By J. Coyden Palmer July 6, 2023

It is one of the best events in Chicago during the summertime where Black people throughout the diaspora come out and have a cultural experience centered around music, art, dance and cusine. Over the holiday weekend, thousands showed up in Washington Park on Chicago’s South Side to join in on the celebration.

This year was the 30th year for the African Caribbean International Festival of Life, which was held July 1-4th. Unfortunately torrential rain and high winds caused for the cancellation of one day of the event, but that didn’t stop people from coming out on the other days. They were treated to live musical bands playing Reggae, R&B and Hip-Hop, griot storytellers and over a dozen different activities for children. There were plenty of vendors too, selling everything from cultural art and clothing to modern, everyday beauty products for men and women.

Ephraim Martin, President of the International Reggae and World Music Awards - IRAWMA said the event just keeps getting better every year and that it has now become a staple amongst the Chicago festival of lineups.

“It has become a Grand celebration for people of the African/Caribbean diaspora,” Martin said. “We celebrate everything from the naming of DuSable lake shore drive, to our cultural heroes in sports and entertainment. This year we featured nearly 50 performing acts from around the world.”

Rich Homie Quan was one of the performers at this year’s event. He said performing in Chicago is always a thrill but that this festival is important for many reasons.

“We have to continue to celebrate our culture because it is so big, so diverse, and so important in how we see ourselves and who we are as a people,” Quan said. “Our music tells of our experiences from around the world. It is how we express ourselves and connect with one another.”

What would a festival be without food? There were over a dozen food vendors in attendance this year, selling everything from jerk shrimp with freshly squeezed lemonade to curry goat and red snapper. If you wanted to take a more adventurous approach to your food consumption, there were oxtails being sold at Geego’s Jerk Pit, which is based in Maryland but is looking to expand around the country. With the temperatures near 90, snowcones and tropical drinks served in a pineapple were also popular among guests.