Crave Food & Music Festival
Aug. 14-15 (Sat.: noon-11 p.m. / Sun.: noon-7 p.m.)
Bluegrass Fairgrounds at Masterson Station Park, 3051 Leestown Road
With approximately 40 food vendors, including food trucks and restaurants, as well as special food performances, chef presentations, cook-offs, craft beer and cocktails, this annual, family-friendly event is the city’s biggest celebration of Lexington’s culinary scene. The festival is designed for exploration, with food vendors offering "small bites" at $2, $3 and $5 price points.
Produced by Smiley Pete Publishing, the festival also features two days of live music from local and regional bands, kid-friendly activities, a classic car show and more.
This year’s music lineup includes 10-piece funk band Ernie Johnson from Detroit, soul/blues guitar prodigy Tee Dee Young, high-energy bluegrass mavens Restless Leg String Band, avant-pop outfit FrigidKitty, angular rock band Letters of Acceptance, indie rock group Lylak, Cincinnati-based stoner jazz Sylmar and more. Click here for the full music lineup.
Visit the event’s website as the dates near for information about participating food vendors, performers and guests, and other details. Single-day and weekend admission options are available, with discounted "Crave bucks" packages available for folks who purchase in advance; a notable change for this year's festival is that payments at all food vendors will be digital, utilizing a new virtual Crave Bucks system available at https://cravefestival.app/.