June 9, 2019 10:00AM-8:00PM Annual Odunde Festival

The annual Odunde Festival, one of the largest celebrations of African cultures in the country, returns to Philadelphia on Sunday, June 9.

“Odunde” comes from the Nigerian traditional celebration of the Yoruba new year and in its 44th year, the Philly festival boasts as many as 500,000 attendees, more than 100 vendors and a full day of live entertainment.

Philadelphia’s Odunde Festival begins with a Yoruba procession and culminates in a booming street fair that takes over 15 city blocks. With live music, street and stage performances, foods from around the world, and much more, the Odunde Festival offers a full day of culture and entertainment.

The Odunde Festival begins at 10 a.m. with a spiritual procession from 23rd and South streets to the Schuylkill River to bring fruit and flower offerings to Oshun, the Yoruba goddess of the river.

The street festival follows, stretching from 20th to 23rd streets on South Street, and along 23rd Street and Grays Ferry Avenue between Lombard and Christian streets.

These blocks transform for the annual event, filled with tented kiosks of African, Caribbean and American cultural wares, food, clothing and art — all for sale.

Live entertainment takes place on two stages located at 24th and South streets and at Catharine Street and Grays Ferry Avenue, and energetic street performances add to the fun as visitors stroll through the festival, which ends at 8 p.m.

Odunde sprawls more than a dozen city blocks and has two performance stages. Pioneering rapper and producer Doug E. Fresh headlines the 2019 festival. He’ll take to the Queen Lois Stage, named after the late Odunde Festival founder Lois Fernandez, at 6:45 p.m.

Acts including African Heritage Dancers and the I AM B.U.M.I. hip-hop dance program play on the Queen Lois Stage at 24th and South streets, while John Graves Productions and the Universal African Dance & Drum Ensemble perform on the I AM B.U.M.I. Stage on Grays Ferry Avenue at Catharine Street throughout the day. Performances begin at 1:30 p.m.

23rd & Lombard streets to Grays Ferry Avenue; 20th to 23rd streets on South Street