Tampa Black Heritage Music Festival celebrates African American culture

TAMPA, Fla. - The sounds of strummed guitars and snare drums will fill the air that surrounds Curtis Hixon Park this weekend, as local and national musicians take center stage at the 24th annual Tampa Black Heritage Music Festival.

For many of them, like Ohio-based funk band "Slave" and keyboard player and vocalist Traviso Milner, the weekend is about much more than making people dance.

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"It's a celebration of us," Milner stressed. "All that we do, arts, crafts, food music - it's a beautiful thing."

That's exactly what you'll find at the two-day event, which wraps up 10 full days of festivities that always fall before Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

"We've been celebrating every day -from the Western Glam Gala, to the 5k race, to the business seminars, to the luncheon," added founder of Live & Share PR, Marilyn Shaw. "You name it, we've done it and now today and tomorrow is going to be the big finale."

It’s now the largest festival in the Bay Area honoring African American culture, with events geared toward everyone and all ages.

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"It's a staple. So many people come every single year, its top of the calendar, MLK weekend, and its just amazing to see everyone so seen and heard and celebrated, that's what this weekend is all about," Shaw explained.

FOX 13 is a proud sponsor of the music festival.

For tickets and more information, click here.