Baton Rouge Soul Food Festival

Southern cuisine, live music, competitions, vendors, and more are coming to the Riverfront Plaza for the fifth annual Baton Rouge Soul Food Festival. It all kicks off on Thursday at Henry Turner Jr.'s Listening Room, with a sneak peak of some of the weekend's musical talent, plus a Greens, Beans, and Chicken Wings Soul Food Buffet. 7 pm–midnight. Tickets are $25 in advance at bontempstix.com; $30 at the door.

Live music and entertainment will raise downtown Baton Rouge throughout the rest of the weekend, including acts by Henry Turner Jr. & Flavor, "LZ" Dillon, Jim Masters and Ervin "Maestro" Foster, and many many more. Meanwhile in the Plaza, find cooking competitions, and of course all of the soul food you can handle. The festival is free to the public, but $25 Soul Foodie tickets get you two food and soft drink tickets, plus photo ops; $100 VIP tickets include four food and soft drink tickets, two T-shirts, CDs, and additional perks. Both are available at bontempstix.com. 

More details at brsoulfoodfest.com.