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If you plan to pass by or stop in the Historic West End this weekend, you can expect it to be more lively than usual as the festival ‘A Vibe Called Fresh’ returns to the area. The festival aims to provide a platform for artists to showcase their work and spotlight Black culture.
The festival will feature musical performances, including from DJ Fannie Mae. Mae leads a local choir known as the Sainted Trap Choir, who mix soul, trap, and hip-hop music. The annual festival that started in 2017 will also feature work from about 10 Black artists.
Winston Robinson is behind the festival.
“Black culture is the foundation of what America is,” Robinson said. "So, it’s important that we acknowledge practices, habits, and rituals, things we do.”
The festival will also feature representatives from Dream Key Partners to provide resources about homeownership. The festival will also include a range of food vendors and activities for children that include free skating.
Winston says part of the reason behind the festival that takes place in a mostly Black community in the West End near the HBCU Johnson C. Smith University is to help provide a space for Black people to embrace their culture, including how they sound and appear.
"While you're Black, you're constantly inundated with thoughts," Robinson said. "You're always in your head, and spaces to frolic, spaces to experience joy just to relieve some of that angst, some of that pressure; it's important to sustain just a healthy life."
The free festival takes place on Saturday at 1600 W Trade Street from 1 to 7 p.m.
