American sporting events are big. From tailgating and fun parks, the venues become much bigger than the sport they host. They try to make sure that everyone from all ages and backgrounds can come and feel welcome, support their local sports team, and above all, have fun. This is no different in golf. Many of the events have activities for kids and supporters to get involved in. For the LPGA, the BITE NW Arkansas festival at the NW Arkansas Championship is a really good example of wholesome family enjoyment that typifies American sports.

What is the BITE Experience NW Arkansas?

While the likes of Lilia Vu and Megan Khang will be vying for the NW Arkansas Championship, a huge cultural event known as BITE NW Arkansas will also be taking place at the same venue. BITE NW Arkansas is a food festival organized at the NW Arkansas Championship of the LPGA Tour. It showcases a diverse array of foods, activities, and performances for the entertainment of locals and tourists. As a supporting event of the NW Arkansas Championship, it also brings in a lot of the golfing community in Arkansas and provides them with a different experience.

The event will be hosted at a centralized location at the venue of the LPGA tournament, the Pinnacle Country Club, Rogers, Arkansas. The fun will begin on Friday the 27 of September and end on Sunday the 29 from 11 am to 5 pm on all three days.

It is also a charity event where many of the businesses being supported are from historically marginalized communities. For example, the partners for Friday’s events are NWA Equality, which is an LGBTQ+ owned non-profit organization that advocates for equality and organizes Arkansas’ pride parade. Many popular restaurants will be participating on Friday such as Artisan Wood Fired Kitchen, Queens Bar and Grill, and Jack and Sun.

On Saturday, the NWA Girl Gang will be the partner for the festival. The organization is aimed at empowering women-owned businesses and restaurants. They have been active since 2018 and support over 780 women and minority business owners. That day will include returning restaurants like the Artisan as well as fresh participants like Chicken Headz and Daily Beet. The third day’s partners are Casa Dos Alas, which is a non-profit organization that fights food insecurity in the Northwest Arkansas’ Hispanic communities. That day’s participating restaurants will include Latinx-owned restaurants such as El Chefe and Casa Alejo among several others.

The entire food festival and cultural extravaganza is organized with the help of sponsorships from big businesses such as Walmart, which is hosting the entire golf tournament of NW Arkansas Championship, as well as P and G, General Mills, Pepsico, Campbell’s, and Tyson Foods. Many of their stalls will also be present at the food festival.

Their charitable partners are also many. They include Northwest Arkansas Food Bank, a non-profit that serves food to shelters and food pantries, and Black Owned Northwest Arkansas, which is a non-profit organization that supports black businesses and events for the community. An organization called Brightwater is also part of the event. This organization provides accessible training to all people, irrespective of their background, for them to get into the food business.

How can you attend the event?

To experience this all-inclusive cultural festival in Northwest Arkansas, you can buy tickets. Tickets are available online at the BITE NW Arkansas website. They cost $55.92 for each day. The ticket will be valid for only one day of the event. The ticket will allow you access to unlimited food and drinks within the BITE NWA event as well as general admission to the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship. It is unclear if tickets will be sold at the door for arriving patrons.

Spectators will also have access to the golf viewing deck and courtyard as well as the opportunity to sample food from the participating restaurants. $5 from the purchase of each ticket goes to the charitable partners of that day, which are NWA Equality, NWA Girl Gang, and Casa Dos Alas.

If you want to get involved in other ways, the organizers have several means for you to do so. One can also volunteer and participate in a variety of ways at the food festival. Do log on to the official website to know more. All in all, it promises an incredible variety of food and cultural wealth in the Northwest Arkansas region.