Multicultural Festival & Black History Celebration

Start: Saturday, February 11, 2023 11:00AM
End: Saturday, February 11, 2023 7:00PM

 The Northwest Black History Committee and Vibrant Community in partnership with the Peoria Arts and Culture Committee present the 25^thannualMulticultural Festival. After a year hiatus due to COVID-19, the largest Black History festivaland fan favorite, makes a triumphant return to the city of Peoria during National Black History Month and Super Bowl weekend on February 11, 2023!

Over the past 24years, the event has featured beloved artists like; The Mighty Clouds of Joy, War, CeCe Peniston, Joe McBride, Ramsey Lewis, Stanley Jordan, Bobby Rush, Carl Carlton, Tierra, Little Joe y La Familia and many others. The festival also includes art, dance, vendors, food, medical screenings, and community awareness stations. To offset the rising cost of products and services, tickets are $10, kids under 10 are free.

For the event, guests will be treated to the smooth melodies of American soul music group, The Intruders, as one of the two national acts featured. Most known for their record-breaking hits in the 1960s and 1970s, the group was one of the first to have hit songs under the direction of Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff. Together, they were a major influence on the development of the musical genre known as Philadelphia soul. 

The Intruders are noted for having 24 R&B chart hits, including 6 R&B Top Ten, and 14 chart hits in the Billboard Hot 100., including their signature song, the million-recordselling Top 10 smash, "Cowboys to Girls”. Other notable hits include the Top 10 R&B smashes "(Love Is Like A) Baseball Game", “Together”, “I’ll Always Love My Mama”, "United", and "I Wanna Know Your Name". The original members, all natives of Philadelphia, were Samuel "Little Sonny" Brown, Eugene "Bird" Daughtry, Phil Terry, and Robert "Big Sonny" Edwards.

Not to be outdone and joining the Intruders are the “Tierra” Legacy band, who will celebrate 50 years of Latin and R&B Music. The band includes original and longtime members who created timeless music reminiscent of theEastside sounds of Los Angeles. Their biggest hit was the remake of The Intruders’ hit “Together” which reached No. 18 on the Billboard Hot 100 and peaked at No. 9 on the US Billboard chart. It was a No. 1 hit on the radio stations across Los Angeles. The festival will also salute and pay tribute to the founding guitarist, Rudy Salas who passed away in 2021