Freedom Fest 2023: What you need to know about the Birmingham culture and music festival

Freedom Fest 2023: What you need to know about the Birmingham culture and music festival

The countdown is on for the in-person return of Birmingham Freedom Fest. The celebration of heritage in the heart of the city’s civil rights district comes back this Saturday, July 29 as part of Forging Justice, the city’s commemoration of 60 years since the 1963 Birmingham campaign for civil and human rights.

Saturday’s day-long Freedom Fest is divided into two parts. The first half of the day will include a morning of empowerment sessions or free speaker sessions and panels centered around business, history, and culture. The second half of the day is a ticketed music festival featuring artists from around the country, including Ruben Studdard, Jidenna, and Big K.R.I.T.

Planning to head to Birmingham Freedom Fest? Here’s a quick guide to tickets and event times.

THE BASICS

When: The empowerment sessions kick off at 10:00 a.m. The gates to the music festival will open at 1:00 p.m. and the performers start at 3:00 p.m.

Where: The events at Birmingham Freedom Fest will take place at three locations in the Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument. The empowerment sessions will be at 16th Street Baptist Church (1530 6th Ave N, Birmingham) and the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute (520 16th St N, Birmingham). The music festival will be at Kelly Ingram Park (500 17th St N, Birmingham).

Admission: The empowerment sessions are free and open to the public. The musical festival is $20.00. Tickets are available to purchase through tix.com on the Birmingham Freedom Fest website.

THE SCHEDULE

Empowerment sessions: The empowerment sessions start at 10:00 a.m. inside 16th Street Baptist Church. One afternoon session will be at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. The panels will cover a number of topics including the 60th commemoration of the Birmingham Civil Rights Campaign, the history of Black athletes, entertainment, financial education, and the celebration of 50 Years of Hip-Hop.

Music Festival: The music festival is in Kelly Ingram Park. The gates to the festival open at 1:00 pm and music performances kick off at 3:00 p.m. starting with a tribute to the 60th commemoration of the Birmingham civil rights campaign. Saturday’s musical acts will run past 9:00 p.m. with performances by Ruben Studdard, Translee, Deqn Sue and Kelvin Wooten, and Jidenna. Big K.R.I.T will headline this year’s festival.

Here’s a schedule of the lineup so far:

1:00 p.m.: Gates Open

3:00 p.m.: Opening Tribute and 60th Commemoration of the Birmingham Civil Rights Campaign

3:30 p.m.: Dre Murro

4:15 p.m.: Halo Wheeler

5:00 p.m.: Translee

6:00 p.m.: Deqn Sue and Kelvin Wooten

7:00 p.m. : Aretta Woodruff

8:00 p.m. : Jidenna

9:00 p.m.: Big K.R.I.T