Thousands of people descend upon St. Petersburg’s 22nd Street South corridor Saturday for a significantly expanded Tampa Bay Collard Green Festival. Photos by Mark Parker.
The 2026 Tampa Bay Collard Green Festival provided a simmering pot of community fellowship for thousands of attendees Saturday along the 22nd Street South corridor, colloquially known as the Deuces.
What began as a friendly cooking competition and church fundraiser attracted approximately 15,000 participants and 120 vendors in 2025, and the event continues to blossom in South St. Petersburg. Attendees, many of whom likened the festival to a family reunion in subsequent social media posts, shared stories over food, danced to live DJs, received free health screenings, heard a surprise message from Mayor Ken Welch, and participated in numerous activities.
Co-founders Samantha Harris and Boyzell Hosey, who now oversee St. Petersburg’s MLK Day Parade, have steadily expanded the event since its humble beginnings in 2017. The two periodically paused to soak up the scene and exchange high-fives throughout the day.
“This has, by far, exceeded any expectations that we thought we might have had,” Harris said Saturday.
While event organizers could not provide an attendance estimate, many people believe the 2026 event set a new record.
Welch noted the event is now an integral part of St. Petersburg’s Black History Month celebrations. City staff handed out copies of Echoes, a mini-magazine and a “collaborative love letter to St. Petersburg’s rich African American history and the people who continue to shape it today.”
Artist Clancy Riehm also autographed city-sponsored Black History Matters posters at the festival, held in partnership with the adjacent Woodson African American Museum of Florida. “It’s a beautiful celebration, isn’t it?” said Welch, who frequently stopped to talk with families at the event.
Harris noted that people “showed up” to the Tampa Bay Collard Green Festival (TBCGF) when it was still just a “crazy idea.” She and Hosey “knew when that happened, we had to do it again.”
Harris credited an outpouring of support from the community, sponsors, and donors for the event’s success. “God is good,” she said.
“We have 175 vendors from all over,” Harris added. “Chicago, South Florida. We got South Carolina, we got Atlanta. They look forward to this event. And not only that, for a lot of these vendors, this is their biggest economic boost. It helps set the stage for the next couple of months for them.”
The event revolved around community and food, and not just collard greens,
In August 2025, the city council approved a new three-year, $690,000 contract with Tampa Bay Collard Green Festival Inc. to organize the nation’s longest-running Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Parade. Harris said the organization’s eponymous event helped her team secure the award.
“We are honored, especially as St. Petersburg residents,” she continued. “On behalf of myself, Boyzell (Hosey), the organization, and our new, expanded team, we’re just super excited.”
TBCGF coincided with two other major annual festivals – Localtopia and the Tampa Bay Rays’ Fan Fest – Saturday in St. Petersburg. Massive, diverse crowds still flocked to the Deuces, despite this significant citywide competition.
The organization charges $75, $150, and $250 for non-profit, retail, and food vendors, respectively, to increase access. Hosey previously noted that typical festival fees “are much higher than what we are asking.”
“Money was never our motivation,” he said. “It was to do a good thing for the community, to do something in the realm of excellence that encapsulates community pride.”
TBCGF started with a friendly wager over which of its co-founders cooked the best collard greens, a cultural staple in the South, with several variations. Harris said Saturday that she won the ongoing competition for the second consecutive year.
“He did not even show up to a contest – he tried to sabotage,” Harris said with a laugh. “But that’s ok. We have fun. We look forward to this time of year.”
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More Photos
Mayor Ken Welch (left) with Samantha Harris, president and co-founder of the Tampa Bay Collard Green Festival.
The Collard Green King.
The event attracted a large, diverse audience despite competition from other festivals throughout the city.
Mayor Ken Welch (right) stops to speak with a family.
Carla Bristol (foreground), director of the St. Pete Youth Farm, and the organization’s ambassadors. Photo: Carla Bristol, Facebook.
