AfroBeat Fest, a celebration of the art, food, fashion, music, and culture of the African diaspora, will be held Saturday, July 12, starting at 10 a.m. in Newark’s Military Park.
The free festival is one of the most important events on the Newark festival calendar and is the largest celebration of its kind in the state, drawing more than 10,000 attendees and 300 vendors from Newark and beyond. Founded in 2017, the one-day event occurs on the second Saturday of July each year. It is a member of the Festivals United Newark (FUN).
AfroBeat Fest, a year in the making, was inspired by Ghana’s vibrant markets and the culture of the Ashanti people. The event has a vendor’s market, children’s village, community pavilion, and live performances.
Among the highlights for this year’s event are:
- Live performances by the Zawadi Dance Troupe
- Interactive drumming classes for all ages
- Local vendors offering handmade goods and cultural treasures
- And the return of fan-favorite Afro Taco, the West African food truck blending Ghanaian and Mexican flavors
“The reputation of the event precedes itself,” said Linda Baraka, co-founder of the event, and wife of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka. “People come from all over to attend AfroBeat. Newark is one of the most diverse cities in the country,” said Baraka, who added that the event is “close to the Ironbound and near our Latin friends.”
Baraka emphasized that Military Park was well-located for those planning to use mass transit to the event. The park, designed by Central Park planner Frederick Law Olmstead and the site of Thomas Edison’s first use of electric lights in a public space, is about a half-mile from an NJ Transit station. The NJ Transit Newark light Rail Line also stops at Military Park
Festivals such as AfroBeat have become important events in the urban experience. These events have increased local business revenue, boosted tourism, strengthened community bonds, promoted cultural exchanges, improved neighborhood vibrancy, and increased property values.
A 2008 article published in “Geography Compass,” an online geography journal publishing peer-reviewed surveys, reinforced the notion that festivals were “important urban phenomena.” Another piece written in the same publication in 2020 by Rebecca Frankel and Louise Platt said “festivals are used in various policy fields; particularly in urban regeneration, place marketing, and in efforts to achieve community cohesion.”
Anthony Smith, executive director at Lincoln Park Coast Cultural District based in Newark, emphasized the economic impact of the event and retaining dollars within the city. “People get to experience the City of Newark,” he said. Smith stressed the importance of the partnership of the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, corporate support, and the community in making the event a success.
This will be the fifth time the event has been held. After its founding in 2017, the event went on hiatus because of the pandemic, which slowed momentum that the event had built.
“The festival was a safe space, a place where people could express themselves,” said Baraka. “We’re happy to be back, able to bring the energy, and support the local vendors.”
Baraka added that event planners want people to stay around once the festival is over for what she called “the after party” and encourage them to frequent local vendors. “We don’t want to put up any hindrances to people” coming to the event, said Baraka. “It’s intergenerational with music from all genres – R&B, soul, Caribbean, hip-hop, gospel, everything.”
Baraka also said the event presents opportunities for families to plan family reunions, as well as getting in touch with their ancestry, with African Americans taking trips to Senegal and Ghana to understand the diaspora, and residents of those countries coming to Newark for the American experience.
Funded through a $1.5 million grant awarded to the Newark Alliance from the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, Festivals United Newark (FUN) is a partnership of festival and event organizers in the City of Newark. For the first time, Newark’s major festival planners have come together to form a coalition of the city’s most important cultural events. Collectively, the festivals have brought in $4 million to the city’s economy.
FUN members include AfroBeat Fest, Halsey Fest, Lincoln Park Music Festival, Newark Arts Festival, Newark Pride, and Newark Winter Village. They are in partnership with the Newark City Parks Foundation.
