Livingston to celebrate all things sweet potato during annual three-day festival

Abbie Lauten-Scrivner
·2 min read

Livingston’s annual celebration of the versatile sweet potato will kick off Friday at the Max Foster Sports Complex, heralding in the start of a three-day festival featuring rides, contests, exhibits and all things sweet potato.

Livingston is known as the sweet potato capital of the world, producing nearly 300,000 tons of sweet potatoes annually, according to the city’s website.

The Sweet Potato Festival highlights the rich local industry and attracts thousands of attendees annually.

This year’s Sweet Potato Festival lands on the City of Livingston’s centennial birthday. The festivities will conclude Sunday night with a fireworks show commemorating the city’s 100 years.

Before the fireworks are launched Friday, Livingston residents and their families can enjoy a variety of daily activities.

Each day of the festival will include pie eating contests, carnival rides, live music, culinary demonstrations and a food court featuring various sweet potato dishes.

Every food vendor’s menu will offer a sweet potato specialty item. Festival-goers can feast on sweet potato fries, sweet potato ice cream, sweet potato pies and many other unique sweet potato dishes.

Attendees can also stroll through a farmers market of sweet potatoes, merchandise vendors and an antique harvesting equipment showcase.

Friday’s festivities will run 5-10 p.m. Special events that day include a skateboard exhibition and raffle, modified car show and DJ set.

The festival will open earlier Saturday and Sunday at 12 p.m. and close at 10 p.m.

Saturday’s events include a Cal Fire muster featuring a kids’ obstacle course and firefighter challenge, lucha libre wrestling, live bands and craft brew tasting in the beer garden.

Sunday will close the festivities with a car show, dancing and cultural music, centennial mobile exhibit and a beer garden before the fireworks finish the celebrations with a bang.

Entrance to the festival is free, but tickets must be purchased for carnival rides.

The Max Foster Sports Complex is located at 2600 Walnut Ave.

A complete list of event details can be found at the City of Livingston’s website on the Sweet Potato Festival page at cityoflivingston.org/recreation/page/sweet-potato-festival

Fried sweet potatoes are prepared during the annual Livingston Sweet Potato Festival at the Max Foster Sports Complex in Livingston, Calif.
Fried sweet potatoes are prepared during the annual Livingston Sweet Potato Festival at the Max Foster Sports Complex in Livingston, Calif.
Sweet potato fries are prepared at one of the booths of the annual Livingston Sweet Potato Festival in October.
Sweet potato fries are prepared at one of the booths of the annual Livingston Sweet Potato Festival in October.