A brand-new food festival is set to take over Moore Square on Sunday, September 27, bringing food trucks, local chefs, and a live cooking competition to downtown Raleigh from noon to 6 p.m. The inaugural Carolina Culture Food Fest is free and open to the public, with organizers inviting families to spend the afternoon sampling regional dishes and taking in a schedule built around North and South Carolina culinary traditions.
The festival's headline attraction is a live cooking competition that pits regional chefs and food vendors against one another for top honors, according to Raleigh Parent. As reported by CBS 17, the event will also feature dessert vendors, beverage vendors, and local chefs showcasing dishes tied to the Carolinas' shared food culture.
Beyond the food, organizers have packed the schedule with free family activities. The Downtown Raleigh Alliance's event listing notes that attendees can expect free cooking classes, face painting and henna, line dancing, mobile basketball, and other activities throughout the afternoon.
Community Resources Alongside the Cuisine
The festival isn't just about eating. Community organizations and local businesses will also be part of the event. That element reflects a broader mission behind the event, which festival organizers say is meant to elevate small business owners across North and South Carolina, per team information posted on the Carolina Culture Food Fest website.
The festival's chef partnerships are coordinated by Director of Food Truck Partnerships Chef Andarrio, the same site notes. Organizers are projecting turnout of more than 2,000 people for the free event and are encouraging attendees to RSVP in advance through the Posh ticketing platform to help manage crowds at the park.
Judging the People's Choice Awards
Food reviewer Los Graham, who goes by Big Lo online, announced in a Facebook post that he will serve as a featured guest celebrity judge for the festival's People's Choice Awards. His involvement adds another layer of local buzz ahead of the festival's debut.
A Historic Backdrop for a New Tradition
Moore Square itself carries deep local history. The four-acre park was created in 1792 as one of five planned public squares in Raleigh, according to The Cultural Landscape Foundation.
The surrounding Moore Square Historic District, placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983, served historically as a hub for African American commerce and culture, anchored by Hargett Street's “Black Main Street” and the 1914 City Market, the same source notes. Moore Square has seen continuous park use, including heavy use in the twentieth century, and it has recently hosted other community programming, including the free summer concert series covered in Hoodline's Jazz in the Square return.
The new festival also arrives amid a growing festival calendar in downtown Raleigh.
Part of a Statewide Food Festival Tradition
The Carolina Culture Food Fest is a new addition to Raleigh's food-event calendar. The Raleigh event begins with this month's debut at Moore Square. More information on the festival is available at carolinaculturefoodfest.com.
