Since Frizz Fest first began nearly a decade ago, the St. Louis festival that celebrates the joy, culture, creativity, and entrepreneurship in the local Black community has grown into an essential event, with live music, art installations, and a hair show, among other draws. The heat this past weekend didn’t quell the scores of people who turned out to Tower Grove Park for the festival’s ninth year.
One element that’s remained consistent since Frizz Fest’s inception is the support and platform that organizers creat for small, Black-owned businesses. Frizzy by Nature CEO and founder Leslie Hughes, who founded the event, recalls that vendors in the festival’s Blooming Business Market were the main attraction in Frizz Fest’s early years, long before they started booking headlining artists.