Attendees at the Tampa Bay Collard Green Festival in St. Petersburg, Florida on Feb. 18, 2023. Credit: Photo via cityofstpete/Flickr

Believe it or not, you don’t have to stew your collard green for hours (sorry, grandma).

The beloved Tampa Bay Collard Green Festival (TBCGF) makes its flavorful comeback mid-February, showcasing many of the ways you can prepare the southern staple with global reach (in Brazil, they’re called “couve,” commonly paired with barbeque).

The one-day celebration—set for February in St. Petersburg—will include vendors, live music and educational workshops to promote healthier eating habits.
The festival and organization started as a joke between church friends. Now, eight seasons later, the festival remains a staple community celebration of Black, brown and African-American heritage and cuisine in the Bay area.

The organization also hosts a Youth Entrepreneurship Row Accelerator event on Saturday, to promote vending in future events.

Over 13,000 attendees are expected to join the celebration, according to TBCGF. The festival is preceded by a 5K race and fitness extravaganza (Feb. 9) and the “Collards After Dark” fundraiser and community conversation on Valentine’s Day.

Visit tbcgf.org to participate in the Tampa Bay Collard Green Festival cook off, become a vendor, donate to the organization or volunteer.

There’s no cover for the Tampa Bay Collard Green Festival happening Saturday, Feb. 15, from 9 a.m.- 4 p.m., at St. Petersburg Woodson African American Museum of Florida.