Elegba Folklore Society

30th Down Home Family Reunion, A Celebration of African American Folklife!
2021-09-12 14:00 - 19:00 (America/New_York) | Kanawha Plaza, S 8th & E Canal St, Richmond, VA, Richmond, VA 23219, United States
30th Down Home Family Reunion, A Celebration of African American Folklife September 12, 2021
Choose to sit in the Gold Circle

Down Home Family Reunion, A Celebration of African American Folklife is a downtown weekend festival that celebrates African American folklife with world music and dance, the Heritage Market, special children’s events, interactive site demonstrations and delicious down home food. It is designed to show aspects of West African cultural traditions that are African American and that have been absorbed by the American South. This is one of the Society’s original programs created in 1990.
30th Annual Down Home Family Reunion Details
2021 Merchandise Vendor Application
2021 Food Vendor Application
2021 Talented Youth Inquiry
30TH DOWN HOME FAMILY REUNION SEEKS TO PRESENT TALENTED YOUTH The festival’s Annie Tyler New School Pavilion is a popular haven for our children. Rev. Tyler loved children and worked lovingly with Elegba Folklore Society to create quality cultural experiences for them until her death. May the good she did last forever. Cultural craft making teaches lessons, games ensure fun and the stage showcases talented youth. Please contact us if you are interested in arranging a performance!
2021 Share Your Community Service
SHARE YOUR COMMUNITY SERVICE AT 30TH DOWN HOME FAMILY REUNION If your community-based organization provides a community service you want people to know about, you may want to tell them from a table in the festival’s Waverly Crawley Community Row. Waverly Crawley was a fixture in Richmond’s Historic Jackson Ward, the festival’s location. He constantly encouraged people to get involved in the community to make it better. He wanted people to know that they could make a difference. Please contact us if you are interested in a table. May the good he did last forever.
2021 Small Business Exhibitors
Small Business Owners! You are invited to the 30th Down Home Family Reunion! This Celebration of African American Folklife will happen on Saturday, September 12, 2021, 4p – 11p in Richmond, Virginia!
Contact Us to Join Us in the SmartMart
• Display and tell your story
• Interact with and distribute materials to festival attendees
• Be highlighted in one prize drawing from the Main Stage!
How You Benefit Fast-track the promotions of your products/services to Richmonders and visitors by distributing product samples and prize drawings. Reinforce your marketing and public relations campaigns by distributing your flyers, discount coupons, business cards, surveys and other promotional materials.
Enhance your product or service image in the Richmond business picture. Be highlighted among your peers and in the community in our covered SmartMart business tent. One table, two chairs and signage will be provided. Demonstrate your commitment to civic/social vitality. Be highlighted in one prize drawing from the Main Stage. This festival connects aspects of West African traditions with those of African Americans through the ambiance of a family gathering. The festival’s location is Abner Clay Park, located downtown in Historic Jackson Ward.
World music and dance headline the Down Home Family Reunion along with site demonstrations and children’s programs. This event couples history with its contemporary significance. With an expected attendance of 13,000 the festival includes a SmartMart with you in mind. Please contact us if you are interested.
CONTACT US

In the Beginning… Virginia, Along the Trail of Enslaved Africans (August)
2021-08-08 12:00 - 17:00 | Elegba Folklore Society’s Cultural Center, 101 E Broad St, Richmond, VA, 23219, United States
Please join Elegba Folklore Society to experience In the Beginning… Virginia, Along the Trail of Enslaved Africans, a cultural history tour. Journey into Richmond’s history to visit sites to hear the stories that live between the pages of history books. Ponder the impact of enslavement on the enslaved as shared in their own words and from their own view. Walk in our ancestors’ footsteps from their arrival point at river’s edge into Shockoe Bottom, the area of Richmond that housed the holding pens, jails, blocks and burial ground. Learn from narratives of enslaved Africans, the historical record and characterizations of the day to immerse yourself in past occurrences that impact our perspectives today.
We will travel by bus and also on foot. Please wear comfortable shoes. Bring a bottle of water. Covid protocols.
This series begins on Saturday, July 10 at noon. Tours occur every second Saturday through November. Tickets are $15 for adults and $7.50 for children under 12.
Questions? story1@efsinc.org or 804.644.3900.

Juneteenth, A Freedom Celebration - 25th Anniversary
2021-06-27 | African Burial Ground, 1500 E. Franklin, Richmond, VA, 23219, United States
Juneteenth, A Freedom Celebration June 27, 2021

Juneteenth, A Freedom Celebration is Virginia’s flagship Juneteenth holiday commemoration. First presented in 1996, it is reflective of Richmond and Virginia’s particular and poignant stories of enslavement and emancipation, and it highlights the resolve and resilience of Africa’s children in America. Richmond is ground zero with regards to the country’s evolution in its racial mores, disparities and hierarchies. Juneteenth 2021, A Freedom Celebration will be a vital part of our community’s reset and healing. Stay tuned for details as we invite you to this 25th Anniversary event where you can engage in performances, healing cyphers, the Get Woke Youth Summit, the Freedom Market, historical perspective and ancestral homage at Richmond’s African Burial Ground. The elders say, “We have to go out the way we came in.” The pathway is being established. Stay tuned for details. Click here to check out an interview regarding Junteenth, A Freedom Celebration on Heritage Radio Network’s “Hot Grease” hosted by Nicole Taylor.
Juneteenth 2021 Details
Purchase Tickets
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Elegba Folklore Society Performing at Henrico’s Juneteenth Celebration
2021-06-19 13:00 - 17:00 | Dorey Park, 2999 Darbytown Rd, Henrico, VA, 23231, United States
Come on out to Dorey Park on Saturday, June 19 for Henrico’s Juneteenth Celebrations, 1p – 5p. Elegba Folklore Society’s performing company takes the stage at 2p

Elegba Folklore Society Dogwood Dell Juneteenth Performance
2021-06-18 | Dogwood Dell, 6000 N. Boulevard, Richmond, 23220, United States
Be in Elegba Folklore Society’s audience when the amphitheatre at Dogwood Dell re-opens on Friday, June 18! Become a part of this epic performance that acknowledges the history of Juneteenth, African American heritage and Virginia’s newest state holiday. Bring the family and bask in cultural richness under the stars.

THE BLACK BOOK EXPO 2021 (SUNDAY)
2021-02-28 15:00 - 18:00 | Elegba Folklore Society’s Cultural Center, 101 E Broad St, Richmond, VA, 23219, United States
Elegba Folklore Society will present the Black Book Expo, Saturday, February 27, 3p – 7p, and Sunday, February 28, 3p – 6p, at the Society’s Cultural Center.

The Black Book Expo will feature a vast display of literature featuring topics including black history, politics, science, health, African Diasporic culture, African spirituality, personal development, novels and children’s books.

The public is invited to meet authors and browse and buy books to complement personal collections. Celebrity guest authors will make presentations and sign their books. Independent writers will also speak. Saturday evening will feature entertainment, and refreshments will be available.

Follow Elegba Folklore Society on Facebook and Instagram for updates and to enjoy pre-event interviews with selected authors and other surprises.

Strict Covid Protocols.

THE BLACK BOOK EXPO 2021 (SATURDAY)
2021-02-27 15:00 - 19:00 | Elegba Folklore Society’s Cultural Center, 101 E Broad St, Richmond, VA, 23219, United States
2020 Black Book Expo — Generics to get the conversation started and get calendars* posted.

Elegba Folklore Society will present the Black Book Expo, Saturday, February 27, 3p – 7p, and Sunday, February 28, 3p – 6p, at the Society’s Cultural Center.

The Black Book Expo will feature a vast display of literature featuring topics including black history, politics, science, health, African Diasporic culture, African spirituality, personal development, novels and children’s books.

The public is invited to meet authors and browse and buy books to complement personal collections. Celebrity guest authors will make presentations and sign their books. Independent writers will also speak. Saturday evening will feature entertainment, and refreshments will be available.

Follow Elegba Folklore Society on Facebook and Instagram for updates and to enjoy pre-event interviews with selected authors and other surprises.

Strict Covid Protocols.

THE BLACK BOOK EXPO: A LITERARY CONVERSATION (LIVE AUTHOR CHATS - PROF. KABA KAMANE)
2021-02-24 19:00 - 20:00 | Facebook Live

THE BLACK BOOK EXPO: A LITERARY CONVERSATION (LIVE AUTHOR CHATS - HER MAJESTY QUEENMOTHER DOWOTI DESIR)
2021-02-23 19:00 - 20:00 | Facebook Live

THE BLACK BOOK EXPO: A LITERARY CONVERSATION (LIVE AUTHOR CHATS - ANTHONY BROWDER)
2021-02-17 19:00 - 20:00 | Facebook Live

THE BLACK BOOK EXPO: A LITERARY CONVERSATION (LIVE AUTHOR CHATS - CHIEF OBAFEMI FAYEMI)
2021-02-16 19:00 - 20:00 | Facebook Live

THE BLACK BOOK EXPO: A LITERARY CONVERSATION (LIVE AUTHOR CHATS - DR. RON CRUTCHER)
2021-02-10 19:00 - 20:00 | Facebook Live

THE BLACK BOOK EXPO: A LITERARY CONVERSATION (LIVE AUTHOR CHATS - MOLEFI KETE ASANTE)
2021-02-09 19:00 - 20:00 | Facebook Live

2020 Capital City Kwanzaa Festival - Imani (Live Stream)
2021-01-01 19:00 - 20:00 | Online Event

2020 Capital City Kwanzaa Festival - Kuumba (Live Stream)
2020-12-31 19:00 - 20:00 | Online Event

2020 Capital City Kwanzaa Festival - Nia (Live Stream)
2020-12-30 19:00 - 20:00 | Online Event

2020 Capital City Kwanzaa Festival - Ujamaa (Live Stream)
2020-12-29 19:00 - 20:00 | Online Event

2020 Capital City Kwanzaa Festival - Ujima (Live Stream)
2020-12-28 19:00 - 20:00 | Online Event

2020 Capital City Kwanzaa Festival - Kujichagulia (Live Stream)
2020-12-27 19:00 - 20:00 | Online Event

2020 Capital City Kwanzaa Festival - Umoja (Live Stream)
2020-12-26 19:00 - 20:00 | Online Event

REAL BLACK FRIDAYS
2020-12-18 11:00 - 20:00, 2020-12-11 11:00 - 20:00, 2020-12-04 11:00 - 20:00 | Elegba Folklore Society’s Cultural Center, 101 E Broad St, Richmond, VA, 23219, United States
Elegba Folklore Society’s Cultural Center is open late, and we invite you to come by to say, “Heyyy!” to choose to shop with us, a black-owned entity, and give the gift of culture this holiday season (and throughout the year). Browse and buy fine art from various places in the Diaspora for your home or office plus prints, memorabilia, artifacts, imports, collectibles, home decor, wearables, books, jewelry, shea & cocoa butters, black soap, oils, incense & more.
‘Tis the season! We’ll have music, and we’ll safely offer refreshments.
Fridays, December 4, 11 & 18. Open ’til 8p.
COVID protocols strictly observed.

Opening the Roads to Our Future (Southside)
2020-10-18 13:00 - 17:00 | Blackwell Community Center, 300 E 15th St,, Richmond, VA, 23224, United States
Join us for “Opening the Roads to Our Future”, a four-part series of self-determination neighborhood events featuring performances, conversations, engagement for children and more.

Opening the Roads to Our Future (East End)
2020-10-17 13:00 - 17:00 | Powhatan Community Center, 5051 Northampton St,, Richmond, VA, 23231, United States

Opening the Roads to Our Future (Northside)
2020-10-09 17:00 - 21:00 | Hotchkiss Community Center, 701 E Brookland Park Blvd,, Richmond, VA, 23222, United States

Chief Oluwo Obafemi Fayemi to Visit Richmond - Day 2
2020-08-12 18:00 - 21:00 | African Burial Ground, 1500 E. Franklin, Richmond, VA, 23219, United States
Our inner reality determines our outer reality. As the global vibration is shifting amid demands for social justice, what powers us to be the change? Be with Elegba Folklore Society as we explore the spiritual path of the Yoruba, Ifa,as a tool for guidance & clarity.
Please contact us if you would like to schedule a personal reading,

Chief Oluwo Obafemi Fayemi to Visit Richmond - Day 1
2020-08-11 18:00 - 21:00 | African Burial Ground, 1500 E. Franklin, Richmond, VA, 23219, United States

Juneteenth 2020, A Freedom Celebration - Live Stream
2020-06-20 17:00 - 20:00 | Facebook Live
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Downloads:

Craft making materials

COVID-19 Update
2020-04-30 | Elegba Folklore Society’s Cultural Center, 101 E Broad St, Richmond, VA, 23219, United States
