Detroit’s annual African World Festival is back at Hart Plaza to celebrate the African diaspora

Jamaican reggae-fusion band Third World and American hip-hop lyricist Rapsody are among headliners of the event

Jul 2, 2024 at 3:38 pm

The African World Festival is back from July 13-15. Courtesy photo

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Nearly 20,000 people are expected to gather from July 12-14 at Detroit’s Hart Plaza to celebrate the beauty, strength, and spirit of the African diaspora at the 41st Annual African World Festival.

Presented by The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, the festival will feature Afro-centric performances, vendors, food, clothing, health products, visual arts, live demonstrations, community resources, and more.

This year’s music headliners include internationally-recognized talent such as Jamaican reggae-fusion band Third World, American hip-hop lyricist Rapsody, South African singer Thandiswa Mazwai, and New Orleans funk band Dumpstaphunk.

Other performers include Fyütch, Mokoomba, Larry Lee, Vox Sambou, and Detroit talent Charity, Drey Skonie, Allen Dennard, and the Mosaic Youth Theatre. The TeMaTe Institute for Black Dance and Culture, an organization dedicated to dance justice and cultural equity, will also perform.

While the entire festival is family-friendly, performances by Fyütch, Mosaic Youth Theatre, and TeMaTe are specifically tailored for children.

Members of the Wright Museum receive free admission to the African World Festival. For non-members, tickets are available for purchase now, with daily passes priced at $10-15 and weekend passes at $20-35.

For more information on all featured artists, a schedule of performances, and tickets, see thewright.org/africanworldfestival.

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The 50 best things about Detroit, ranked

9. The artists and muralsDetroit’s creativity is unmatched and the artists and art scene here is underrated. There are murals everywhere you look in Detroit and the city continues to push more and more initiatives to spread art and support local artists even further.

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48. Our vegan and vegetarian sceneWhile it could be better, metro Detroit has a pretty decent list of options for plant-centric food in the area, including Detroit Vegan Soul, Unburger, and Spacecat V-stro, among others. Plus, we’re supposed to get a location of the popular Modern Vegan chain soon too.

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46. It’s right across from CanadaIf you want to take a trip out of the country, you can do it every day in Detroit. Take the Ambassador Bridge or the tunnel across the Detroit River and you’ll be in Windsor, Canada, where you can try different food, visit new parks, and drink at 19 (don’t tell your parents we reminded you). Unlike most other places in the U.S., in Detroit, Canada is actually to the south.

44. Parking is cheap or free In many big cities, parking prices are atrocious. In Detroit though, you can usually often find free parking, or at least pretty cheap parking, even downtown. As long as you’re cool with walking a few blocks, don’t pay drastic amounts to park. If you want a close spot during big events, you usually shouldn’t have to pay any more than $20.

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About The Author

Layla McMurtrie

Layla McMurtrie is the digital editor of Detroit Metro Times. She's passionate about art, music, food, and Detroit's culture and community. Her work has been featured in the Detroit Free Press, Between the Lines, and Metromode, among other Michigan publications.