Keith Lee, a former MMA star who became one of TikTok’s most followed food reviewers with roughly 17.5 million followers, is facing criticism following the inaugural edition of his “Family Day” food festival, held May 16th in New Orleans, Louisiana.
The event drew approximately 20,000 attendees and promised a curated food village featuring some of New Orleans’ best restaurants, live musical performances, carnival rides, and a family obstacle course. Ticket prices ranged from $70 for general admission to $200 for VIP, with a VIP plus chef’s table option available at around $350.
The backlash has largely centered on the VIP experience. Many attendees who paid $200 felt the offering fell short of what was advertised, with complaints about insufficient seating, overcrowding, and ineffective air conditioning spreading across social media.
One attendee, Dari, described the scene directly: “The VIP, like I said, was not VIP-ing. There were people holding seats, sitting down forever. Everybody couldn’t sit down. I feel like for as many VIP tickets that were sold, there were not enough seats sold. It was truly disappointing.”
The situation reportedly escalated to the point where security and police had to step in. Dari added: “It’s so bad to the point where people are getting into it, and they had to bring security and the police into the VIP to rectify the situation, because people couldn’t even sit down.”
Another attendee, pink._sugarr, shared similar frustrations over food costs and lengthy lines.
“Bare minimum, expect to spend $16 to $20 on a single dish and the portions are very small because you have a lot of people to feed. The lines were outrageous. We were only able to eat one thing at the entire event because the lines were so long.”
A last-minute change to the bag policy added another layer of frustration. Attendee Chi reported the updated size requirements were never communicated to ticket holders ahead of time.
“They changed the bag policy and they did not send out any notice that the bag policy was changed,” she said, noting that one woman was turned away because her medication bag exceeded the new, unannounced size limits.
Not everyone left with complaints. Attendee Grace said she had a great time overall and planned to return the following year.
Others urged the public to show patience, with TikTok user Odion noting: “Essence Fest wasn’t Essence Fest at the very beginning. Coachella wasn’t Coachella at the beginning. You got to start somewhere and build up on it.”
Keith Lee briefly addressed supporters following the event, acknowledging there were some issues while thanking the crowd for showing up.
A second festival is planned for Chicago.
