Ghanafest

Ghanafest

Last Saturday of July

Ghanafest is a one-day, annual event held on the last Saturday of July and sponsored by the Ghana Club of Chicago and other ethnic associations representing Ghanians in the Chicago area. It attracts about 20,000 participants each year to Chicago's Washington Park. The festival celebrates the history and culture of that west African nation and recognizes the special bond of unity between Ghana and the United States.
Begun in 1987 as the Ga-Dangme Homowo Festival of Thanksgiving, Ghanafest acquired its current name in 1990. The festival includes a Ghanian Durbar, or gathering of the royal court. Chiefs, queens, and elders of the traditional council participate in a royal procession, and Ghanian and American officials and guests give speeches. Entertainers from Ghana perform in a variety of musical styles, and marketplace vendors offer wares ranging from textiles, fine art, and jewelry to foods, including fried fish, Jollof-rice, and okro-soup. The occasion is also used to give community appreciation and achievement awards to notable attendees.

CONTACTS:
Ghana National Council of Metropolitan Chicago
4433 N. Ravenswood Ave.
Chicago, IL 60640
773-561-5498; fax: 773-271-0335
www.ghananationalcouncil.org/ghanafest.htm

SOURCES:
AAH-2007, p. 183

Celebration days: Jul 30, 2011; Jul 28, 2012; Jul 27, 2013; Jul 26, 2014; Jul 25, 2015