PORTSMOUTH, Va. — The 31st annual Umoja Festival is coming to downtown Portsmouth this Friday and Saturday. It is a celebration of diversity, unity and African-American culture on the beautiful downtown waterfront in Festival Park.
Umoja is a Kiswahili word meaning "unity"; it's also the first of seven principles celebrated during the Kwanzaa holiday celebration. It's used to highlight the importance of togetherness and community.
There will be musical performances, an arts and crafts marketplace, international food, live music, and fun activities for kids.
There's a huge musical lineup for the festival including 4-time Grammy-winning, Boys II Men and special guest Kustom Made, who are performing on Saturday at 8 pm at the Atlantic Union Bank Pavillion.
There will be musical performances happening all weekend long and all the events, except the Boys II Men concert, will be free and open to the public.
Tickets for the Boys II Men concert are on their site. There's also a full schedule of events and musical artists.