PHILADELPHIA, PA. (Top40 Charts/ Delaware River Waterfront Corp.) The Delaware River Waterfront Corporation (DRWC) is proud to produce another season of free programming this year on the Great Plaza, the heart of Penn's Landing, Philadelphia's premier riverfront entertainment destination and located on Columbus Boulevard at Chestnut Street. The 2011 Program Season features a diverse schedule of events including the 2011 Global Fusion Festival, part of the PECO Multicultural Series, on Saturday July 16, 2011 from 12 Noon until 8:00 p.m.
On Saturday July 16, Grammy nominated headliners, cultural entertainers and powerhouse performers return to the RiverStage on the Great Plaza at Penn's Landing for Philadelphia's largest one-day festival, Global Fusion Festival & Week (GFF). This must-attend festival and week themed "Carnival," is produced by the Philadelphia Multicultural Affairs Congress (MAC), a division of the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau (PCVB), and celebrates Philadelphia's diverse African Diaspora, Hispanic, Caribbean and Asian cultures joining to showcase their unity. GFF runs from Monday, July 11th - Sunday, July 17th in various locations throughout the city, culminating on Saturday with a FREE concert.
The theme "Carnival" represents the explosion of culture, color and celebrations that takes place annually throughout the world, now uniting for one week in Philadelphia this July.
During Global Fusion Week, locals and visitors take advantage of fusion-themed drink specials and restaurant discounts at numerous participating restaurants and bars throughout the city. "Fusion-inspired" performances showcasing the diversity of our region are held at select Center City venues. As part of grass-roots efforts to engage the community, Global Fusion street team ambassadors travel throughout the city during the week with special giveaways and information on the festival.
GFF Week's highly anticipated event takes place on that Saturday, July 16th and is a part of PECO's Multicultural Festival Series. Festival organizers make entertaining all ages a priority by loading the festival grounds with non-stop multicultural performances, ethnic food vendors, a Children's Pavilion with cultural activities, vendor giveaways and much more. Attendees enjoy rousing performances from national award-winning recording artists, dispersed throughout the day with regional and local acts that represent Philadelphia's diverse ethnic communities.
Philadelphia's Multicultural Affairs Congress (MAC), a division of the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau (PCVB), is proud to announce that the Grammy award-winning, R&B singer/songwriter Estelle has joined the Global Fusion Festival (GFF) as its first headline artist. Philadelphia's largest one-day festival features cultural performers, multicultural vendors, a children's pavilion and a FREE concert. This must-attend festival celebrates Philadelphia's diverse African Diaspora, Hispanic, Caribbean and Asian cultures joining together to showcase their unity on one stage.
Born to a Senegalese mother and a father from Grenada, Estelle Fanta Swaray grew up in West London in a large family of eight brothers and sisters. Her childhood was spent listening to her parents' reggae collection and her aunt's soul records however, she cites her main influences as two of hip-hop's most well-known women, Mary J Blige and Missy Elliot. As early as 2002, Estelle was enjoying underground success as one of the UK's hottest urban artists and with the 2008 release of the smash single, "American Boy," featuring rapper Kanye West, her career sky-rocketed.
The song topped the music charts in many countries worldwide, including the United States and Canada, achieving number-one status on the UK Singles Chart in Belgium and Israel. It went on to earn her a Grammy for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration and was nominated for Song of the Year at the 2009 Grammy Awards. Estelle has also won three consecutive Best Female Artist trophies from the UK Hip Hop Awards and the European MOBO award for Best Newcomer.
"We are honored to bring Estelle to our Global Fusion Festival as one of this year's headliners," says MAC executive director, Tanya Hall. "Fans can look forward to an amazing performance from her as she seamlessly combines R&B, hip-hop and reggae, reflecting the diversity of our festival."
Initially produced to celebrate MAC's 20th Anniversary, GFF has expanded from a two-day event entertaining more than 5,000 people, to a week-long celebration attracting more than 25,000 attendees. GFF Week which runs from July 11th - July 17th features free performances, drink specials, restaurant discounts and giveaways at participating venues throughout the City. Past festival headliners performers include Marsha Ambrosius, En Vogue, Bell Biv DeVoe, Jazmine Sullivan, Huey Dunbar, Oro Solido, Bobby V, DJ Jazzy Jeff, James Fortune and Eric Benet among others.
Global Fusion Festival & Week sponsors include: Black Professional News, Chevy, Center City District, Delaware River Waterfront Corporation, El Sol newspaper, Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, Metro Kids, Micah Sims Show, PECO, Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau, Philadelphia Tribune, Philadelphia Zoo, Power 99FM, Reading Terminal Market, State Farm, 105.3 WDAS, 1480 AM Rumba, 106.1 MIX, Tempo TV, Uptown Magazine, UrbanPhilly.com and Univision 65.
Visit www.GlobalFusionFestival.com for an updated list of performers, vendors and sponsors. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter @GlobalFusnFstvl for exclusive updates. Admission is FREE for all PECO Multicultural Series events. KYW Newsradio and NBC 10 are proud media partners of the series.
About The Philadelphia Multicultural Affairs Congress (MAC)
The Philadelphia Multicultural Affairs Congress (MAC), a division of the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau, was formed in 1987 as the first multicultural division of a Convention & Visitors Bureau in the nation. MAC maximizes opportunities for the region by promoting Philadelphia as an ethnically diverse visitor destination, encouraging multicultural business and social responsibility that contributes to and benefits from the varying multicultural communities that enhance our region's hospitality and tourism industry.
Based in Philadelphia, PECO is an electric and natural gas utility subsidiary of Exelon Corporation (NYSE: EXC). PECO serves 1.6 million electric and 490,000 natural gas customers in southeastern Pennsylvania and employs about 2,400 people in the region. PECO delivered 87.9 billion cubic feet of natural gas and 39.5 billion kilowatt-hours-hours of electricity in 2010.
Founded in 1881, PECO is one of the Greater Philadelphia Region's most active corporate citizens, providing leadership, volunteer and financial support to numerous arts and culture, education, environmental, economic development and community programs and organizations.
Public Programming at Penn's Landing would not be possible without the continued support of corporate partners such as PECO, Verizon, Wells Fargo, Pennsylvania Lottery, Coca-Cola Refreshments-Philadelphia, and the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation, all of whom are committed to serving the Greater Philadelphia community.
The 2011 Summer Program of Free Events at Penn's Landing is funded and produced by the Delaware River Waterfront Corporation (DRWC). All events produced by DRWC are FREE to the public on the RiverStage at the Great Plaza, the heart of Penn's Landing, Philadelphia's premier Delaware River waterfront entertainment destination. The DRWC is a nonprofit corporation created in January 2009 exclusively for the benefit of the City of Philadelphia and its citizens. The fundamental purpose of DRWC is to design, develop, and manage the central Delaware River waterfront in Philadelphia. DRWC intends to transform the waterfront into a vibrant destination location for recreational, cultural, and commercial activities for the residents and visitors of Philadelphia.
For more information and event details, please call (215) 922-2FUN or visit:
www.delawareriverevents.com. This website is a virtual resource for the waterfront which can help visitors plan to easily park, play, and stay all day at Penn's Landing.
