With the Taste of Soul Food and Family Festival being famous for showcasing primarily adult -themed entertainment, the festival organizers also curate Children’s World, a special safe place for children to explore fun activities and be entertained on the Children’s World Stage by up-and coming young artists, excited about living their dreams at Taste of Soul in front of adoring young fans.
“My mission in this year’s Taste of Soul is to bring the best variety of talented young artists, from ages 6-20, to the Children’s World Stage,” says Randy Hankins, who says he is honored to curate the Children’s World Stage for a 5th year. “It gives me a great sense of pleasure knowing I’ve provided the Taste of Soul community with an amazing group of dancers, singers, and rappers, and providing the audiences with the possibility of seeing future stars. And we do this with clean age-appropriate music that is both entertaining and uplifting.”
For the last five years, Hankins has provided all the entertainment and sound/ DJ equipment for the youth-showcase. “It’s a wonderful feeling to be a part of Taste of Soul, especially on historic Crenshaw Blvd. in inner city L.A. We feel right at home since we already interact with many the local students from all grade levels. Hankins is the head of The School Tour, a music tour that performs age-appropriate entertainment to all school grade levels on a weekly basis and says he sees many of the students at Taste of Soul.
“This year’s talent is exceptional and the Children’s Stage is going to be fire with emerging artists such as, The Compton Divas dance crew; R&B group, High Key; Six-year-old dynamo singer, Lil Ivan, KnsRocStar; and artists, Ashley Brinton, Ty Hibbet and more exciting acts throughout the day, Hankins says.
In addition to the stage, other Children’s World’s highlights will include Bank of America’s “Paint & Sip,” where kids paint while enjoying their favorite juice beverage; PCL Construction will host cool activities for children; and MRKT Films will show their movies “Jumanji; Next Level,” “Disney’s Frozen II” and Paramount ‘s “Playing with Fire.”
“Pam and Danny Bakewell and the Taste of Soul nation, thank you for the amazing opportunity to expose such talent and showmanship in young artists to such a receptive and supportive audience” said Hankins.
“Every year, we look forward to providing youth and their parents with fun alternatives that are child-friendly, safe and fun,” said festival founder, Danny J. Bakewell, Sr.
Children’s World is located on the corner of Crenshaw and Coliseum.
For more information on Taste of Soul visit www.tasteofsoul.org and download the Taste of Soul mobile app for the latest updates.
