Free festival featuring more than 40 food and spirit vendors kicks off at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 10
SOMERSET, KENTUCKY (May 5, 2025) — Somerset is in full bloom, and so are planning efforts for the city’s spring festival, Foodstock, which will feature a record number of food and spirit vendors in its sixth year.
This free, family-friendly festival will be from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, May 10, at Fountain Square. Foodstock will feature all the favorites attendees have come to expect, plus a few new additions to the lineup. More than 40 food and spirit vendors will fill downtown Somerset’s streets along with merchandise vendors, live art activations, live music and family activities.
“Foodstock is more than just a festival; it’s a celebration of our community’s spirit and creativity,” said Leslie Ikerd, See Somerset tourism director and city events coordinator. “Each year, we want to bring together the best of what Somerset has to offer — outstanding food, talented musicians, and inspiring artists — to create an unforgettable experience in southern Kentucky.”
Festival highlights include:
- Culinary Delights: Attendees can indulge in a diverse array of cuisines, sweets and beverages from over 40 food trucks and spirit vendors hailing from Somerset and across Kentucky. Browse the full vendor list.
- Busker Music Contest: Hear busker musicians perform at participating downtown contest venues (Birdies and Barrels, The Tipsy Toad and The Makers Mill) as they compete to earn a spot on the Moonlight Festival stage on Oct. 18. Vote for your favorite musician between 11 a.m.-9 p.m. through a QR code posted inside and outside participating venues. Participating musicians include Annie Boek, Chris Lackey, Just a Phase, Branden and Brittney Sanchez, Jeremy and the Spawn, Vena Ruby, Todd Clayton, Kevin Thomas and Jadan Trammell. View the performance schedule.
- Live Art Activations: Local artists will create live art around Fountain Square, offering attendees a chance to witness creativity in action and interact with the artists. This year’s lineup includes Jacob Wilson, Anita Stigall, Nate Michaels, The Shine House, Jeff Scribner and Kara Norris.
- Fun and Games: A children’s area with inflatables, face painting, balloon animals and cornhole will be set up around the fountain at Judicial Center Plaza. This area is free for families to enjoy and will be open throughout the day.
New additions to the festival and downtown Somerset include:
- Ride the Wave Sculpture Trail Unveiling: Foodstock will host the public unveiling of the Ride the Wave Sculpture Trail. An initiative of SPEDA, the Somerset-Pulaski Chamber of Commerce, Lake Cumberland Tourism and See Somerset Tourism, this public art project celebrates Lake Cumberland, tourism and the rich arts culture in Somerset-Pulaski County. Sculptures have been purchased by local businesses and organizations to benefit the Somerset Veterans Memorial Park, and they have been painted by local artists. The sculptures will be unveiled to the public for the first time in front of the Pulaski County Courthouse and will be displayed all day, weather permitting. After the festival, the sculptures will be placed in their permanent locations on the mural trail. For more information and future announcements about the trail, visit somersetkyleads.com/ride-the-wave/.
- Downtown Drum Circle: Just down the road from the festival boundaries on the same date as Foodstock, a new addition to downtown Somerset events will take place: the Downtown Drum Circle. The event welcomes individuals of all ages and skill levels at Rocky Hollow Park’s Joe Ford Amphitheater. The drum circle — an informal gathering of percussionists and dancers who meet in public to play drums and move with the music — will form at 3 p.m. at the amphitheater. Somerset City Councilwoman Phyllis Lawson introduced the idea and said she hopes to attract participants from Somerset and across the region and state, with the main objective being for them to share and get in tune with one another and themselves. “For me, the defining values of a drum circle include equality, autonomy, inclusiveness and freedom of expression,” Lawson said. “All are welcome to bring a drum and be a part of the circle. Or, if you are like me, just enjoy the rhythm and the people.” Future drum circles will be from 3-5 p.m. on the first Sunday of every month at Rocky Hollow.
Ikerd encourages festival attendees to walk down to Rocky Hollow and check out this new event that celebrates expression and creativity.
“The drum circle will be a wonderful addition to downtown, and I’m thrilled it is being introduced to the community on the same day thousands will converge downtown to experience food, music and art at Foodstock,” Ikerd said. “Everyone is welcome, and I look forward to seeing this event flourish to bring music and fellowship to our beautiful Rocky Hollow Park.”
Admission to Foodstock is free, but, as is required at all city festivals, attendees who wish to purchase alcoholic beverages must purchase a $5 spirit wristband. There will be one central location to purchase wristbands inside the festival boundaries this year (see festival map above), and attendees will be guided to that location by front gate volunteers.
JAB Law Office once again sponsors safe rides home in partnership with Premier Transportation of Lake Cumberland. Anyone who needs transportation to or from the festival should call (606) 872-0376 to schedule.
Many downtown businesses will remain open during the festival. Ikerd encourages those attending to explore and support these establishments in addition to the food, spirit and general vendors throughout the festival area.
For more information — including a full list of vendors, artists, open downtown businesses, a festival map with road closure information, and the busker music contest schedule, visit seesomerset.com/food-stock/.
