VISITPHILLY.COM
Photo: Bill Z. Foster
Many music legends got their start in Philly: Marian Anderson, Patti Labelle, Jill Scott, Meek Mill, Will Smith & DJ Jazzy Jeff, Beanie Sigel, Tierra Whack, and the list goes on. Philly heavily celebrates the Black music scene, and with so much home-grown star power, it’s no wonder that Black Music Month was started here — in Philly, by Philadelphians. This June marks the 45th anniversary of Black Music Month, and on top of showstoppers like The Roots Picnic celebrate this month with events and performances honoring Black musicians and culture, including:
A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie at the Wells Fargo Center: Hailing from the birthplace of hip-hop, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie carries on the Bronx’s legacy well with hits like Drowning, Look Back at It and Swervin. The performer lights up the Wells Fargo Center with his magnetic charisma and catchy hooks late this spring (June 18, 2024).
Corinne Bailey Rae at Parx Casino: Corinne Bailey Rae took soul music by storm in 2006 with her globally beloved and critically acclaimed self-titled debut. This June, join Rae for her Plum Red Lipstick tour celebrating the release of her fourth studio album, Black Rainbows (June 21, 2024).
Janet Jackson at the Wells Fargo Center: Janet (or Ms. Jackson if … you know how it goes) has given us iconic music videos and countless hits over the years. Don’t miss your chance to see the performance veteran take the stage at the Wells Fargo Center this June with special guest Nelly (June 26, 2024).
Juneteenth festival and parade
Photo: Visit Philly.com
Philadelphia Juneteenth Parade & Festival
Sunday, June 16, 2024 | 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Juneteenth marks the anniversary of when the last enslaved people in Texas were informed of their freedom, a date celebrated locally since 2016 at the Philadelphia Juneteenth Parade & Festival. The Philadelphia Juneteenth Parade — beginning at noon — is the largest in the nation with 25,000 attendees, 2,000 participants and over two-dozen floats parading down 1.5 miles of 52nd Street in West Philadelphia. The festival also features the all-day Juneteenth Marketplace & Art in the Park at historic Malcolm X Park with over 250 vendors, an afternoon Juneteenth Youth Pavilion and the family-friendly Juneteenth Music Festival from 3-7 p.m. at 52nd Street and Larchwood Avenue.
Where: Various locations including Malcolm X Park, 5100 Pine Street
Wawa Welcome America
June 19 – July 4, 2024
The 16-day-long Wawa Welcome America festival celebrates America’s founding in the heart of the nation’s birthplace. The event, the largest July Fourth celebration in America, offers two-plus weeks of free and fabulous events across the city, including free admission to museums and attractions (on select days), live musical performances from local and national artists, community-centered events and Juneteenth celebrations, the popular Wawa Hoagie Day and more. It all leads up to Independence Day, when NE-YO and Kesha play a massive free concert on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, followed by a stunning fireworks display over the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Where: Various locations including Benjamin Franklin Parkway & N. 19th Street
NE-YO: Shutterstock
ODUNDE: The nation’s largest Black and African Cultural Fest returns
June 2-9, 2024
An authentic celebration of African culture in Philadelphia…
ODUNDE Festival
— Photo by S. Ramones for Visit Philadelphia
Overview
The ODUNDE Festival is the largest Black and African cultural festival in the country.
The vibrant annual celebration — which runs for a full week in 2024 — culminates in a massive street festival, bringing a genuine taste of Africa to South Street and to one of Philadelphia’s oldest, historically Black neighborhoods.
The street festival takes over a 15-block radius in the Graduate Hospital neighborhood, gathering over 100 vendors and thousands upon thousands of visitors from around the world.
The festival also regularly hosts internationally recognized African and Caribbean performers, VIPs, folk artists and other cultural leaders.
ODUNDE this year showcases a week of events from June 2 to 9, 2024, with the ODUNDE Street Festival set to take place on Sunday, June 9, 2024.
The Experience
Every year, ODUNDE — named after the Yoruba word that means “Happy New Year” — features a week of programs and events culminating with a celebratory street festival, drawing vendors from across Africa, the Caribbean and United States.
— Photo by S. Ramones for Visit Philadelphia
ODUNDE Street Festival
The blockbuster ODUNDE Street Festival fills the streets of Philadelphia’s Graduate Hospital neighborhood with droves of vendors and thousands of festivalgoers on Sunday, June 9, 2024 beginning at noon.
Taking place around a 15-block radius centered at the intersection of 23rd and South streets, the open-air celebration is free to attend, with pay-as-you-go food and refreshments.
The day kicks off at noon with a colorful procession from 23rd & South streets to the Schuylkill River, featuring traditional offerings of fruit and flowers to Oshun, the Yoruba goddess of the river.
The festivities continue with a packed schedule of live music and dance performances taking place on two designated stages.
The food is a huge attraction at the ODUNDE Festival, with a variety of purveyors serving all sorts of African, Caribbean and soul fare.
More than 100 vendors sell handmade crafts, clothing, jewelry and more. Beyond shopping from local vendors, the festival’s African marketplace promises authentic items from Africa, the Caribbean and Brazil.
The day ends with a must-see performance from R&B legends Dru Hill on the main South Street stage.
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