GREAT GROUPS

FABULOUS FESTIVALS
BY SONYA STINSON

Group travel can be especially fun when your destination city is throwing a party. Festivals offer a chance to take an active part in the local and regional culture, or perhaps get a taste of a place located on the other side of the world.

These five spring and summer festivals have the added bonus of host cities with world-class restaurants, entertainment, museums, historic sites and other attractions that you can enjoy while you’re in town for the merriment.

CHICAGO BLUES FESTIVAL

Chuck Berry, Little Milton, John Lee Hooker, Janie Hunter and Keith Richards are just a few of the legendary blues and rock and roll acts that have performed at the four-day Chicago Blues Festival. This free event — one of the largest of its kind in the world — takes place in early June at Grant Park on the lakefront. The 25th annual festival in 2008 — featuring more than 70 performances on six stages — marks the centennials of Louis Jordan, Tommy McLennan and Blind John Davis with a special commemoration.

For information, call (312) 744-3315.

MIAMI/BAHAMAS GOOMBAY FESTIVAL

The sound of cowbells, the sight of brightly colored Bahamian costumes and the smell of conch fritters signal the arrival of one of the nation’s largest Black heritage festivals. Each year in early June, a crowd of more than 300,000 gathers at Coconut Grove’s Grand Avenue for the Miami/Bahamas Goombay Festival. The event, whose name refers both to a goatskin drum and a type of music, celebrates the Bahamian culture that has been part of the Miami area since the 1880s. Centered around the traditional Bahamian street parade called Junkanoo, the fest also features Caribbean music on three stages (including the 55-member Royal Bahamas Police Band), and plenty o f arts, crafts and food.

To find out more, go to http://www.goombayfestivalcoconutgrove.com.

NATIONAL BLACK ARTS FESTIVAL

Celebrating the art, music and culture of Africa and the African Diaspora, the 20-year-old National Black Arts Festival takes place in July at a variety of locations in Atlanta. The 10-day schedule includes concerts, an artists market, a gallery crawl and a host of theater and film presentations. The 2007 festival included special focus on genealogy. Local politicians, civil rights leaders, business leaders, clergy, sports figures and entertainers had their DNA tested and the results revealed in time for the fest.

Groups of 10 or more are eligible for a 10% discount on tickets to NBAF events and special rates at local hotels and restaurants. Go to http://www.nbaf.org for information, or call the group sales office at (404) 454-0504. Tickets can also be purchased by phone by calling the Woodruff Arts Center at (404) 733-5000.

NEW ORLEANS JAZZ & HERITAGE FESTIVAL

The name says “jazz” but at New Orleans’ second largest annual festival behind Mardi Gras, you can hear everything from Afro-Caribbean to zydeco.  Jazz Fest, as it’s known, typically brings 500,000 visitors to New Orleans’ Fair Grounds Race Course over two weekends in late April and early May. Along with local and homegrown favorites like the Neville Brothers, who return this year to their traditional spot as the festival’s closing act for the first time since Hurricane Katrina. Jazz Fest also features headliners and musical icons from all over the world.

You can make hotel reservations and get information about airlines offering discounts on flights to the fest on the official Web site, http://www.nojazzfest.com, or call (800) 488-5252 for ticket information.

ODUNDE AFRICAN AMERICAN FESTIVAL

The idea for Philadelphia’s Odunde (oh-dune-day) African American Festival comes from the Yoruba people of Nigeria. Highlights of the event, held each June, include a procession from 23rd and South Streets to the Schuylkill River, where an offering of fruit and flowers is made to Oshun, the Yoruba goddess of the river, and an African marketplace showcasing vendors from around the world.  The 2007 festival also featured an African ambassador reception, dance performances and a fashion show.

For more information, go to http://www.odundeinc.org.

Next time you’re scheduling a trip to one of your group’s favorite destinations, considering timing your arrival just in time for a special occasion.