2026 marks the 40th Annual GospelFest, to be held at MLK Park. On Saturday, July 25, Community Inspiration Collective, Inc. will host the event that will feature a star-studded lineup of performers, including special guest national recording artists, the Windy City Spiritualaires of Phoenix, Arizona. The all ages event, which is free and open to the public, will be held from 2pm to 8pm.
As for the history of Buffalo’s GospelFest, it was Richard Reinhardt of the Downtown Merchants Association who initially reached out to John Hill Enterprise about starting the festival in 1987. Bessie Patterson was the person that recruited the local talents. It was Patterson who took the ball and ran with it all these years. She even persevered three changes in venue locations, while continuing to grow the event year to year.
Past national entertainers at Buffalo’s GospelFest include Vickie Winans, Albertina Walker, Doug Williams, Twinkie Clark, The Williams Brothers, Witness, Trinity, The Wilmington Chester Mass Choir, Uneek, Bishop Hartfield’s 100 Voice Choir, Buffalo’s own Christopher Brunson, Lamar Campbell and the Spirit of Praise, The Windy City Spiritualaires, Frederick and Erica Barr, MDA Fellowship Choir, Kim Burrell, Earnest Pugh, Elder Goldwin McClendon, The Holy Spiritualaires, Buffalo’s own Alexis Spight, and Jonathan Nelson, and Malcolm Williams…