2016 & 2017 Leimert Park Festival is CANCELLED!!!

The Leimert Park Village African Art & Music Festival was CANCELLED in 2016 because James Burks, a career employee that works for Cultural Affairs and is the person that approves/denies applications for events in Leimert Park Village, took our event dates, that we've had since 2009 in an effort to relaunch his African Marketplace.
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However, the event he staged, in 2016, was a huge flop because only a handful of people showed up.  Therefore, he cancelled the third day and had to return money to vendors that paid for a 3-day event.  Then, in 2017, James Burks gave our dates to another group, even though their application was submitted after ours.  That group also only drew a few hundred people each day, even though they were using our name illegally, stole images from our website and plagiarized our content.
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Please beware that ANY events in Leimert Park Village Labor Day Weekend are NOT associated in any way with The Leimert Park Village African Art & Music Festival.  If you attended the REAL Leimert Park Village African Art & Music Festival between 2009-2015, you know what a huge and quality event it was with superb entertainment, activities for kids, teens & adults, Fortune 500 sponsors and over 50 amazing vendors from all around the world.
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Although we took action immediately and filed formal complaints in 2016 & with the Department of Cultural Affairs, LA City Council Chairman Herb Wesson's office and The Leimert Park Village Task Force, and again in 2017 with those same entities plus Mayor Eric Garcetti;s office, NOTHING was done and to add insult to injury two of those offices NEVER responded to phone calls or emails.
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 We are looking for a new venue for 2018. 

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Want major visibility for your business?

Reach your target audience with a beautiful banner ad on our NEW mega stage where over 60 musicians and performers will present non-stop live entertainment from 10am-7pm for three days!  Exclusive advertising opportunities available.  Click on "Read More" then click on photo to enlarge. Please email lvpfest (at) gmail.com for details.  Available options include:

1. Top banner: 36'-10" x 3'-8"
2. Each side banner: 6' x 16'
3. Center banner: 23'-6" x 12'-8"
4. Bottom banner: 36'-10" x 3.5' or can be divided into 6 custom sizes.

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LA's Best Food Vendors Ready to Serve You!

Start exercising now so you can splurge at the Festival w/o feeling guilty.  We searched high and low for the best of the best that will be able to satisfy the most demanding palettes and tastes.  This year foodies will enjoy sumptuous, savory, sweet and satisfying offerings from  Dulan's Soul Food, Carolina BBQ (ribs and chicken), Pearson's Seafood (fish, shrimp, fried chicken), Gumbo in the Hood (a vegan gumbo), Sweet Beginnings (artisanal, freshly prepared & made-from-scratch sweet and savory organic desserts, breads and small bites), Kettle Corn and Stuff (gourmet kettle corn in several custom flavors), Sno Biz (snow cones), and Mexican ice cream made with fresh fruit and spices.  And, a few more food vendors will be added.

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Ramona Stephens returns as Festival M.C. for the 4th year!

We are over joyed to have comedienne Ramona Stephens host our 3-day festival for the 4th consecutive year.  From the moment she first stepped onto our stage in 2011, she captured the hearts and soul of the audience with her quick wit and keen insights that has everyone laughing out loud nearly to the point of tears.  Drawing from a deep well of talent, Ramona is able to effortlessly entertain and enchant the audience at the same time.  Like the major comedic talents of the past and present, she is able think faster than the speed of light to move from weaving a well-crafted story to capture the moment that is right front of her.  So if you're anywhere within her gaze, please don't act up unless you to be included in her monologue.  Fair warning: All's fair in love and comedy!

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Artist Line-up

The Festival's 2015 partial music entertainment roster is being released today on our beautiful promotional cards that will be distributed throughout LA County over the next six weeks.  The diverse line-up includes artists that will be performing live jazz, blues, reggae, R&B, Afro-beat, hip hop, rock, neo-soul, traditional African drumming, comedy, spoken word and dance. 

As usual, we have a great mix of crowd favorites and new artists performing for the first time on our stage.  The partial line up includes, Barbara Morrison, Azar Lawrence Quartet, Sukari Reid-Glenn Quartet featuring Nedra Wheeler, Medusa, Michael Session Quartet, Nasambu and The Mystic Nomads, Michael Dutton and The 4G Band, Anthony Aquarious, Kari Taylor, Fountain of Roots, Funkalicious, Radio & Dat EZ Band, and more to be announced.

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Festival selects first Female Featured Fine Artist

Fine Artist Diana Shannon Young,  a world-renowned multicultural artist, artist representative, art event curator, workshop presenter, publisher,and speaker has the distinction of being the Festival's first female Featured Fine Artist. Since 2009, not by conscious intention, the Featured Fine Artist have all been men: Azziz Diagne (2009), Charles Bibbs (2010), Ramses (2011, 2012), Carlos Spivey (2013), and Michael Massenburg (2014). Therefore, it is a welcome relief to have such an accomplished artist that just happens to be a woman provide an exceptional image to represent this years theme, "#Our Voice Matters.  Ms. Young's' beautiful "My Voice IS my Vote" image is featured on 65,000 promotional cards, signage and all Official Festival merchandise and materials.  Ms. Young will be exhibiting her fine art at the Festival and available to sign the Festival Poster that features .

Diana Shannon Young has always been artistically soul drawing and sketching from an early age. However, she started her artistic journey in the late 70's when a friend convinced her and her husband to join the myriad of would be gallery owners selling inexpensive posters by Rosamond, Klimt, Picasso and more which led to original graphics by Rockwell, Dali, Neiman and others and on to acquiring and representing original work by some of the aforementioned artist and more.  Noticing a visible shortage of available artwork by artist of color, they published one of the first full color mail order catalogs devoted to images by artist of the African Diaspora. Thus her creative spirit was rejuvenated and her career and journey as a self taught artist took flight. With a critical eye for color and the ability to strike balance between the familiar and the abstract her work has been well received.

Diana studied art at the collegiate level but primarily self directed her work.  She has followed her creative inspirations to heights unconfined yet her art is immediately recognizable. Her work has been featured in National Magazines such as Ebony and The Journal to The National Medical Association as well as LA Weekly Magazine and numerous others.

Her public commissions include but not limited to The March Of Dimes National Office where she created awards for partnering Sororities and Fraternities . She created Collage Painting Awards presented to the six surviving founding members of The Congressional Black Caucus, including creating posters for The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation on three separate occasions.  She was also commissioned to create posters for The 25th Anniversary Fundraising poster for The Forum of Black Public Administrators, The 2008 Los Angeles Pan African Film and Art Festival and a special anniversary painting for Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, just to name a few.

Notable shows include solo exhibitions at The African American Museum, Los Angeles, Ca., The Lyceum Theater Museum, San Diego, Ca.  and group exhibitions at Bank One Center and Museum Wilmington, DE. and Riverside Art Museum with Elizabeth Catlett, Romare Bearden, Charles Bibbs, Jacob Lawrence and more. She has exhibited at Art Expo NY, Las Vegas and Palm Springs, The Brentwood, CA. Fine Art Show., The National Black Fine Art Show, Harlem Fine Art Show and in Harlem, Martha's Vineyard, and The Monterey California Fine Art Show and more.

Collectors include Ed Gordon, Billy Dee Williams, Barbara Thomas, John And Earl Graves Sr., Alden McDonald, Sheila Webb, and more. Diana delights in creating a place of peace through color, texture and shapes.She is inspired by spontaneous impromptu subject matter thus allowing the rough feel and the soft but vibrant hues to set a mood for each painting.  Her paintings reflect spirituality, unity, family, political, botanical, color and form.

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Ride FREE to the Festival!

Want door-to-door FREE transportation from your home or wherever you happen to be to the Festival? Use LYFT, our Official Festival Transportation provider and you'll get a FREE $20 credit on your first ride. It's as easy as 1. Download the LYFT app to your phone. 2. Enter the code "LPVFEST" in the Promotion Code area. 3. Get a $20 first ride credit. And, if you travel with a friend, have them do the same thing to get a FREE ride back home. Why hassle with traffic, or parking when you can ride for FREE with LYFT? (This applies only to your first ride, so buddy up with your friends and ride FREE all three days.)

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You can ALWAYS count on Dulan's On Crenshaw to be cookin' up something tasty. They are returning as the Title Sponsor of our VIP Hospitality Suite and are a featured vendor in our Food Court with a brand new menu..... They'll have something for every appetite (vegan, vegetarian & meat lovers). Are you hungry yet?

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Don't miss a special performance by R&B recording artist, Kari Taylor, formerly of Klymaxx, Sunday, 8/31, 4pm!

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Hey! The Leimert Park Village African Arts & Music Festival made the top 5 list of things to do Labor Day Weekend on Wilson's Where to Guide. Yep, you better tell somebody. http://www.wilsonswheretoguide.com/2014/08/where-to-holiday-labor-day-weekend.html

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New Activities & Something For Everyone!

The 2014 3-day line-up was just posted.  Click on "Entertainment" and then click on "3-day Schedule".  We have some new, fun and interactive things to do that we think you will love.  So, you should plan to come out early.....  we start at 10 and will be moving full throttle till 7pm each day.  Bring the kids, grand kids and teens b/c there are areas just for them with activities to keep them occupied and entertained.

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Beautiful Historic Leimert Park is set to be the perfect backdrop for the 6th Annual Leimert Park Village African Art & Music Festival this Labor Day Weekend, Sat., Sun. & Mon., August 30, 31  & September 1, 2014, from 10 am - 7pm daily.  This is a family-friendly event that attracts people from across all council districts, all regions of California and the nation.  Please tell a friend and come out and enjoy all the festivities.

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Under Construction

Thanks for visiting our website that is being updated with information for 2014.  If you can't find what you're looking for,  please call us at 310.596.0955.

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Our Official 2013 Promotional Card

Whether or not you've received our beautiful 2013 promotional card, please know that you, your family, friends and co-workers are cordially invited.  However, chances are, you will see our dynamic street team which will be criss-crossing all over LA county making sure everyone knows about our fabulous FREE event.  This is our 5th year.....my how time flies....and we're planning a very special anniversary celebration.  So, be sure to circle the date, tell a friend and bring the whole family!

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Raw 2 the Roots Natural Hair Show

Bronner Brothers Enterprises, the largest private African American hair and skin care producers in the US, founded in 1947, has partnered with The Leimert Park Group as a Presenting Sponsor for our Raw 2 the Roots Natural Hair Show in Los Angeles that will take place during our 5th Annual Leimert Park Village African Art & Music Festival.  

This is our beautiful ad which will appear in the June/July issue of Upscale Magazine.

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Get a FREE 2012 Official Leimert Park Village African Art & Music Festival Poster for completing the survey below. There is no personal identifiable information, so you can be completely honest.

It's easy as 1-2-3. 1. Complete the survey. 2. Send an email to leimertparkfestival@gmail.com and say, "I completed the survey". 3. Pick up your poster at Sika's at 4330 Degnan Blvd., LA, CA 90008, before July 5, 2013. This offer has been posted on several blogs and Fb pages so there's no way to trace your rsvp email to the survey. Thanks for your assistance. We need this information for our sponsors.

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SAVE THE DATES.....More details to be announced soon.



LABOR DAY WEEKEND - AUG. 31, SEPT. 1, 2, 2013

The FREE 5th Annual Leimert Park Village African Art & Music Festival

PLEASE NOTE:
Sponsor, Vendor, Volunteer & Performance opportunities are available.  Email leimertparkfestival (at) gmail (dot) com

This is the most anticipated Labor Day event in LA - where people party all day and night!!!

Los Angeles, CA - The 5th Annual FREE Leimert Park Village African Art & Music Festival in Historic Leimert Park Village is a FREE 3-day event, scheduled for Labor Day Weekend, Aug. 31st, Sept. 1st & Sept. 2nd, 2013 in  the heart of LA's most dynamic cultural enclave for African and African American culture enjoyed by over 10,000 people from all council districts.  Our highly anticipated festival features jazz, blues, reggae, R&B, neo-soul, Afro-beat, spoken word, comedy, traditional African drumming and dance.

In addition to our exceptional music, we have 5 special events that occur during the festival: 1) a Fashion Show, 2) a Natural Hair Show, 3) Sankofa Sunday - a remembrance of those that have transitioned in the past year, 4)  a Legacy Awards Ceremony and 5)   Leimert Park After Dark - entertainment in and around Leimert Park that occur after 6pm on Sat. & Sun. nights.

Our multi-generational and multi-ethnic audience enjoys browsing and shopping in our authentic African Marketplace that has over 50 fine art and quality craft vendors selling paintings, sculptures, wood carvings, jewelry, designer clothes, and quality crafts from around the African Diaspora.

We also have age-appropriate activities and distinct areas for children and teens and an international food court with vegetarian, vegan and meat entrees, quick bites, snacks, desserts and drinks.

We invite you to join over 10,000 people who eagerly look forward to this annual event that showcases the best national and local talent.

A few of our previous performers have included: Randy Crawford, LTD, Barbara Morrison, Azar Lawrence, Alphonse Mouzon, The Pan African People's Arkestra, Medusa, Bo Williams, The Mooney Twins, Kamasi Washington & The Next Step Band, The Lulu Washington Dance Troupe, plus many, many more!!!

This event is produced by The Leimert Park Group as is:

• ALWAYS FREE, 
• ALWAYS LABOR DAY WEEKEND
• ALWAYS in HISTORIC LEIMERT PARK VILLAGE

Sponsor, vendor, volunteer and performance opportunities are available NOW! Contact us today.

Email Us: leimertparkfestival.blogspot.com

Like Us: facebook.com/LeimertParkFestival

Follow Us: twitter.com/LeimertParkFest

Join Us: http://tinyurl.com/7t3xv8j

Stay Informed: LeimertParkFestival.blogspot.com

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Problems Viewing This Blog?

If you are using an older version of Internet Explorer, (IE, you  may experience difficulty viewing this blog correctly.  We are working on the solution to this.  In the meantime, please update IE to the latest version or switch your browser to Firefox.

We apologize for the inconvenience....  We hope to have this fixed soon.

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Partial Entertainment Line-up Announced

Please click "Read More" then click here to see the partial line-up.  Or you can just click on the "Entertainment" tab on the navigation bar above.  More musicians and performers to be announced including our comedians and spoken word artists.

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What's Hot!!!

DON'T MISS OUT ON THESE EXCLUSIVE OPPORTUNITIES!!!  

There are a limited number of ways to maximize your experience at our Festival.  And, there's absolutely something for everyone.  We've listed the top 7 ways that you can have an exceptional experience and know about the "Best of the Fest"!  Get an insiders look at What's Hot!


1. WANT TO GET THE VIP TREATMENT?
Our festival is FREE to the public, however, this year, we are offering 40 seats in our VIP Hospitality Suite for sale that includes a private viewing area, catered lunch, complimentary snacks & beverages, access to our backstage & a lot more. You can be a VIP without paying the VIP price.  These seats will sell out fast.  Get your seat today!    Click here for more info. and to purchase tickets at Brown Paper Tickets.



2. RUNWAY MODELS, DESIGNERS & CLOTHING MANUFACTURERS WANTED!
Strut you stuff, showcase your design talent, get exposure for your brand and build your customer base.
Sign up to participate in our exciting Runway Fashion show before all the spots are filled.  Use these links:  Fashion Models, Designers, & Boutiques/Retail Stores/Clothing Manufacturers.


3. ARE YOU LOVING THE NATURAL HAIR LIFE?
Let's celebrate!!!
75% of our audience of over 10,000 people have naturally textured hair. Don't miss this great opportunity to directly advertise to your target market and influence their buying decisions by participating in our 2nd Annual Natural Hair Show. The number of companies that can participate will be limited.  Sign up today!!!   Manufacturers  - Barbers/Stylists/Salons  - Natural Hair Models


4. GOT TALENT?
Our application for Performers is now online. Click here to apply.


5. WANT TO MAKE $$$
Our crowd loves to shop and are always looking for new products.  Don't miss out on the opportunity to sell your products.  Our booths always sell out and are going fast.  Apply today here!  Vendor Applications


6. DO YOU LIKE MAKING A DIFFERENCE?
Our volunteers are priceless and we treat them like VIPs.  We have many opportunities to choose from that only require a small time commitment but offer a lot of perks.  Find out more here:  Volunteers.

7. IS YOUR BRAND SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE?

Do you have a good reputation in the communities where you do business?
A good corporate reputation means more business now and in the future.  Our audience is loyal to those brands that advertise to them directly and to those that support the events they enjoy.  We take pride in strategically integrating brands into our well-loved event.  Join our select group of industry leaders that are building brand loyalty and increasing their bottom line.    Contact us here today.

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