JUNE 17, 2025 (NORFOLK, VA) – In honor of their commitment to community engagement, the Cousinz
Festival is celebrating Juneteenth weekend with a special event, a first of its kind for the Cousinz brand.
The Cousinz Cook-Off–hosted in partnership with Waterside District in Norfolk–is set to take place on
Saturday, June 21 from 4:00PM-9:00PM.
The Cousinz Cook-Off will feature 3 chef teams. Each team will compete in the categories of Best Wings,
Best Burgers, and Best Kabobs, all to be judged by event attendees in 3 separate rounds.
“This is like a food tasting for the community,” says Cousinz Festival co-founder Antonio Dowe. “We want
people to come out to enjoy the event with their family and friends while enjoying food from the chefs.
It’ll be interesting to see who wins each category based on the public vote!”
In an effort to continue their support of the Hampton Roads community through engagement activities,
the Cousinz Cook-Off is the second of their local event activations, the first being in April with the
Community Engagement Kick-Off panel.
“We’ve said since the beginning, Cousinz is more than just a festival with music. It’s about uplifting our
community and bringing unique experiences in which everyone can participate leading up to the big day,”
explains Fam-Lay, co-founder of Cousinz Festival.
Cousinz Cook-Off is free and open to the public, and the food tasting will be available on a first come,
first served basis. Additionally, tickets for the festival will also be sold at a discounted rate in celebration
of the Juneteenth holiday. Each ticket-tier–excluding VIP–will be $20 off of the base price. One day prior
to the Cousinz Cook-Off, the Cousinz team will be celebrating Juneteenth on the Norfolk Scope Plaza on
June 20th for their popular RnB Block Party from 6PM-12AM. Tickets for RnB Block Party are available
now on Ticketmaster
About Cousinz Festival:
Hometown artists Terrence ‘Pusha T’ Thornton and Nathaniel ‘Fam-Lay’ Johnson, and business manager
Antonio Dowe, created Cousinz out of the love of and for Hampton Roads, or as the locals affectionately
call it, the 757. Cousinz blends national recording artists and local and national DJs with unique culinary
experiences and community engagement activations throughout the Hampton Roads area.
