It’s been 50 years since Odunde Festival started with $100 and the support of South Philly neighbors
What was a two-block event has now expanded into being a 15-blocks-wide cultural ritual showcasing live music, dance, art, and food from across the African diaspora.
For half a century, the high-spirited chants and thumping drums of the Odunde Festival have echoed from South Philly to the banks of Schuylkill in grand style.
Many have marched from the 23rd and South Street block bearing fruits, flowers, and other gifts to the river to honor African history and tradition.
But before it became the nation’s largest African street festival, Odunde was a one-block gathering that attempted to meld distant, but interconnected cultures together for a day of love, joy, and West African rituals. And it’s a celebration that has lasted the test of time.
“Many festivals have come and gone, but we’re still here,” current Odunde CEO Bumi Fernandez-West said. “It feels unbelievable that we have lasted so long. I’m so thankful.”
Odunde was conjured by Philly social worker Lois Fernandez after making a pilgrimage to Nigeria in 1972. The Yoruba people introduced her to the Oshun Festival in the city of Oshogbo, which was a gathering organized by the Yoruba people in honor of Oshun, the goddess of rivers, fertility, and love.
Thoroughly inspired, she decided to organize an event that paid homage to Black history, dance, and tradition in her hometown.
In 1975, Fernandez and her friend Ruth Arthur organized the first Odunde Festival inside Madison Square, an intimate, two-block location inside Fitler Square.
With $100 and support from a group of South Philly neighbors, the two friends recruited Yoruba priest Obailumi Ogunsey, as an officiant, and choreographer Arthur L. Hall’s African dance ensemble for what was then-called the “Oshun Festival.” In 1976, it was changed to Odunde, which translates to “Happy New Year” in the Yoruba language.
Fifty years later, the one-block community gathering has bloomed into a week-long international celebration, drawing hundreds of performers, food vendors, handmade jewelers, African textile artists, and up to 500,000 attendees.
“My mother never thought Odunde would grow to this magnitude,” said Fernandez-West, who has been leading Odunde since 1996. “When people look at Odunde, I think it’s key to understand what it looks like when you believe in yourself, and when you put all your faith in God.”
The free, open-to-the-public event contributes an estimated $28 million to the City of Philadelphia, according to the Odunde website. And despite past financial constraints and a two-year hiatus amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Fernandez-West said the festival and the legacy of her late mother continue to live on through the annual rituals and the support of its home city.
“I like to say Odunde is the little engine that could,” Fernandez-West said. “Other festivals have received tons of funding. I remember when my mother was running it, and the city would give her $1,000 or $2,000.”
In commemorating the 50th anniversary, the annual festival will conclude on Sunday with a full day of live music, dance, art, and food. This year’s event will also be headlined by hip-hop pioneers Rakim and Doug E. Fresh, who will take the 23rd Street stage between 5:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Sunday.
Fernandez-West has recruited another contributor to the family legacy. The long-running CEO is hosting the festival alongside her 20-year-old son Adeniyi Ogundana.
“I’m honored my son wants to do this. This is three generations of leadership,” Fernandez-West said. “I’ve been running Odunde for 29 years, and it’s a lot of work. But the fact that he wants to keep his grandmother’s legacy alive is special.”
Ogundana, who was recently named COO of the festival, said he’s excited to put his imprint on Odunde and to continue honoring his family’s legacy by expanding the festival’s outreach.
Along with building out Odunde Sports, which Ogundana hopes will bring added attention to youth soccer ahead of the 2026 World Cup, his dream is for Odunde chants to be heard in countries throughout the world.
“I’m excited to show the next generation that we’re not going anywhere. [Odunde] is here to stay,” he said. “And like my mom, I want to do Odunde on every continent, and continue to carry the torch.”
Odunde Festival. June 8, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. odundefestival.org.