38th Annual Odunde Festival, An African-American Celebration along the Schuylkill River

Join Odunde, Inc for the 38th Annual Odunde Festival, Odunde is one of the longest-running and largest African-American festivals in the country and attracts up to 500,000 people annually.

The annual Odunde Street Festival, held every second Sunday in June, brings a genuine taste of Africa to South Street and one of Philadelphia’s oldest, historically African-American neighborhoods.

The festival begins with a procession to the Schuylkill River, where prayers are offered and blessings bestowed. The procession then returns to 23rd and South Streets for the start of the street festival. Odunde is also known for its authentic African marketplace featuring vendors from throughout the world from African nations, the Carribean, and Brazil.

Odunde is the creation of its South Philadelphia founder, Lois Fernandez, who launched the festival after visiting similar celebrations in Africa. The concept originates from the Yoruba people of Nigeria, West Africa, and celebrates the coming of another year for African-Americans and Africanized people around the world.

Odunde, Inc. is an educational and cultural organization that sponsors year-round programs featuring the African Diaspora as well as the annual Odunde Festival. Traditionally, the festival draws 22 percent of its visitors from outside the Philadelphia region.