Lowell African Festival showcases music, food, vendors and city leaders

Hundreds of people attended a day-long celebration organized by the African Cultural Association at the city pavilion in Lowell, where live bands, dance troupes, food vendors and community organizations highlighted the city’s African diaspora.

The festival staged musical sets by the African Roots Band and local groups, an award-winning LCCPS (Lowell Community Charter Public School) percussion ensemble, and performances by Afrobeat Dance Boston and Everglades. Ben Opara, one of the event emcees and organizers, said the festival brought vendors, performers and elected officials together in a single public event that “showcases the contributions” of Lowell’s African communities.

The program mixed entertainment with community services and outreach. Multiple food vendors served regional West African dishes (Nigerian, Ghanaian, Sierra Leonean and Liberian items were promoted), and organizers ran a friendly “best jollof rice” contest between vendors. A fashion show featuring locally made designs ran in the afternoon; judges awarded third place to Ruby Lee, second place to Athena and first place to a contestant listed as “B” in the event announcer’s remarks (the transcript did not specify that winner’s full name). For the men’s category the event announced Mandy in second place and an unnamed male contestant described as “the guy with the flag” in first place (name not specified in the transcript).

Public-service and health organizations maintained booths: the Lowell Community Health Center, Samaritan Home Care and a group identified as “Africans for Improved Access” (which operated a van offering confidential services, HIV testing and enrollment assistance) were present. The transcript also records an outreach table for a “Homeless Reform Project” listing an address of 325 Chatham Street, Lowell.

Religious leaders took part in a short prayer and blessing for the event. Bishop Julia Whitworth of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts, joined by Canon Jean Baptiste (Canon for immigration and multicultural ministries), offered remarks and a prayer that invoked solidarity and support for immigrants. In a spoken prayer Bishop Whitworth said: “God of love, God of truth, and God of justice, God of the immigrant, the refugee, the stranger…Bless the people of Lowell.”

Elected officials attended and addressed the crowd. The mayor (identified in the transcript as Mayor Daniel York) and several local elected representatives joined the emcees onstage; the mayor told the crowd: “Welcome to, the great city of Lowell,” and encouraged attendees to visit vendors and support local organizations. State and local officials named onstage included Taylor Hong (state representative for the 18th District, as stated on the mic), Vanna Howard (state representative), and several city councilors and school committee members who were introduced by the emcees.

The festival closed with a parade of national flags representing many African countries, final remarks from organizers and an announcement of an after‑party at Sahil on Central Street. Organizers told attendees to support vendors during the final half hour and said the festival would return next year.

The transcript records multiple performances, vendor interviews and emcee announcements; it does not provide precise attendance figures, a formal budget or a complete, verifiable list of awards with full names for some winners. Where the transcript omitted a full name (for example, some fashion-show winners), this article notes that omission rather than supplying an unverified identity.

Ending: Organizers and performers thanked volunteers and city partners and asked attendees to support vendors and community groups as the festival wrapped for the day.