Jackson International Food and Art Festival celebrates 10-year anniversary

The Jackson International Food and Art festival celebrated its 10th anniversary on Sept. 21 at the Jackson Fairgrounds. This massive festival draws in thousands of people each year to celebrate the food and art of the many cultures of Jackson, Tennessee.

The event featured a parade of cultures, dozens of vendors selling food, art, and more. Various cultural performances were also held throughout the day. Guests with children were able to enjoy a special children’s stage with entertainment specifically geared towards the younger crowd attending the event. The children’s stage was hosted inside of the main building at the Jackson Fairgrounds, with the main stage being outside with the rest of the food, art and informational booths.

Each year, this unique festival features food and art from cultures all over the globe. This year’s festival saw over one-hundred and forty booths and over ten food trucks set up both outdoors and indoors throughout the Jackson Fairgrounds. 

“It was astonishing to find that people from so many countries enjoyed [the event] together and got to know each other. Furthermore, this event is getting bigger and bigger every year,” Sanae Matsuno, a volunteer at the Japanese culture booth, said. 

The festival saw numerous special acts and additions added to the schedule this year in lieu of the tenth anniversary of the event. These acts ranged from performances by the traditional Mexican folk-dance group “Raices De Mi Tierra,” and Aztec dance troupe “Guerrero Quetzalcoatl.” Festival attendees also had the chance to enjoy appearances from Lee’s Golden Dragon, a Chinese dragon puppet.

The event ran from 10 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. in order to host a special performance by ABBA cover band Abba Fab. The group performed various songs from ABBA’s discography and encouraged the crowd to participate by singing and dancing along.

For more information and updates on next year’s festival, visit the event website at www.jifaf.com or the Jackson International Food Festival Facebook page.