Afro Beat Fest

Afro Beat Fest is an annual family-oriented festival in Newark, New Jersey celebrating African culture and communities including music, art, fashion, dance, crafts and cuisine.[1][2]

Afro Beat Fest
GenrePan-African culture, West African culture, Afrobeat, Afrobeats
Date(s)Mid-July
FrequencyAnnual
VenueMilitary Park
Location(s)Newark, New Jersey
Founded1988 (as Africa Newark Street Festival); 2017 (as Afro Beat Fest
FoundersMaxwell Kofi Jumah, Barbara King
ParticipantsFamilies, musicians, dancers, artists, designers, food vendors, crafts vendors
Websitehttps://afrobeatfestnewark.com
Senegalese yassa poulet, a tangy-spicy dish enjoyed throughout the West African region, made with Dijon mustard, onions, lemon juice, olives and Scotch bonnet peppers

The inaugural Afro Beat Fest was held in Military Park in Downtown Newark in July 2017. Afro Beat Fest is a reboot of an older festival that had begun in the 1980s called "Africa Newark." That incarnation ended in 2006 after it lost city support.[3]

Mayor Ras Baraka commented that he and colleagues recalled the original festival warmly from childhood visits to the event and noted that the city worked with local organizers to revive it.[4]

Grammy-nominated French duo Les Nubians, English-born Nigerian singer/songwriter Ayo Jay, and Ghanaian singer Bisa Kdei have all performed at the festival.

References
  1. Photos of Newark's Afro Beat Fest: A family-friendly celebration of African culture http://www.nj.com/essex/index.ssf/2017/07/photos_newarks_afro_beat_fest.html
  2. "Newark Free Event: Afro Beat Fest In Military Park Will Be Family-Friendly". Newark, NJ Patch. July 11, 2017.
  3. http://www.essexcountypolitics.com/newark_firm_owned_by_linda_jumah_received_65_000_from_baraka_campaign
  4. "PHOTOS: Newark's Afro Beat Fest brings history, culture". 16 July 2017.


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