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The free festival will spotlight over 150 Black-owned businesses in Tampa
Black Tampa Bay entrepreneurs, artists, and community organizations will take center stage on Aug. 29-30 during B.I.G. Fest, a free celebration designed to promote Black-owned businesses and strengthen the region’s entrepreneurial community.
Hosted by entrepreneur Camille Adrienne-Washington, the festival is one of Tampa Bay’s largest Black commerce gatherings. B.I.G. Fest, short for “Black Is Gold,” kicks off with Black Business Expo at River Tower Park from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m on Saturday. On Sunday, there will be an invite-only brunch called Cafe Noir and a free art and music festival at 1920 in Ybor City from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Washington is the founder of a non-profit called the Camille-Adrienne Foundation and the founder and CEO of the Indie Noir Market Experience. A Florida A&M graduate. Washington says she uses her platforms as a way to take accountability in a community she has called home for the past five years.
“Each one of my businesses serve a different entity, a different sector, and this allows me to already have a give back plan in place, to make sure our community is growing, thriving and being provided opportunities to grow with this beautiful city,” Washington said.
The festival will feature over 150 vendors to shop from, along with food, live entertainment, art and free wellness activities. The festival reflects the larger mission of Indie Noir Market, a community-centered marketplace and business-development platform Washington founded in 2017.
“This is an opportunity to boost over 250 small Black businesses throughout the year,” says Washington.
B.I.G Fest is the physical demonstration of the growth of Black-owned businesses in the Tampa Bay Area. Since 2021, minority-owned businesses have grown over 15%, and as of 2025, make up over 120,000 businesses in Hillsborough County, according to the Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce. B.I.G Fest supports and sustains that growth by encouraging consumers to take accountability of how the dollars are circulating in predominantly Black communities.
“This allows us to really circulate the Black dollar,” Washington said. “And when we say circulation, we really mean circulation. A lot of people will say ‘We’re gonna circulate the Black dollar but you got to draw a circle first.’”
She added, “This allows us to give back to our community, give back to our non-profits, allows us to boost small Black business and allows us to really elevate in an economic system that may not be the best right now…so this allows for self-sustainability for a lot of our small entrepreneurs that are here and local to Tampa Bay.”
Beyond the festival, Indie Noir Market maintains a directory featuring more than 1,300 Black-owned brands and service providers throughout Tampa Bay.
All of the businesses participating in this weekend’s B.I.G Festare are also receiving a free spot in Washington’s Business Accelerator Program sponsored by her foundation. The program providers free access to business training, coaching and resources designed to help them excel and generate revenue through their business.
Most importantly, Washington says B.I.G Fest is a celebration.
“I want people to get out of it a celebration of Black culture,” Washington said. “A celebration of what we do, how we showcase our art, our retail, our services. We’re just very excited to allow this experience to be for everyone. Everyone should take away a little bit of joy when you leave this marketplace.”
For event details and to learn more about Indie Noir, visit the Indie Noir Market website.
