May 24, 2024
@odundefestival/Facebook
The Odunde Festival, considered the largest African American street festival in the country, takes place Sunday, June 9. It features bands, ballerinas, drummers and dancers specializing in West African choreography.
A long-running celebration of African culture is returning for its 49th year with food, art, dancers — and a '90s R&B juggernaut.
Dru Hill, the hit-making group led by Sisqó, is headlining the 2024 Odunde Festival. The event, held in Philadelphia since 1975, is considered the largest African American street festival in the country.
While the "How Deep Is Your Love" crooners will perform at 7 p.m. Sunday, June 9, the festival begins at 10 a.m. Vendors will be spread across 15 city blocks, taking over South Street between 19th and 24th streets and Grays Ferry Avenue between Kater and Christian streets. (The fest also will extend slightly beyond 22nd and 23rd streets.) At two stages, bands, ballerinas, drummers and dancers specializing in West African choreography will entertain the crowds. Attendees will also find vendors selling goods from African nations, Brazil and the Caribbean.
In the week prior to the main event, the festival organizers will host several dance parties and panels on buying real estate or doing business in Africa. Also, anyone can claim a free breakfast sandwich and coffee on Thursday, June 6 from 8-10 a.m. at Toast Cafe in West Philly as part of Lois's Lunches, a small business initiative named in honor of the festival's founder Lois Fernandez.
Sunday, June 9
10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
South Street between 19th and 24th streets
Grays Ferry Avenue between Kater and Christian streets
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