JULY 9, 2025 (MOBILE, AL) – Clotilda: The Exhibition at the Africatown Heritage House will host Culture Fest 2025 for a day of jubilant celebration, meaningful reflection, and community. As we open a lens to the African American experience and celebrate the legacy of Africatown, we will present an array of engaging activities, enriching experiences, and soul-stirring entertainment that provides a taste of black culture for all to enjoy.

The event will be held Saturday, July 26^th from 1:00 – 5:00pm at Africatown Heritage House, 2465 Winbush Street, the Mobile County Training School, and the Robert Hope Community Center. Entertainment will include African drumming; speakers; band performances; African folktales; vendors; food trucks; activities for children, such as face painting and African crafts; swing out and line dance classes; a live community artwork project; free cool pops; and free school supplies for students.

“Culture Fest is an opportunity to honor Mobile’s unique Black culture,” said Jessica Fairley, Manager at Africatown Heritage House. “From African storytelling to musical performances, this year’s entertainment lineup, activities and vendors are an appetizing sample of what Mobile’s African American community represents.”

“I am ecstatic to be able to host this event that brings so many community partners to one place in Africatown,” said Jon Sexton, Director of the History Museum of Mobile, which operates Clotilda: The Exhibition at Africatown Heritage House. “Last year, we had an amazing turnout. The exhibition is already a moving, immersive experience, and we welcome the dozens of vendors participating. We are also honored to partner with the Mobile Museum of Art who will host children’s activities and made possible a temporary art installation in Africatown Heritage House. If you haven’t been back to Africatown Heritage House in a while, Culture Fest is a great time to do so!”

The entertainment lineup is as follows:

Africatown Heritage House

1:00 – 4:00pm | Free Self-Guided Tours and Clotilda Descendant Docent Exchange

Mobile County Training School Gym

1:00 – 2:00pm | Mobile Beat of the Bay Steppers Swing Out Dance Class

2:15 – 3:15pm | Studio 54 Line Dance Power Hour

Robert Hope Community Center

1:00 – 4:00pm | Ongoing Activities: March Quilts Africatown Quilting Project, Children’s Activities by MMA, Vendors and Artwork

RHC Entertainment Program

1:00pm | Welcome: Inspiration Behind Culture Fest – Jessica Fairley

1:05pm | Mistress of Ceremony – Kim Pettway

1:10 – 1:30pm | Libation Ceremony by African Storyteller Deborah Ferguson

1:30 – 1:40pm | Speech on the Founding of Africatown by Joycelyn Davis

1:40-2:10pm | MAAD Drummers led by Wayne Curtis

2:10 -2:30pm | Artist Speech: Without Stopping – Juan Logan

2:30 – 2:40pm | Artist Speech: VUZUMAZULU by Abaddon “Apollo” Ben Yakongo

2:40 – 2:50pm | Poetry by Cristal Locke

2:50-3:10pm | Magnolia Breeze Youth Ensemble Performance

3:10 – 3:30pm | Mobile Swingout History and Tutorial by Kenneth Knobles

3:30-4:00pm | Studio 54 Line Dance Tutorial

4:00- 5:00pm | Eklektik Band Performance

Admission for Culture Fest 2025 and to view Clotilda: The Exhibition at Africatown Heritage House is free and all ages are welcome. Questions: Jessica Fairley – 251-206-5268. More information can be found at Clotilda.com.

HISTORY MUSEUM OF MOBILE: The History Museum of Mobile is where Mobile’s story begins. Over 118,000 objects weave together the rich, diverse, and often turbulent histories of Mobile and the surrounding area, from the prehistoric past to the present. Located in the heart of downtown, the History Museum of Mobile operates four campuses: The primary exhibitions are located in the Old City Hall-Southern Market building at 111 South Royal Street; Colonial Fort Condé is at 150 South Royal Street; Africatown Heritage House is at 2465 Winbush Street; and the Phoenix Fire Museum is at 203 South Claiborne Street. For more information, please visit: https://link.edgepilot.com/s/f218de47/CtTqoI2HSEOHcEtg0Sb8ug?u=http://www.historymuseumofmobile.com/.