If You Aren’t At Sai Summer Cookout this August, What Are You Doing?
How Marsai Martin’s annual festival is putting on for the culture.
Courtesy: Instagram/@MarsaiMartin
Do y’all remember little Diane Johnson from Kenya Barris’ Black-ish? Well, she’s all grown up now and making big moves for the culture. Actress and now film producer, Marsai Martin is carving out a new lane with her community festival, Sai Summer Cookout.
Marsai gained traction from her role on Black-ish as Diane, the smart and hilarious younger sibling alongside Yara Shahidi, Miles Brown, and Marcus Scribner. From there she landed a role in Little, where she earned an executive producer credit. Most recently, Martin starred in G20, an Amazon Prime action film featuring Viola Davis, Anthony Anderson, and Antony Starr.
Aside from an impressive acting career, the star is building something bigger. In 2023, Martin launched Sai Summer Cookout, a cookout-style festival designed to champion Black culture in all its facets. Martin boasts, “It’s not just a vibe, it’s a whole family reunion.”
The first cookout touched down in Atlanta, Georgia, with a succesful turnout of over 2000 attendees. M’Laysia Janae, who attended the Atlanta cookout said, “The vibes were immaculate, let me tell y’all something—she did that!”
After the success of year one, the cookout headed to the DMV for some go-go fun and achieved an even bigger turnout. There were live music acts from Smino, DJ Quicksilva, Richy Smart, and more.
For year three, the cookout is headed to the infamous H-Townnn—coming, coming down. As if H-Town wasn’t cultured enough, the event is being held at thee illustrious Texas Southern University, Labor Day weekend: August 29–31. So go ahead and cop your tickets at Saisummercookout.com because it will definitely be the place to be.
WHAT CAN YOU EXPECT AT SAI’S SUMMER COOKOUT?
They say everything is bigger in Texas and trust, H-Town won’t disappoint!
If you’ve been craving a good soul food plate, you’ll find it here. If you like to shop, they’ll have Black-owned vendors. If you’re the competitive type, they have games. If you’re trying to hear cookout classics like “Outstanding” and “Before I Let Go,” there will be live DJ sets too.
Moral of the story is: there’s something for everyone at Sai Summer Cookout.
So, get the group chat together (or just yourself!) for a weekend to recharge and tap in with the culture! And remember—whatever you do, don’t leave Houston on a Sunday!
WHY IS SAI’S SUMMER COOKOUT IMPORTANT FOR US?
Navigating life as a young Black adult can be a task all on its own, and sometimes, you just need to be surrounded by your people. That’s exactly what Marsai Martin had in mind when she created Sai Summer Cookout: a space for Black people, by Black people.
As a Texas native, Martin knows a thing or two about how we do cookouts down South. She’s bringing that same energy to Sai’s Summer Cookout by uplifting Black businesses, celebrating Black creativity, and creating space for us to just be.
It’s refreshing to see someone so young make such a big impact on our community. It’s clear Marsai is more than just an actress and event planner. She’s a community leader bringing everyone together to celebrate our culture.
Look—it’s getting hot outside, and, I don’t know about y’all but I know where I’ll be this August. So, what are y’all bringing to the cookout?
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