East Palo Alto Collard Greens Festival Website

nzinga and rose shake hands         Collard greens lovers everywhere! Get out your favorite recipes and get ready for the 10th annual Collard Greens Cultural Festival, coming next on Saturday/Sunday, July 23-24, in 2011 . Make sure to sing up for the Cook off contest REGISTRATION FOR COLLARD GREENS COOK-OFF PARTICIPANTS.This years Festival to take place at Bell Street Park, 560 Bell Street, East Palo Alto . Come out and bring the whole family because there's something for everyone! Relax to sounds of smooth, soothing Jazz, or the down home, guitar thumping rhythm of the Blues. Get your groove on with some serious Funk, or rejuvenate your spirit with soul-stirring Gospel. If that's not enough to entice you, take a look at what events we've cooked up this year. For all of you seasoned chefs, greens experts, vendors, potential sponsors, and advertisers, click here to sign up for this year's festival.

Music         The Festival celebrates collard greens because collard, mustard and turnip greens were one of the basic foods that historically sustained African Americans as a people. Collards spread from Africa to Europe centuries ago and were brought to North America by slaves. Forced to create meals from leftovers, slaves created the famous southern greens. One-pot meals also represent a traditional method of food preparation, which is linked directly back to West Africa. They have been popular ever since in the American South traditionally prepared by boiling or simmering slowly with a piece of salt pork or ham hock and typically served with freshly baked or fried hot water corn bread. Click here to learn about the history of your local Collard Greens Festival!


Collard Greens Cultural Festival Events

Weds, July 1, 2009 7:27 AM
Posted by Nobantu Ankoanda, Ed.D

  • Collard Greens King and Queen
  • Cook-Off Contest
  • BéBé Land and Collard Greens Ice Cream
  • D.J. and Live Entertainment
  • Arts, Crafts and Information Booths

Donations Collard Green Festival

Weds, July 1, 2009 7:27 AM
Posted by Nobantu Ankoanda, Ed.D

A lot of hard work has been done to make this year's festival possible. We are asking a $10 donation for each person and $5 for senior citizens and children under 12. All proceeds benefit the Shule Mandela Academy educational programs.
Your donation can be cash or check and should be sent to:
Shule Mandela Academy
P.O. Box 50714
Palo Alto, CA 94303
(650) 323-5861


The Collard Greens Cultural Festival is the first of its kind in the United States. The festival features a bountiful variety of African-American Culture, as expressed in the American experience through food, music, vendors, and other activities. If you are interested in supporting this year's festival you can download the following letter which explains in sponsorship process in more detail.



You may make a donation to the 2009 Collard Greens Cultural Festival using our PayPal account.