Festivals, Fairs & Special Events
36th Annual African Festival of the Arts September 7, 2026
Africa International House USA, Inc. proudly announces the return of the 36th Annual African Festival of the Arts (AFA), Chicago’s premier celebration of African and African diasporic culture, taking place Labor Day Weekend, Saturday, September 5, through Monday, September 7, 2026, in the historic Washington Park Sunken Garden. Festival gates will open daily from 10:00 a.m. until 10:00 p.m., with the main entrance located at 55th Street and Cottage Grove Avenue.
This year’s festival theme, “Crowning the Heritage,” honors the enduring artistic, cultural, and spiritual traditions that connect people of African descent throughout the world. For more than three decades, the African Festival of the Arts has transformed Chicago into a vibrant crossroads of creativity, scholarship, music, cuisine, and community, welcoming tens of thousands of visitors each year.
