The Big Table
How We Started
The Big Table started in 2017 with a simple idea: what we've lived shapes what we believe, and what we believe shapes the choices we make.
So: what if you sat down with someone who's lived something different than you? You don't have to erase those differences to connect. You just don’t have to let them make you strangers.
Since our founding, we've hosted eight Big Tables across Louisville, one giant potluck at a time. As Amos Izerimana, Director of the city's Office for Immigrant Affairs, put it: "We're just getting to know each other as Louisvillians, and just having conversation, and breaking bread together."
How We're Organized
There's no stage, no program, no keynote speaker. The magic is in what happens at the table. We set up groups of four tables (eight seats each) around plates of shared food, hand every table a deck of conversation cards, and let the attendees take it from there.
In the words of four-time attendee Khadija Atoufi: 'We have a beautiful game — discussion cards with different questions. They gave us a chance to know a lot from each other.'
Every year, our volunteer planning team reaches out to civic groups and organizations across Louisville, aiming for a gathering that reflects the whole city and includes different neighborhoods, cultures, ages, and backgrounds. It's a space to meet someone new, and to get a small sense of what it's like to walk in their shoes.
Our Successes
Since 2017, The Big Table has grown into one of Louisville's largest community potlucks. Thousands of Louisvillians have pulled up a chair over the years.
One thing we hear every year: people aren't on their phones. They're talking, really listening, laughing, sometimes crying. And somewhere in those two hours, strangers turn into friends. Some tables keep meeting long after the event ends. We even know of one couple who met at our very first Big Table!
But the number we're proudest of isn't attendance. Year after year, attendees tell us the most meaningful parts are exchanging personal stories, seeing the size of the turnout, trying diverse foods, and feeling a warm sense of community.
97% say they'd recommend The Big Table to a friend
81% of guests meet someone with a different background or set of beliefs
50%+ plan to reconnect with folks from their table
Every year, we look forward to growing that circle even wider.
