Hundreds of people gathered at Louis Armstrong Park on Saturday and Sunday (March 29–30) for live performances, food and art during the annual Congo Square Rhythms Festival.
The event, hosted by the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation, featured music from groups such as Da Truth Brass Band and Bamboula 2000 and dance performances from Kumbuka Dance Ensemble and others over the course of the two-day celebration of New Orleans’ cultural roots. In the 19th century, Congo Square was a place for Africans to freely celebrate their culture despite their conditions of slavery.
At the festival, painters, clothes designers and other artists, inspired by various aspects of the Black diaspora, sold their creations to festivalgoers. Attendees of all ages and backgrounds danced with performers, sang along to brass bands and enjoyed the sunny weather in the park…