On behalf of the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute (CCCADI), we invite you to join us for Winter Fet: Umoja! End of Year Celebration, taking place at CCCADI Ilé Oyin, on Saturday, December 19 at 3PM.
Inspired by the diversity of the African Diaspora, Winter Fèt is an invitation to come together across traditions to celebrate the connections that unite us. This gathering is inspired by Umoja, the first of the seven principles of Kwanzaa, which calls for us to maintain unity within our families, communities, and throughout the African Diaspora.
In that spirit, the afternoon will bring together a vibrant mix of music, performance and cultural expression.
FEATURING:
Interactive Kwanzaa presentation and performance by Threads of Truth
The Lighting of the Kinara, is one of the staples of this traditional cultural holiday celebrating the resiliency of African Diaspora and Black Atlantic communities. It invites us into alignment with the Nguzo Saba, light, power, and ancestral remembrance. For each principle and each candle, we reflect and remember the values that connect and ground us in the celebration of Kwanzaa.
The Journey to Harambee,™ is an interactive, dynamic legacy account of the path toward Kwanzaa. This presentation highlights the philosophy of its founder Maulana Karenga, the connections to Black revolutionary movements, its functional purpose for cultural uplift, and how to celebrate today.
In the tradition of Ngoma, this performance is a duet—a solo dance and percussion conversation that bridges time and energy. The piece interrogates tradition, modernity, and the power of music and dance in the African Diaspora tradition.
The Our Ancestral Wall Collage™ is a community activation where visual symbolism meets historical remembrance. Together, we collectively draw our foundation and remember the woven stories and sacrifices that we stand on as inspiration in this Kwanzaa season of reflection and revelation. If an attendee would like to add an ancestor of their choosing to the collage, they can bring a printed copy of their image that they are willing to leave on the collage.
Holiday Parranda by Los Pleneros de la 21
Compelled by a need to preserve the Afro-Puerto Rican expressions of Bomba and Plena, Los Pleneros de la 21 (LP21) was founded in 1983 in la Casita De Chema/El Rincón Criollo in the South Bronx by National Endowment for the Arts' Heritage Fellow Juan J. Gutiérrez Rodríguez and his mentor Marcial Reyes Arvelo. For over 40 years, Los Pleneros de la 21 have promoted, presented, performed and preserved these heritage practices through year-round community and educational programs offered through the New York-Tri State area and international touring initiatives.
Los Pleneros have broken barriers for the presence of Bomba, Plena and Puerto Rican heritage expressions as the first Bomba and Plena ensemble presented in Carnegie Hall, the only Bomba and Plena ensemble to have toured to the USSR, and as an ensemble that has toured to over 150 cities on a global scale. At the same time,
Los Pleneros de la 21 have maintained a robust series of programs and events offered in and for the local community, including cultural events that promote place-making and place-keeping in El Barrio and the Bronx, like the annual celebrations of Las Fiestas de Cruz and La Fiesta Navideña, as well as the 35+ year old Bomba and Plena Community Workshops series - a program responsible for teaching hundreds of youth on the performances and practice of Bomba and Plena.
The Workshops have been the school and formation for several of today's next generation practitioners and elders currently upholding these traditions, including LeAna Lopez, Camilo Molina Gaetán, and Nelson Mateo González--LP21's Musical Director. Pairing accessible programs for the community with performances and productions presented globally, Los Pleneros have earned the title of New York's cultural ambassadors to Bomba and Plena. The intergenerational ensemble has recorded five albums, having received a Grammy Nomination for best World Music album, and is known for its original musical arrangements that integrates genres like guaracha, son, salsa, jazz and even hip hop, while also upholding the integrity of the traditional, ancestral sounds of Bomba and Plena
DJ Set by Uptown Vinyl Supreme
Uptown Vinyl Supreme is a DJ collective and community organization born in The Bronx, NYC paying homage to the analog roots of music, party and dance culture. Records have the power to uplift, inspire, and heal the people.
Friends and lovers of vinyl, Sunny Cheeba, Buddy, Josh Hubi, and Chiqui B take this responsibility seriously and continue to explore progressive ways in which this power can reach audiences all over the world, be it through dance gatherings, individual sessions, workshops, private functions, or cultural institutions.
Children’s Corner
Our Children’s Corner will offer arts, crafts and activities that invite young people to engage with Kwanzaa traditions, including Kwanzaa Bingo, weaving Mkeka (place mats) and creating Zawadi (gifts) for loved ones.
Holiday Market
Folks can also explore a holiday marketplace featuring local vendors and community businesses, including CCCADI’s own Ojá Marketplace.
As we close out the year and continue celebrating our 50th Anniversary, we look forward to honoring the diversity of our traditions with you.
Saturday, December 19, 2026
3PM - 8PM
CCCADI Ilé Oyin (208 E 126th St.)
Suggested Donation: $15
For All Ages