[‘On The Phone w/ Phyllis’ VidCast] Grady Bussey: African American Cultural Fest Year 10

Raleigh, NC – The African American Cultural Festival of Raleigh and Wake County will take over Fayetteville Street’s City Plaza, downtown Raleigh, for the 10th time August 31st – Sept. 1st. Celebrating 10 years, the festival is an annual celebration of African American culture as expressed through art, music, food, and community.

Over the past nine Labor Day weekends, the two-day festival has connected diverse people and families from across our region with local, national, and international artists, performers, food vendors, area business owners, and our local media outlets. The festival has become Raleigh’s premiere destination for teaching, sharing, and celebrating the distinctive folk and cultural traditions of African Americans here in North Carolina and from around the world.

I had a chance to talk with the African American Cultural Festival of Raleigh and Wake County Board Chair, Grady Bussey, and hear all about the history of the festival, what to expect this year in the VidCast “On The Phone With Phyllis” Part 1. In Part 2 of the “On The Phone With Phyllis” Bussey tells us about the fabulous entertainment slated for year 10 and how the decision on what acts to book was made. Watch/listen now!

Part 1: History and special attractions for this year’s event

 

Part 2: Performers at the 10th year celebration

 

Local artists and artisans join nationally-known artists in The Art Gallery Walk, with tents displaying original works on canvas, handcrafted jewelry, mixed media, leatherwork, dolls, photography, sculptures, and ceramics. As you stroll along the street you will be inspired by the artistry exhibited, and you will marvel at the variety of outstanding work on display. We encourage you to meet the artists, learn about their techniques, and purchase an original creation to enjoy for years to come.

Each year, the Vendor Marketplace is a crowd favorite: both sides of Fayetteville Street are lined with tents displaying a wonderfully rich variety of products sold by individual market vendors. Browse the wide range of clothing, accessories, jewelry, books, baskets, natural skincare products, home décor, and services featured in our Vendor Marketplace. The African American community has a long history of entrepreneurship; come support new and frequent AACF small business owners and see what they have to offer this year.

The African American Cultural Festival Family Village is a great place for festival-goers of all ages to have a fun, educational, hands-on experience. The interactive and engaging performances have included storytellers, dance troupes, drum circles, puppeteers, fitness demonstrations, choirs, and much more. Always a popular destination is the Make-and-Take tent where fun and one-of-a-kind crafts are created by people of all ages. African American authors, publishers, and illustrators, sharing their stories are featured in the Story Tent. Family Village is a great place for the whole family to learn about African American culture and history.

Festival visitors are treated to a variety of tasty treats; there’s something for everyone. Whether you’re hungry for something fresh, grilled, steamed, smoked, veggie, tossed, baked, fried, fruity, or frozen, our fabulous food vendors will have it covered.

The Main Stage schedule:

Saturday, August 31, 2019

11:00 am: Opening Ceremony and Elders Procession

12:00 pm: DJ B Vick

2:00 pm: Centricity

3:45 pm: The Monterio Experience

5:00 pm: African American Cultural Festival Student Art Competition Awards                                                          The Debbie Crawford Creative Entrepreneur Award

5:45 pm: Jus Once

7:00 pm: DJ House

8:00 pm: The HamilTones

Sunday, September 1, 2019

1:00 pm: Kimberly Michelle

2:45 pm: Project 919 Band

4:00 pm: NiiTo

5:15 pm: Marcus Anderson

6:30 pm: Battle of the Decades Featuring:                                                                                                                      DJ Skillz                                                                                                                                                              DJ Kool                                                                                                                                                                Special Ed

8:00 pm: The Purple Madness Prince Tribute Band

All performances are free and open to the public.

Festival History

The festival program plan was developed under the guidance of the African American Cultural Festival Governing Board, whose members were appointed by the Wake County Board of Commissioners and Raleigh City Council in August 2008. Both elected bodies charged the Governing Board with creating a major festival that would become an outstanding tourist destination event. Artsplosure, the organization responsible for many Triangle arts events including the annual Spring Arts Festival, and First Night Raleigh on New Year’s Eve was contracted to provide planning, organizational, and financial expertise, among other essential services in 2009.

The inaugural festival was held on September 4th and 5th, 2010 and exceeded expectations, with more than 15,000 in attendance. During 2010 the AACF secured its own 501(c)(3) nonprofit status. In 2013, the fiscal agent partnership with Artsplosure was discontinued, and the Governing Board of Directors assumed the sole responsibility of the planning, managing, and operating the festival. The 2018 Labor Day event brought more than 38,000 people downtown and featured more than seventy juried artists and merchandise vendors, a vibrant African Marketplace, the Family Village with crafts and entertainment geared toward children and families, as well as local and national musical acts on the Main Stage on City Plaza. The festival continues to grow, and each year, the Governing Board and festival staff work toward the goal of bringing an engaging, lively, and educational festival to the heart of downtown Raleigh. http://www.aacfestival.org/