Taste of Soul 2026: West Coast's Largest Free Street Festival Returns to Crenshaw Blvd. on Oct. 17
LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles is a city in Los Angeles County, California. Taste of Soul, billed as the West Coast's largest free one-day street festival, returns to Crenshaw Boulevard on Saturday, October 17, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., organizers Bakewell Media and the Los Angeles Sentinel announced. Admission is free and no ticket is required.
The 21st annual family festival will take over nearly three miles of Crenshaw Boulevard between Stocker Street and Obama Boulevard, with three live music stages: Bakewell Media's Sounds of the Soul Stage at Crenshaw and Stocker, the Radio Free KJLH Music Stage, and the Brenda Marsh-Mitchell Gospel Stage, spanning R&B, soul, gospel and hip-hop. Confirmed performers on the main stage include Grammy-winning Motown legend Thelma Houston, Midnight Star, Switch, inspirational soul singer MAJOR., and Coline Creuzot, according to the official schedule at tasteofsoulla.com.
More than 300 retail and food vendors are expected, serving Southern favorites and creative dishes from across Los Angeles' food scene, from slow-smoked brisket to carnival-style kettle corn. St. John's Community Health presents Children's World, with games, hands-on educational activities, sensory-friendly experiences, and free eye and dental exams for children.
Organizers encourage attendees to take Metro: the E and K Lines serve the festival at the Expo/Crenshaw, Martin Luther King Jr. and Leimert Park stations, and festival shuttles run from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Founded in 2005 by civil-rights leader Danny J. Bakewell Sr., Taste of Soul has drawn more than three million guests over 21 years, with 400,000-plus attendees each year, becoming a South Los Angeles tradition. "For 21 years, Taste of Soul has been about bringing our community together and showcasing the very best of who we are — our families, our businesses, our music, our culture and our spirit," Bakewell Sr. said in a statement. (Sources: Secret LA, Los Angeles Sentinel; reported and compiled by GSM)
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 户外美食节资料图，Pexels 免费授权（摄影：Oluwatobiloba Babalola）
- 2026-10-12Taste of Soul 2026: West Coast's Largest Free Street Festival Returns to Crenshaw Blvd. on Oct. 17This story
- 2026-10-1721st Taste of Soul Family Festival Takes Over Crenshaw Boulevard on Oct. 17 With Free Admission and Three Stages
