Believe it or not, you don’t have to stew your collard green for hours (sorry, grandma).
The beloved Tampa Bay Collard Green Festival (TBCGF) makes its flavorful comeback mid-February, showcasing many of the ways you can prepare the southern staple with global reach (in Brazil, they’re called “couve,” commonly paired with barbeque).
The one-day celebration—set for February in St. Petersburg—will include vendors, live music and educational workshops to promote healthier eating habits.
[event-1] The festival and organization started as a joke between church friends. Now, eight seasons later, the festival remains a staple community celebration of Black, brown and African-American heritage and cuisine in the Bay area.
The organization also hosts a Youth Entrepreneurship Row Accelerator event on Saturday, to promote vending in future events.
Over 13,000 attendees are expected to join the celebration, according to TBCGF. The festival is preceded by a 5K race and fitness extravaganza (Feb. 9) and the “Collards After Dark” fundraiser and community conversation on Valentine’s Day.