A 10-day cultural smorgasbord, the 14th Annual Tampa Bay Black Heritage Festival will celebrate the indelible influences of African-American culture on society each year around the time Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day and right before black heritage month. With a loaded itinerary that will showcase soulful music, local cuisine, hand-made crafts, workshops and lectures, the family-friendly fest will run from Jan. 16-25.
[jump]A performance of the beloved and reworked musical—The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess—will kick off the fest at the Straz Center for Performing Arts, with discounted tickets for pre-registered attendees. Funk legends, The Ohio Players, will bring their timelessly soulful sounds to Curtis Hixon Park on Sat., 18. Pieces of a Dream will preserve the momentum on Sunday with their R&B/jazz fusion. Rogers Park Golf Course will host the 8th Annual Heritage Golf Classic on Jan. 20. Youth Night—honoring African-American icons—will take place the following evening at Howard W. Blake High School. The exhibit “Above the Fray” will feature historic African-American quilts of Eatonville, provided by the Zora Neale Hurston Museum. Events will also include a Leadership Luncheon, lecture featuring actor Hill Harper, and a Gospel Night." (Text by Melanie Wiesen)
Jan. 16-25. Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park. 600 N. Ashley Drive. tampablackheritage.org
