Heidi’s Kids hosted the Fried Green Tomato Festival on Saturday, August 29, 2026, from 5:00–8:00 PM in historic downtown Irondale, Alabama. Held along 1st Avenue North in front of the iconic Irondale Café, the festival was a family-friendly community event celebrating Southern food, live music, local businesses, and giving back to children in need.
Guests enjoyed a classic Southern meal featuring Irondale Café’s famous fried green tomatoes, chicken tenders, mac and cheese, and more. The evening featured live music headlined by The MudKatz, along with additional local performers, kids’ inflatables and activities, yard games, local business and sponsor booths, raffle prizes, event merchandise, and beer and wine for adults 21 and older.
The Fried Green Tomato Festival was hosted by Heidi’s Kids, an Irondale-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit serving children throughout the greater Birmingham and Jefferson County area. Proceeds from the event supported Heidi’s Kids programs that provide essential resources to children in need, including weekend food through the Blessing Sacks program, clothing, shoes, hygiene products, school supplies, and Emotional Support Resource Rooms located within area schools.
Whether attendees came for the fried green tomatoes, the music, the family fun, or the opportunity to support a great local cause, the Fried Green Tomato Festival brought the community together to help make a difference for local children.
The Fried Green Tomato Festival is more than a community celebration—it is an opportunity to bring people together while supporting local children and families in need.
Heidi’s Kids is an Irondale-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit serving children throughout the greater Birmingham and Jefferson County area. Through partnerships with local schools, businesses, churches, volunteers, and community organizations, Heidi’s Kids provides food, clothing, shoes, hygiene products, school supplies, and other essential resources to children facing hardship.
Throughout the school year, Heidi’s Kids operates Emotional Support Resource Rooms (ESRRs) inside area schools, giving teachers, counselors, and administrators immediate access to resources for students in need. The organization also provides weekend food assistance through its Blessing Sacks program, helping ensure children have food when they leave school for the weekend.
As the holiday season approaches, Heidi’s Kids will also begin preparations for its annual Christmas program, one of the organization’s largest seasonal initiatives. Through the generosity of donors, sponsors, volunteers, and community partners, the program helps provide Christmas gifts and needed items for local children and families who may otherwise go without during the holidays. Opportunities for individuals and businesses to get involved with the 2026 Christmas program will be announced soon.
Proceeds from the Fried Green Tomato Festival help Heidi’s Kids continue these programs and expand its ability to serve children throughout the community.
At Heidi’s Kids, the mission is simple: see the need, meet the need, and be the blessing.
