The National Cornbread Festival In Tennessee Is Back For Its 24th Year Of Fun & Festivities
By Meghan Kraft|Published March 06, 2020
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Meghan Kraft
Author
Meghan Kraft loves to travel the world, but she makes her home right here in Nashville, Tennessee. She holds a degree in English, and has worked in the digital marketing realm with companies such as Apartments.com, USA Today and HarperCollins Publishing.
Tennessee sure knows how to throw an extravagant fish fry and a hot chicken festival and all sorts of fun experiences throughout the year, but its the National Cornbread Festival in South Pittsburg that’s become a true state classic. This annual event has been running for almost 25 years and takes the Volunteer State by storm year on the last weekend in April. From cooking contests to carnivals and taste testing cornbreads of all shapes and sizes, there’s no better way to spend springtime in Tennessee. Check it out below, and leave your own thoughts and experiences in the comments! We can hardly wait.
The National Cornbread Festival is held every year in the heart of South Pittsburg, a historic town in Tennessee that's located right in the famed Sequatchie Valley. Roughly a half-hour from Chattanooga, it's fairly easy to get to and incredibly difficult to forget.
Famed for its cornbread cook-off, fun entertainment for the entire family, and an entire carnival at your disposal, there's a reason why folks return to the National Cornbread Festival again and again.
Perhaps one of the most talked-about events is the Lodge Cast Iron national Cornbread Cook-Off. You can submit your own original recipe for a cornbread dish for the chance to win a $5,000 cash prize. Of course, all recipes need to be made in Lodge Cast Iron cookware and utilizing Martha White cornmeal, but it makes for a fun - and decadent - competition.
It's pretty incredible what folks come up with! The top ten finalists present at the festival. If you're wandering the festival, listening to the live music and shopping at the arts and crafts stands, then you just might get a bit hungry...and that's when you need to head to Cornbread Alley.
The Cornbread Alley lineup is a true treat, and for a mere $5 you can taste every freshly baked flavor. There's no better deal than that, carb lovers. If you simply can't be sated, then check out the Cornbread Eating Contests - if you dare.
Will you be joining this year? Have you been before? The National Cornbread Festival offers up a full weekend of music, fun and food in the last week of April. There's no better way to get out in the community with your local Tennesseans, and it's fun for all ages.