soul was more than just another excuse to get a tasty bite of food, but a way to connect with the community of LA. Taste of Soul has been around for 17 years and will continue to go on as it is always brought back by the community. The next festival will take place Oct. 21, 2023 on Crenshaw Blvd.

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