Odunde Festival
Odunde Festival celebrated in Southwest Center City in Philadelphia
Observed by	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Type	Cultural, commercial
Date	Second Sunday in June
2021 date	June 13  (2021-06-13)
2022 date	June 12  (2022-06-12)
2023 date	June 11  (2023-06-11)
2024 date	June 9  (2024-06-09)
Frequency	annual

The Odunde Festival is a one-day festival and mostly a street market catered to African-American interests and the African diaspora. It is derived from the tradition of the Yoruba people of Nigeria in celebration of the new year. It is centered at the intersection of Grays Ferry Avenue and South Street in the U.S. city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Ruth Arthur and Lois Fernandez were co-founders of Odunde festival. Ruth died at age 64 in 1997. Lois died at age 81 in 2017.

History

The Odunde festival started in Philadelphia in 1975. Lois Fernandez established the festival with $100 from neighborhood donations.^[1] The celebration is now the largest African celebration on the east coast of the United States. It is held in the month of June. The festival brings in Africans from all parts of the world, including Africa, Brazil, and other places around the United States.^[2] According to WXPN, "... beginning with an all-inclusive spiritual procession to the Schuylkill River, the festival carries on from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., filling the day with vibrant traditional clothing, African food, and art and craft vendors from around the world."^[3]

There was no festival in 2020.

Odunde Festival 2013 on Grays Ferry Avenue