"I was strapped to my mother's back at the first Odunde and for the last 29 years, I've been carrying Odunde on my back," said Odunde Festival CEO, Oshunbumi "Bumi" Fernandez-West.
What started as a small neighborhood gathering in 1975 with a $100 grant has expanded to 16 blocks drawing up to 500,000 attendees.
It's now one of the nation's largest Black and African cultural street festivals taking over South Street between 15th Street and South Bambrey Street.
Fernandez-West says she plans to keep it all in the family, this year introducing her 20-year-old son as the festival's Chief Operating Officer.
"A lot more on my shoulders this year. A lot more I'm doing. It's a blessing to honor my grandmom's legacy, my mom's legacy," Odunde COO, Adeniyi Ogundana.
At the core of Odunde, it's about family and unity. People are welcomed from all over and travel from far to attend.
"I was 13 years old when I first started coming. I'm 64 now," said Miysha Sudan of Chester, Pennsylvania.
Local business owners say they are always excited about the culture pride this event brings, and the exposure.
"It's very good to be around our own culture, we don't see that on the daily basis," said Francis Pascal, owner of Holland & Milan Organics. "Our first start was here at this festival. The grand opening of our business. We've been doing it for the past seven years now."
Fernandez-West says she wants to make sure this event remains a cultural staple.
This year's headlining performer was rapper Doug E. Fresh.
There was also a traditional African procession to the Schuylkill River.