about our grand festival

The National Cornbread Festival is a weekend-long celebration of cornbread and many cornbread-related activities for adults and kids. You’ll find us in the quaint town of South Pittsburg, Tennessee every year during the last full weekend in April.

COME AND ENJOY:

National Lodge® Cast Iron Cornbread Cook-off

Cornbread Alley (sample various cornbread recipes)

Live music throughout the festival

Arts and Crafts from area vendors

Tours of the Lodge Cast Iron Foundry

Cornbread 5K Race

Cornbread Fondo

Tours of historic South Pittsburg

Cornbread Eating Contests

Play games, ride carnival rides, and enjoy wandering through the booths that line the streets of historic South Pittsburg. Enjoy cornbread, handmade arts and crafts. Taste Southern, artisan treats like honey, fudge, and rock candies. The festival is packed with great family fun – including a Kid’s Corner with games, face painting, and inflatables!

history

The National Cornbread Festival began as a simple idea. In 1996, a group of civic-minded local leaders and citizens got together to talk about the long-term future of South Pittsburg, TN. The question: how do we promote civic engagement and help local businesses?

It seemed natural to feature Lodge Manufacturing, the local maker of world-class cast iron cookware. South Pittsburg’s citizens wanted to find a way to feature Lodge and include tours of the foundry. A food-oriented festival was the winning idea.

The South Pittsburg community united to support the cause by creating a non-profit organization to put on the festival annually. Individuals volunteered, businesses and organizations joined in, and the first annual festival, in 1997, was a success! Now over 350+ community volunteers of all ages, put on this wonderful festival every year. Preparations for the festival begin as early as 8 months prior to the festival weekend. Over 15+ committees drive the planning and execution of this fun-filled weekend. All proceeds are distributed into the community through donations and other improvement projects.

Since the Festival began we have:

  • Landscaped streets

  • Built and supported athletic facilities and grounds.

  • Supported boy scouts, schools and day cares

  • Donated to theaters, churches and libraries

  • Restored historical buildings

Now, thousands of people come to South Pittsburg to see the sights, hear the music, feel the history and get their fill of cornbread.

Come See What’s Cookin’ at the Cornbread Festival!