One day festival is a year in the making
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Oshunbumi Fernandez, CEO of the Odunde Festival, says it takes a year to prepare for the festival. The largest African-American street festival in the U.S. takes place June 14. (Image courtesy of Oshunbumi Fernandez)
Philadelphia is a great city for festivals. When the weather turns nice, they seem to just pop up all over. But behind the scenes, it takes a whole lot of planning for that one big day. “It takes me all year long to prepare for it,” explains Bumi Fernandez, CEO of the Odunde Festival.
The largest African-American street festival in the U.S., Odunde will celebrate its 40th anniversary on June 14. Bumi talked about her work week getting ready for the event, and also the Lois and Bumi Mother and Daughter Award. “I’m Bumi, my mother’s name is Lois. We wanted to honor mothers and daughters who are making a positive impact on our community,” she notes.
Oshunbumi Fernandez is shown with her mother, Lois, who founded the Odunde Festival 40 years ago. (Image courtesy of Oshunbumi Fernandez)
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