The energy is building in South Philadelphia as organizers prepare to celebrate a golden milestone: the 50th anniversary of the Odunde Festival — one of the largest and longest-running African American street festivals in North America.

The 50th anniversary of the largest African arts festival in the United States went off under cloudy skies in Philadelphia.

The first Odunde Festival was held in 1975. Half a century later, it’s run by the daughter and grandson of co-founder Lois Fernandez.