Family Style Food Festival

What Family Style Food Festival does

Family Style Food Festival is a live event and food media franchise that produces multi-city food, music, and culture festivals across the United States. Originally founded in 2019 as a single Los Angeles event, the brand was acquired by Complex Networks in May 2024 and has since expanded into a seven-festival global circuit spanning Los Angeles, New York, Miami, New Orleans, Miami Art Basel, and ComplexCon. Its core offering consists of ticketed, single-day (or multi-day at ComplexCon) events held at venues such as LA State Historic Park and Pier 36, combining curated food vendors, live music performances, and celebrity-hosted activations, including partnerships with food influencer Keith Lee as host for the New York and New Orleans editions.

The company operates without proprietary technology infrastructure; its digital presence consists of a website (familystylefest.com), a dedicated YouTube channel (@ComplexFamilyStyle) hosting four original series (Family Style Fortune Cookies, Hyphy Burger, BigXthaPlug & 600 Entertainment taco night content, and others), and social media accounts on Instagram (@familystylefest) and X/Twitter. Ticketing is delivered through the third-party FeverUp platform. Content production relies on Complex Networks' media infrastructure for editorial, distribution, and cross-promotion, making the asset operationally inseparable from its parent company's media capabilities.

Family Style generates revenue through three streams: ticket sales (one-time license, via FeverUp), vendor and exhibitor fees paid by participating food vendors and restaurants, and media/advertising revenue through its YouTube channel and Complex's broader media network. Its customer base is bifurcated between B2C consumers (food and music enthusiasts, primarily urban millennials and Gen Z) and B2B food vendors seeking large-scale audience activation. Marketing combines earned media (LA Times, Eater NY/NOLA, ESSENCE, Oprah Daily, Entrepreneur), organic social, and event-driven promotion. Leadership includes founder Kenny Liu as Founder & Producer; the broader operational team is lean (1-10 employees), with most execution supported by Complex Networks' centralized media operations.

Name

Family Style Food Festival

Website

https://familystylefest.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Family Style Food Festival is a multi-city food, music, and culture festival brand acquired by Complex Networks in May 2024, operating a seven-festival U.S. circuit with a dedicated YouTube channel serving urban millennial and Gen Z food and music enthusiasts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Food & Music Festival Events

NAICS

Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries (711), Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Food, Wine & Beverage Festivals/Expos (MPAGAFAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Food Festivals & Culinary Events (Ticketed Tastings, Pop-ups) (THAJAGAL), Food, Drink & Culinary Community Festivals (Community-Led) (MPAGAEAF)

Keywords

• Food festivals
• Music festivals
• Live events
• Food media
• Cultural events

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Event Ticket Sales: Revenue generated from selling tickets to food and music festival events held in multiple cities globally. Tickets are distributed through third-party ticketing platforms.
2. Media Content: Year-round food media franchise revenue through YouTube channel with original series content. Content is freely accessible but generates engagement and brand value.
3. Vendor/Exhibitor Fees: Food vendors and exhibitors pay to participate in festival events, generating revenue from booth/rental arrangements.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Family Style Food Festival is a multi-city food, music, and culture festival franchise featuring curated culinary experiences from food vendors, live music performances, and celebrity-hosted activations. Since being acquired by Complex Networks in May 2024, it has expanded from a single Los Angeles event into a seven-festival global circuit and operates a year-round YouTube media franchise (@ComplexFamilyStyle) with four original video series. Revenue is generated through ticket sales, vendor/exhibitor booth fees, and media/advertising.

Product overview

Family Style Food Festival operates as a multi-city food, music, and culture festival brand acquired by Complex Networks in May 2024. The offering has expanded from a single Los Angeles event to a seven-festival global circuit (Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Miami Art Basel, ComplexCon, and New Orleans). The core product is the live festival events featuring food vendors, music, and celebrity-hosted activations. Adjacent to the physical events, Family Style includes a YouTube channel featuring original video series, social media presence on Instagram and X/Twitter, and press coverage across major outlets including Los Angeles Times, Eater, ESSENCE, and Entrepreneur.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Family Style: Food, music, and culture festival brand featuring food vendors, music performances, and cultural experiences across multiple US cities.
• Complex Family Style

Products and services

• Family Style Food Festival A multi-city food, music, and culture festival featuring curated culinary experiences from participating vendors, live music performances, and celebrity-hosted activations across Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Miami Art Basel, ComplexCon, and New Orleans.
• Family Style YouTube Channel A dedicated YouTube channel (@ComplexFamilyStyle) featuring original food media content including series such as Family Style Fortune Cookies (with celebrity guests like Chris Hemsworth and Halle Berry), Hyphy Burger, and taco night programming, providing year-round engagement between physical festival events.

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Complex NetworkscoreOthers · 1 May 2024Complex Networks acquired the Family Style food festival brand in May 2024. Under Complex ownership, Family Style has expanded from a single Los Angeles event to a seven-festival global circuit. Complex is transforming Family Style into a year-round food media franchise with a dedicated YouTube channel and four original series.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• NYC Wine & Food Festival: One of the largest ticketed food and beverage festivals in the US, held annually in New York. Directly comparable to Family Style as a multi-vendor, ticketed food festival with culinary talent and brand activations.
• South Beach Wine & Food Festival: Major multi-day food and wine festival in Miami featuring celebrity chefs, tastings, and live entertainment. Comparable to Family Style's Miami events and to its multi-vendor, ticketed format.
• FoodieLand: Multi-city food festival operator running events across California and other US markets. Directly comparable to Family Style as a multi-vendor, family-style food festival circuit.
• Cochon555: Traveling culinary event series focused on heritage breed meats and chef competitions across US cities. Comparable to Family Style's traveling festival format targeting food enthusiasts.
• LA Times Food Bowl: Annual food festival series in Los Angeles produced by the LA Times, featuring tastings, dinners, and culinary events. Comparable to Family Style's LA flagship as a curated, ticketed food event.
• Smorgasburg: Large weekly food market and vendor festival operating in multiple US cities. Comparable to Family Style in its vendor-driven food event format and multi-city footprint.

Broad incumbents

• ComplexCon: Sister property under the same Complex Networks parent, focused on music, fashion, and culture. Comparable as an in-house live event franchise benefiting from shared Complex media infrastructure and audience.
• Eater: National food media brand covering dining and culinary culture with event tie-ins. Comparable to Family Style as a cultural tastemaker in food media that occasionally produces or sponsors live food events.

Emerging players

• Tastemade: Food-focused media brand producing original video content and live culinary experiences. Comparable to Family Style's year-round YouTube franchise and food-culture media positioning.
• Goldbelly: Food e-commerce and content platform connecting consumers with iconic restaurants and chefs nationwide. Comparable to Family Style in its ability to monetize food culture beyond single physical events.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/familystylefest
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@ComplexFamilyStyle
• Instagraminstagram.com/familystylefest
• Facebookfacebook.com/FamilyStyleFestival
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/family-style-food-festival

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Family Style Food Festival