NASHVILLE, TN — The 15th annual Music City Hot Chicken Festival presented by Piedmont Natural Gas and benefiting Friends of Shelby Park and Bottoms will return to East Park, 700 Woodland Street on Sunday, July 4 from noon to 4 p.m. The festival is an annual staple event for all those who love Hot Chicken and Nashville.
“Without fail, patrons of the Music City Hot Chicken Festival gather each year to celebrate Nashville’s culinary gift to the world and we’re
and former Nashville mayor
thrilled that we’ll be back again at East Park this year,” said Festival founder and former Nashville Mayor Bill Purcell. “This year in particular we remain committed to our original, simple premise: on the day we join all of America in the celebration of our freedoms, in Nashville we also celebrate our homegrown freedom to eat hot chicken.”
The Festival celebrated Nashville’s unique dish in 2020 even amidst the quarantine by shifting to a take-out Festival, but it will continue its annual tradition meeting in person this year.
A highlight of the event is the Festival’s amateur hot chicken cooking contest, which will be held on Thursday, July 1 beginning at 10 a.m. The contest offers five amateur chicken chefs the opportunity to impress a judging panel of hot chicken connoisseurs. The winner of the contest will be presented a trophy on the Festival stage at 3 p.m. July 4. Portions of the contest will be live on News Channel 5’s Talk of the Town. An application to compete in the contest is available on the Festival website at hot-chicken.com. To apply to enter the contest, visit the Festival website at www.hotchickenfestival.com.
“The amateur cooking contest is the cornerstone of our Festival” says Festival contest chairperson, caterer and special event planner Katrina Ware of Ware Is Your Planner. “Several past winners have graduated to start their own hot chicken businesses. It’s a contest for those aspiring to learn more about hot chicken and meet the culinary wizards behind the dish.”
This year the event will begin at noon with its annual tradition of the quirky and popular Hot Chicken Festival Parade beginning led by former Nashville Mayor Bill Purcell, followed by numerous antique fire trucks. The Festival will expand its East Park this year to accommodate for additional social distance needs. There will be better viewing of the Festival Parade from both Yazoo Brew beer tents this year.
The event benefits the Friends of Shelby Parks and Bottoms, and it has the added benefit of supporting Hot Chicken establishments that have been an important part of building entrepreneurship in our city, as well as our uniquely Nashville pride, unity and heritage.
Festival sponsors include Piedmont Natural Gas, Frost Brown Todd LLC, Nashville Business Incubation Center, Nashville Electric Service, The Ryman, Foundation, Yazoo Brewing Company, Anderson Benson Insurance, H. G. Hill Realty Company, Endeavor Business Media/Firehouse magazine and Metro Nashville Airport Authority and Hall Strategies.
Follow the Hot Chicken Festival on Twitter at www.twitter.com/HotChickenFest.
“Like” us at the Music City Hot Chicken Festival fan page at http://www.facebook.com/musiccityhotchickenfestival
