13th Annual African Village Arts Festival
Volunteers, Vendors and Food Trucks are encouraged to participate!
check the vendors form here
The Urban Cultural Arts Foundation is getting ready for its 13th Annual African Village Arts Festival in August 2021 on Bryden Road, African Village/ Near East Side of Columbus. This year’s Festival is a Salute to Babalu in Yoruba traditions – two days of unique fun-filled and family-friendly events.
Admission is FREE. Free street parking!
- On Saturday, August 21st the Festival – in Partnership with the Central Community House – will be held at 1251 Bryden Road (between the English House and the Kwanzaa Playground) from 11am to 7pm presenting
- African and African-American entertainment and ceremonies
- Yoruba ceremony led by Priest Yvetta
- Vibrating live performances like the drum circle, dancers, poets, singers, music bands
- Marketplace with great food, art and entertainment
- Artist Studio offering visual art demonstrations and hands-on craft making workshops for all age groups
- Visitors at the festival can also participate in creating a community mural painting (led by Queen Brooks) that will be displayed publicly later at the William H. Thomas Art Gallery’s sculpture garden
- Youth Open MIc
SATURDAY’S ENTERTAINMENT
Community Drum – Baba Jubal (Facilitator), Line Dancing Team , Transit Arts – Band and Hip Hop Dance , D.M.B Lyn – Performer, Singer, Keyboard, Saxophone, Ancestral Gathering – Priest Yvetta, Urban Strings, Mamady Mansare – Songs Dance, Drums and Storytelling from Guinea, Ken Leslie – Big Boppers and Marvin Gaye Motown Tribute Band
SUNDAY’S ART EXHIBITION (August 22, 2021)
Art Exhibition Opening Reception Sunday, August 22, 2021 – 4 to 7pm
“RESILIENCE”
CURATED BY: Lyn Grimes
FEATURING: April Cook, Sudie Said, Lawrence Lemon & Shellee Fisher
along with
“TASTE OF TANZANIA”
Teaching Art Institute
Kim Poole & AdeOlomo
The African Village Arts Festival is sponsored in parts by the GREATER COLUMBUS ARTS COUNCIL
and by he Central Community House.
12th Annual African Village Arts Festival
A Salute to Aganju
Saturday, August 18th, 2018, 11 am to 7 pm next to 1251 Bryden Rd across the Gallery
Entertainment, Yoruba Traditions, Music, Poetry, Dance, Art Experiences, Vendors, Family Fun, Food, Community Mural Painting lead by Queen Brooks
Our unique weekend long event has grown over the years as a village-type and family-friendly festival.
The motive of our festival poster was designed by Ken Leslie Obasi…. THANK YOU!
We say THANK YOU for the support to Ohio Alliance for Arts Education
A New Tradition
The AFRICAN VILLAGE ARTS FESTIVAL is held each year the third Saturday in August and provides a space for artists and art lovers of every age and background to come together, create and generally enjoy the spirit of a fun, inclusive, well-organized community arts festival. 
Meeting at the festival…
The Festival’s name gives honor to those who established or still maintain families, homes and businesses in Olde Towne East, a historic area famed for being one of the city’s first neighborhoods. The name is also meant to represent the sense of community, or village, the diverse artists and neighbors have extended to the William H. Thomas Art Gallery for more than 30 years. Each year one of Columbus’ finest artists designs the Festival artwork.
COOOOOOOOOL: face painting
Watching the performances, listening the poetry and music (here Ken Leslie and THE AST BOPPERS on stage), dancing and singing and druming together
Dancing Group at the AVAF 2009 
Artists and visitors are creating art at the STUDIO LIVE workshops Bintu Onaly from Nigeria and Baba Jubal from Cleveland creating colorful tshirts with the festival visitors 
…
and that what it needs to be our African Village Arts Festival: Youruba Ceremonies
Examples of our community designed drawings for our festival posters
Our first AVAF in 2007
and Aminah B. L. Robinson did the drawing for our poster
In 2008 Benjamin Crumpler did donate a drawing for the AVAF poster
2009 Queen Brooke did design the motive for our festival
2010 Larry Winston Collins did create the motive
Poster 2011 MoJo did the design
Here is the Poster of the 6th Annual African Village Arts Festival in 2012 – Pheoris West did donate the motive 
with the following link you might check on the AVAF booklet 2013
http://www.galleryinthehood.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/UCAF-AVAF-booklet-from-2013.pdf
Solar Energy at African Village Arts Festival …
…as well as Story Telling 
on the stage at African Village Arts Festival 2013 (this photo by KOYO, all other photos on this website by Sabine Lampe) We say THANK YOU to all our volunteers, board members, visitors, friends, and sponsors!