The National Cornbread Festival is held in April, during the last full weekend of the month. The festival takes place in South Pittsburg, Tennessee, where cornbread becomes the focus of cooking contests, tastings, music, crafts, and family activities.
The celebration is closely associated with Lodge Cast Iron, whose foundry is located in South Pittsburg. One of the festival’s signature events is the National Lodge Cast Iron Cornbread Cook-off, which highlights creative recipes built around the Southern staple. Visitors can also sample different versions in Cornbread Alley and tour historic parts of town.
The festival began in 1997 and became a major annual event for the small Tennessee community. It was interrupted during the COVID-19 pandemic, with cancellations before resuming in 2022. Its spring timing is practical as well as traditional: April’s mild weather suits an outdoor street festival and gives the town a recurring early-season tourism event.
The date can shift from year to year, but the month does not. For example, the 2026 festival is scheduled for April 25–26, again on the last full weekend.