The Central Ohio Afro Fest takes place Sunday featuring a day of culture, entertainment, and food. It will be held from noon to 6 pm at the Phenix Banquet Center on Noe Bixby Road.
Phenix co-owner and festival organizer Yemi Ogungbadero hopes it brings all communities together and becomes an annual event.
"Our collective mental health has taken a whipping this year from the pandemic and from all the social justice unrest," Phenix co-owner and event organizer Yemi Ogungbadero said. "I feel like I just need the proverbial couch with members of my community to engage in some live performances, to engage in some colorful outfits, to be able to hear rhythms that will spur you and just inject a little bit of joy into what else we need to do. At the end of the day, I hope that everybody will know that the goal here is to create a little bit of space where we can all just interject some joy and know that there are a lot more similarities than differences."
Festival highlights include an African dance troupe that will perform and hold a dance clinic for kids. There will be authentic Nigerian food, along with arts and crafts from local vendors. The five acres of outdoor space allows the event to take place in a safe way during the pandemic according to Ogungbadero.
"We're going to make sure that everyone is socially-distant," Ogungbadero continued. "Masks are required. We will have hand sanitizer. All the vendors that are coming know that they must have hand sanitizer at their table. But I think what we enjoy mostly is the size. We're going to cut off registration at a certain number, because I know a lot of people are still wary of going to events. But if there was ever a safe way to do it, it would be what we've done outdoors because we have a lot of room."
There are a couple spots left for crafters and artists. The event will also partner with the national Gifts of Life Marrow Registry to provide health advice. Central Ohio Afro Fest will be the third outdoor event Phenix has hosted this year. Admission is free, but registration is required.
Attendees can register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/central-ohio-afro-fest-tickets-97622356095
Vendors can register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/vendor-registration-central-ohio-afro-fest-tickets-116803960791
