Little Ethiopia Hosts 23rd Annual New Year Cultural Street Festival

Hundreds of festivalgoers filled streets of Little Ethiopia. E.Mesiyah McGinnis / LA Sentinel

The vibrant streets of Little Ethiopia in Los Angeles were filled
with festivities as the Ethiopian community came together to
celebrate the Ethiopian New Year festival.

“The annual event, known as Enkutatash, marks the beginning of
the Ethiopian calendar and is a time for friends and family to come
together to feast, dance, and celebrate the coming year. It is 2017
in Ethiopia,” said Negest (Nikki) Legesse, president of Little
Ethiopia Business Association

Top Photo: Youth Models wearing traditional Ethiopian fashion.
Bottom Photo: Traditional Ethiopian shoulder dance performed by festival attendees. E. Mesiyah McGinnis / LA Sentinel

The streets were lined with festivalgoers, mostly wearing cultural
Ethiopian attires, and vendors selling traditional Ethiopian
clothing, jewelry, and food, while music and dancing filled the air.
Children ran around playing games and enjoying the festive
atmosphere.

One of the highlights of the festival was the traditional coffee
ceremony, where coffee beans were roasted and brewed in front of
visitors, filling the air with the rich aroma of freshly-brewed
coffee.

CD10 Councilwoman Heather Hutt of CD10 (middle) with Little Ethiopia Business Association President Negest (Nikki) Legesse (2nd from right) and members of the Ethiopian soccer federation in North America, who were honored with certificates. E. Mesiyah McGinnis / LA Sentinel

Ethiopian cultural bands and traditional dancers performed for
hundreds of attendees. As the sun set, a traditional Ethiopian band
took to the stage, playing upbeat music to inspire the crowd of all
ages, dancing, clapping, singing into the night.

Overall, the Ethiopian New Year festival in Little Ethiopia was a
joyful and community-driven event that brought people together to
celebrate their culture and heritage. It was a reminder of the
importance of coming together as a community to celebrate
traditions and create lasting memories.

Attendees enjoyed live cultural bands, traditional dance performances, and a fashion show. E. Mesiyah McGinnis / E. Mesiyah / LA Sentinel

Present were Councilwoman Heather Hutt, CD 10, primary sponsor of the event along with representatives from the mayor’s office,
Deputy Mayor Jacqueline Hamilton, Congresswoman Sydney
Kalmager Dove, and Assemblymember Isaac Bryant.

Also present were police Captain Rodriguez and outgoing longtime
Senior Lead Officer Adam Green from the Wilshire Division
Station. The business association partnered with organizations,
Destination Little Ethiopia a project of Community
Partners, UCLA, Levitt Pavilion, Kitfo TV and Artcy Kids.

Vendors sold authentic Ethiopian products and provided helpful information for the attendees.

“The 23rd Little Ethiopia New Year Cultural Street Festival
brought in more young people than ever before. We couldn’t
ask for anything more than the next generation keeping our
culture alive,” said Legesse.

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