Hundreds of thousands of people will fill nearly three miles of Crenshaw Boulevard on Saturday, Oct. 17, for the 21st Annual Taste of Soul Family Festival, the free block party that organizers call the largest on the West Coast.

The festival runs from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. between Obama Boulevard and Stocker Street, according to the L.A. Sentinel, which organizes the event through Bakewell Media. No ticket is required.

More than 200 vendors will line the route selling food, clothing, artwork, jewelry, books and other merchandise. Three live music stages anchor the day: the Bakewell Media Sounds of the Soul Stage at Stocker Avenue and Crenshaw, the Radio Free KJLH Music Stage and the Brenda Marsh-Mitchell Gospel Stage at Crenshaw and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

Midnight Star, the Solar Records group behind "No Parking on the Dance Floor" and "Operator," headlines the Sounds of the Soul Stage, according to the festival's event guide. Tony Cornelius hosts the Midnight Star set and brings out original Soul Train Dancers for a performance billed as "A Taste of Soul Train." The KJLH stage features Lucky Daye, Alex Isley, Allen Stone, Tone Stith and others.

"Enjoy the food. Enjoy the music. Support our businesses. Celebrate one another and above all, enjoy being together!" Danny Bakewell Sr., founder of Taste of Soul and chairman of Bakewell Media, said in a statement to the Sentinel.

Kaiser Permanente returns as the main medical provider, staffing five First Aid Cooling Stations marked by red balloons along the route. Michelle Gaskill-Hames, regional president of Kaiser Permanente Southern California and Hawaii, told the Sentinel the organization is expanding its cooling lounge and bringing back on-site massage therapists. The event guide lists free screenings, vaccines and health education among the festival's offerings.

St. John's Community Health presents Children's World at West 39th Street and Crenshaw Boulevard, offering free eye and dental screenings, interactive games and activities for families. Jim Mangia, president and CEO of St. John's Community Health, said the area will include toys and games for both sensory-seeking and sensory-sensitive children.

The festival also features an Art Pavilion near Coliseum Street and Crenshaw Boulevard, showcasing eight artists and two art houses. David G. Brown, a longtime L.A. Sentinel political cartoonist who helps coordinate the pavilion, told the Sentinel the space gives Black artists a platform to exhibit and sell their work. This year's exhibitors include Shaylen Nelson, Shelton Gillis, Mohammed Mubarak, Mike Norice and LaSasha Delashay.

Health screenings, employment resources, voter registration and community services round out the day. Politicians are scheduled to appear at 2 p.m. on the Bakewell Media Stage.

LADOT Transit said DASH Crenshaw service will detour starting Friday, Oct. 16, at 6 a.m. through the end of service Saturday. Metro stops along Crenshaw drop riders directly onto the route. Parking is available at Dorsey High School, 3537 Farmdale Ave., and Crenshaw High School, 5010 11th Ave. Street closures begin Friday, Oct. 16, at noon and last through Sunday, Oct. 18, at 6 a.m.

The full vendor directory, stage lineups and parking map are at tasteofsoul.lasentinel.net.