The last-minute cancellation of a food festival for this weekend in Downtown has sparked a firestorm online at the start of the Cincinnati Music Festival, which is the largest annual weekend driver of tourism in the area,
A spokesman with the city manager's office said the city rejected the permit for Cincy Soul: The Black Tastein May and tried to work on several concerns with the organizers.
The cancellation of Cincy Soul has caused outrage among some Black social media influencers. Supporters of Cincy Soul called the event an important venue for the city's Black restaurants, caterers and food trucks.
The organizer for Cincy Soul, Julian Rodgers,in videos posted to Facebook, blamed the city for shutting down the event a day before it was supposed
to start in a parking lot Downtown. He claimed city officials threatened to pull the parking lot's business license, prompting the parking lot owner to tell him this week Cincy Soul couldn't happen.
Here's what we know:
Business owners caught in the middle
News of the cancellation of Cincy Soul hit a nerve among restaurateurs who told The Enquirer the festival was a key venue for them to showcase their cuisine.
The cancellation forced many business owners to make a tough decision: What to do with the thousands of dollars of food they were hoping to sell this weekend?
Jasmine Davis, owner of Sweet Jazz Treats food truck bakery, said she received an email at 4:48 p.m. July 23 from the organizer saying the festival scheduled for the following day would not happen.
She had been counting on selling her jumbo cupcakes and confections this weekend. Rather than throw her food away, she has found a parking spot she’s paying for along Fifth Street, where she’ll be in business all weekend. Still, the last-minute ordeal left her with a bad feeling.
“We spent money,” Davis said. “We prepared for this for months, sometimes a year in advance. We keep it open on our calendars. This was one of our really big festivals for us that we were looking forward to doing.”
What is Cincy Soul: The Black Taste?
Cincy Soul is a separate event from the music festival and Festival 513 that takes place outside of Paycor Stadium during the music festival. Both of those are still going on this weekend.
Cincy Soul is a food festival that features Black-owned restaurants, caterers and food trucks. It has coincided with the Cincinnati Music Festival for about a decade. It did not take place in 2025.
This year it was slated for July 24 and July 25.
For years, it took place in front of Fountain Square. This year, Rodgers had Cincy Soul planned for a parking lot a few blocks east at 705 Sycamore St. Cincy Soul's Facebook pagepromoted it as the "Parking Lot Fest" and said it would have more than 40 vendors.
Organizer said city threatened to pull parking lot's license.
Cincy Soul founder Julian Rodgersposted a video Thursday night saying the food festival would not happen this weekend Downtown.
"I'm so mad, y'all," Rodgers said in the video posted to his Facebook page. "Cincy Soul has been a passion of mine in order to help Black people get money."
Rodgers did not respond to messages seeking comment.
Rodgers, in the Facebook post, said the parking lot owner informed him this week the city wouldn't let them host Cincy Soul. He said the city threatened to pull the parking lot's license.
"I get an email saying, 'Hey, Jay, we can't proceed, because they're threatening our livelihood and our business," he said.
City denied the permit in May
The city denied the permit for the event on May 27, the same day the organizers applied for it, said Ben Breuninger, a spokesman for the city manager's office.
"Nevertheless, organizers have continued to promote the event," Breuninger said in an email to The Enquirer. When there are large events, such as the Cincinnati Music Festival, that puts an "exceptional demand on city resources," the city will close the special events permits for those dates. Blink festival Oct. 8 through Oct. 11 is another weekend the city closes special event permits.
As to why, in past years, the Cincy Soul event had been allowed to take place during the music festival, Breuninger said the organizers had applied earlier in the year. The organizers this year applied too late after the city closed the permitting process in February.
Breuninger said the operators of the parking lot spoke with the city's Office of Special Events and Civic Spaces on July 15 and July 20 and were made aware of the event's unpermitted status.
The city had several concerns about the food festival, Breuninger said, including a lack of control over the number of people who would attend, the need for temporary fencing, entrances and exits and the use of generators, which require an inspection for electrical permits.
"Rules regarding special events, including permitting, exist for a reason," Cincinnati City Manager Sheryl Long said in a statement. "We need to make sure everyone can enjoy what Cincinnati has to offer in a way that's well-coordinated with City staff."
Why this has sparked anger
Kristen Bailey knows how important Cincy Soul is. She was at every one from 2017 to 2024 selling the food she made as the owner of Sweets and Meats BBQ, her restaurant and catering businesses in Avondale and Mount Washington.
"It was more about supporting local minority-owned businesses, businesses that are typically seen as marginalized, that don't have the same opportunities," Bailey, of Mount Washington, said.
Bailey closed her business this year, citing an issue with the city trying to secure enough parking for her restaurant. Bailey pointed to the cancellation of Cincy Soul as an example of the city making it difficult for small businesses.
"They've got people that we're counting on hours to work this weekend," Bailey said. "Those people are no longer gonna be able to have hours. These businesses have already covered their expenses to pay for all the food. Like there's a huge loss, so financially it's really gonna significantly impact the businesses."
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: 'Cincy Soul' festival canceled sparking local outrage
