CINCINNATI – Rapper Big Daddy Kane and singers Bilal and Estelle will provide the soundtrack for the third annual Cincy Soul food festival.
Organizers added a third day for this year's festival, which will take place July 27-29 on Fifth Street near Fountain Square. Big Daddy Kane will perform on the Fountain Square stage at 5 p.m. July 28, followed by Bilal at 6 p.m. the same evening. Estelle will help close the festival with a performance at 5 p.m. July 29.
RELATED: Cincy Soul food festival to expand for its third year
The food festival, which showcases local minority restaurant owners and chefs, coincides with the last two days of the annual Cincinnati Music Festival.
The music festival will take place July 26-28 at Paul Brown Stadium. R&B stars Jill Scott and Charlie Wilson will headline this year's Cincinnati Music Festival, which attracted 83,200 people to Cincinnati last year. Other acts at this year's festival will include Common, Xscape, the O'Jays, Bootsy Collins, DJ Vader, the Roots, Fantasia, Keith Sweat, Boyz II Men, After 7, DJ Jazzy Jeff and MC Lyte.
Julian Rodgers said he organized the first Cincy Soul in 2016 to showcase local restaurants for out-of-town guests attending that year's music festival. Approximately 28 vendors participated in the first year of Cincy Soul, which was then a one-day event. Rodgers said he anticipates 50 vendors will participate in this year's food festival.
This year Cincy Soul also will expand its hours: The festival will run from 6 p.m.-midnight July 27, 11 a.m.-midnight July 28 and noon-10 p.m. July 29.
"We plan on being out there that late," Rodgers said. "I don't anticipate all the vendors trying to stay open, but those that do should do extremely well."
