February 9, 2024, Night Market BTR, Louisiana, https://www.nightmarketbtr.com/, In Asian culture, a night market is an open-air market that happens at nighttime and features Asian cuisine, shopping from local vendors and live performances. Night Market BTR, the first of its kind in Baton Rouge, serves as a platform for Asian American restaurants and artists to showcase their talents and offerings, fostering a sense of community and cultural appreciation. In 2023, the inaugural event drew in more than 2,000 attendees, 20 vendors and even received a proclamation from Baton Rouge Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome. The enthusiastic response spurred a significant expansion, leading to the event’s relocation from Electric Depot in Mid City to downtown Baton Rouge in 2024.
February 22-24, 2024, Georgia National Rodeo, Georgia, https://www.georgianationalrodeo.com/, The Georgia National Rodeo is Georgia’s can’t-miss family-friendly rodeo, featuring nationally recognized professional cowboys and girls competing in seven events. Ordained by the Pro Rodeo Cowboy Association, contestants at the Georgia National Rodeo compete to earn qualifying points to compete in the National Rodeo Finals in Las Vegas. Each February, this event welcomes 15,000 rodeo fans to three nightly performances. The Rodeo wouldn’t be complete without premium western apparel vendors and activities, including goat roping and inflatable bull riding.
March 1-31 2024, 100 Million Steps in March, Tennessee, https://www.rubyfalls.com/events/100-million-steps-in-march/, Ruby Falls supports the mission of the American Heart Association Go Red for Women in a big way by accepting the challenge to walk 100 million steps at Ruby Falls every March! Come get active by walking the cavern trail to the thundering underground waterfall and sign the event banner to show your participation in the 100 million step goal. Together, we’re taking steps towards healthier hearts and creating amazing memories along the way.
March 9-10, 2024, Forsythia Festival, Georgia, https://www.forsythiafestival.com/, The festival season begins with Hello Yellow 2 weeks before Festival weekend. The town is encouraged to show their yellow leading up to the festival. Our festival is free to the public and features handmade arts and crafts, a 5K run, a food truck frenzy, a cornhole tournament, lots of live entertainment as well as lots of activities for the family!
March 23-24 2024, 43rd Annual Conyers Cherry Blossom Festival, Georgia, https://www.georgiahorsepark.com/p/calendar-of-events/conyers-cherry-blossom-festival, In 1982, Maxell (a previous local Japanese manufacturing company) along with the Conyers-Rockdale Chamber of Commerce, held the first Conyers Cherry Blossom Festival, to further nurture the friendship and exchange of Japanese Culture. In 1997, the festival moved to the Georgia International Horse Park to accommodate the growth in size and attendance. From that simple beginning, the two-day contemporary art festival has grown to include 300 artist and crafter booths, a variety of food booths and entertainment from diverse cultures generally attracting an estimated 25,000 guests over the weekend. Festival goers enjoy free admission into the festival with a parking fee.
March 28, 2024, Extra Table-March of the Mayor, Mississippi, https://www.ticketsignup.io/mayors, 7 Mayors across the Jackson Metro Area have agreed to participate in Extra Table’s event, MARCH OF THE MAYORS! It’s a canned food drive, a fundraiser and it’s ‘Mississippi’s Largest Food Box Packing Party’ complete with Moon Pies, Mardi Gras beads, volunteers and an event t-shirt all rolled into one jazzy Second Line with a mission to feed hungry Mississippians!
April 19-21, 2024, Baton Rouge Blues Festival Foundation, Louisiana, https://www.brblues.org/,
The Baton Rouge Blues Festival is a free, weekend-long annual celebration of swamp blues held in downtown Baton Rouge. Originating in 1981, it is one of the oldest blues festivals in America, first held on the campus of Southern University. The festival, produced by the Baton Rouge Blues Festival and Foundation, honors legendary home-grown blues artists like Slim Harpo, Rudy Richard, Silas Hogan, Whisperin’ Smith, Guitar Kelly, Schoolboy Cleve, Chewin’ Gum Johnson and Raful Neal. Over the years, Blues Fest has featured nationally and internationally recognized artists such as Bobby Blue Bland, Marcia Ball, Phil Guy, Larry Garner and Charlie Musselwhite. Notable performances include hometown favorite Buddy Guy in 2016 and Louisiana darling Mavis Staples in2019.
April 20, 2024, Battle Below the Clouds, Tennessee, https://www.rubyfalls.com/events/battle-below-the-clouds/, Ruby Falls annual event, Battle Below the Clouds, is the friendliest barbecue competition in the South! Amateur grillers and smokers compete for bragging rights as the best backyard cooks in five different barbecue categories. During this day-long festival, guests enjoy live bluegrass music, delicious BBQ and beer for purchase, kids’ activities and door prizes. 100% of team entry fees and additional contributions are donated to the Lana’s Love Foundation, a Chattanooga nonprofit that provides fun, year-round activities for local kids fighting cancer and their families.
April 26-27, 2024, Farm to Fork Ride, Run, Criterium, Mississippi, https://runsignup.com/Race/MS/Hattiesburg/FarmtoFork2021, The Farm to Fork-Ride, Run, Crit (F2F), hosted by Extra Table ,is a unique two-day outdoor event in southern Mississippi, focusing on the athletes’ experience while highlighting Hattiesburg as an outdoor and culinary destination. The event features a Criterium, 34, 48 and 62-mile bike rides and a 5K, 10K and half marathon. THIS RACE FEEDS PEOPLE, we like to say. F2F raises the much-needed funds that allow Extra Table to buy healthy, shelf- stable food that is delivered monthly for free to our 62 food pantry and soup kitchen partners across Mississippi.
April 26-27, 2024, Double Decker Arts Festival, Mississippi, https://doubledeckerfestival.com/ , This annual event celebrates food, music and the arts on the historic downtown square in Oxford, Mississippi. The red double-decker bus, imported from England in 1994, is the inspiration and centerpiece of the two-day festival. Double Decker brings over 100,000 attendees to our small college town of only 28,000 residents. Double Decker Arts Festival has remained free to attend for almost 30 years and the city of Oxford has made this a mission. The high caliber of musical touring acts, such as Ashley McBryde, Marcus King and Blackberry Smoke, brought record-breaking crowds and high enthusiasm for sponsors to join and support this free festival. The festival allowed 150 art vendors from all over the country to sell handmade works to one of the country’s most coveted entries into art festivals. Oxford is known for its elevated culinary scene, and our food vendors represent what Oxford has to offer locals and visitors. Art, Food and Music are pillars of Oxford, Mississippi culture, and this festival has become the premier arts festival in the state and a region because we celebrate those pillars!
May 23-26, 2024, Sumter Iris Festival, South Carolina, https://www.sumtersc.gov/irisfestival, The three-day festival includes concerts, arts & crafts, plants & flowers, antique & classic car shows, several contests and lots of children’s activities. The fun begins the evening before the festival, with the annual crowning of The King & Queen scholarship recipients followed by the “Taste at the Gardens”, featuring great music and great food from some of the area’s leading restaurants, chefs and caterers.
September 28, 2024, Perry International Festival, Georgia, https://perry-ga.gov/perry-international-festival, With an emphasis on education and entertainment, the Perry International Festival offers both engaging educational exhibits, vibrant vendors and exciting authentic cultural performances. The mission of the Perry International Festival is to promote the preservation of heritage and tradition through cultural education and entertainment. Through the talent of local artists, dancers, musicians and more, the Perry International Festival invites attendees an opportunity to develop a deeper connection to their own cultures while learning about the others around them that make up our melting pot of Middle Georgia! Come discover the diversity of the Perry International Festival
September 2024, Dread Hollow, Tennessee, https://www.dreadhollow.com/, Chattanooga’s award-winning haunted attraction returns every fall with all new terrifying sets, storylines and scares. Frightening fear-seekers for 21 years, the masterminds behind Dread Hollow unleash new evolutions of terror each season with ominously interactive actors and twisted storylines playing out over 25,000+ square feet of all-new, meticulously detailed haunted house sets, unsettling illusions and horror-themed escape rooms.
October 3-13, 2024, Georgia National Fair, Georgia, https://www.georgianationalfair.com/, Welcoming over half a million guests each year, the Georgia National Fair is the largest in the state. Our award-winning Fair offers over 100 rides for adults and kids, delicious Fair treats, concerts, animal shows, livestock competitions, educational exhibits, Georgia Grown products, shopping, art, cooking competitions and so much more. In 2023 our Fair celebrated its 34th anniversary. The event included performances by Randy Houser, Billy Ocean, Smash Mouth, Mark Chesnutt and more! The 2nd annual Fair Food Fight brought over 20 new food concoctions to the Fair for guests to enjoy and vote on.
November 2-3, 2024, Florida International Air Show, Florida, https://www.floridaairshow.com/, The Florida International Air Show(FIAS) is a multi-day event showcasing nationally known performers and exciting static displays of aircraft and vehicles that takes place in Punta Gorda, Florida. The air show offers opportunities for attendees to learn more about aviation, space and military services. Its mission is to deliver a wholesome family entertainment event celebrating aviation past, present and inspiring the future. The Florida International Air Show (FIAS) organization is a Florida 501c4 nonprofit corporation staffed entirely by volunteers.
December 12-23, 2024, Peace River Botanical & Sculpture Gardens’ Gardens Aglow, Florida, https://www.peacerivergardens.org/gardens-aglow0c072eae, Now in its sixth year of celebration, Gardens Aglow, put on by the Peace River Botanical & Sculpture Gardens, is a magical experience for the whole family to enjoy. Enjoy the enchanting annual event where acres of beautifully adorned gardens sparkle with thousands of lights, creating the ideal holiday excursion for family and friends. Nestled alongside the serene Peace River, Peace River Botanical & Sculpture Gardens’ 30-acre sanctuary combines the richness of five unique ecosystems: marshlands, wetlands, mangroves, uplands and tidal basins. Its gardens are alive with year-round blooms, showcased alongside a sprawling network of 15,000+ square feet of boardwalk sand docks—perfect for immersing yourself in its collection of grand sculptures.