The City of Riceboro will hold its 18th annual RiceFest celebration, honoring the area’s Gullah Geechee heritage, beginning tonight and running through Sunday.

The festival will include three days of events to highlight the food, music, and culture of the Gullah Geechee people, descendants of West and Central Africans enslaved and brought to the lower Atlantic coast to work on coastal rice, Sea Island cotton, and indigo plantations. Today, much of the culture still thrives in this coastal Georgia community, named for its historic roots in rice culture and its status as the oldest existing city in Liberty County.

The homecoming dance will be held tonight from 7-11 p.m. at the Riceboro Youth Center. The cost is $40 per person and includes a catered meal and entertainment from the NuVyb Band.

For tickets and more information, visit, cityofriceboro.org/official-government-website-rice-fest

The main festival begins Saturday at 9 a.m. with a parade. There will be more than 60 vendors, including a Gullah Geechee culture row, plus a live DJ and bands on the main stage. There also will be a rice cook-off contest. The Gullah Geechee Ring Shouters will perform at 12 noon.

The event concludes with the GospelFest on Sunday from 6-9 p.m. at the Riceboro Youth Center. Performers include the Jubilee Community GospelFest Choir at 6:30 p.m. and Dr. Dorinda Clark Cole at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets are $40 in advance and $45 at the door and are available at https://www.cityofriceboro.org/official-government-website-rice-fest