A must see in the Southeast: Lexington's Roots and Heritage Festival returns after a two-year hiatus

From delicious foods and marching bands, to an appearance from members of the University of Kentucky women's basketball team, the City of Lexington, KY saw the return of its annual Roots and Heritage Festival the weekend of September 9th-11th.

The festival was voted as one of the "Top Twenty Events in the Southeast" by the Southeast Tourism Society, according to organizers, and it's been going strong for more than 30 years.

The event had been put on hold for two years because of the coronavirus pandemic. The festival this year, included nightly live music performances, its iconic Saturday parade and plenty of food and clothing vendors. The annual event celebrates Lexington's rich diversity, traditions, African-American culture and community spirit.

The festival also showcases the rich talent from Louisville's Central High School Marching band, which has been making a parade appearance for years. Louisville is about an hour and half's drive from Lexington.

Central's high school marching band performs in the spirit of an HBCU (Historically black college and university) marching band, and usually participates in a battle of the bands showdown with the historical black college--- Kentucky State University (from Frankfort) after the annual parade. But according to organizers, KSU's marching band was not at this year's festival due to a scheduling conflict.

Check out video highlights from this year's event below.

-Festival Location: Elm Tree Lane between Fourth and Short Streets, Lexington, KY

-The Parade Route begins at Fourth and Elm Tree, turns right (toward Broadway), turns right onto ML King, right onto Fifth Street, right onto Race Street, right onto Third Street and ends at Elm Tree Lane.

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A wild Battle of the Bands (Simmons College vs. Kentucky State) during this year's Roots and Heritage festival parade in Lexington

Bigger crowds for the 2024 Roots and Heritage Parade and Battle of the Bands in Lexington, Kentucky. The parade started earlier than usual, at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, September 7, but still hundreds of people lined the streets to see local organizations along with Bryan Station High school, Central High School, Simmons College of Kentucky and Kentucky State University march down the road. The Parade on Saturday began on Fourth Street and Elm Tree Lane, turned right onto ML King, right onto Fifth Street, right onto Race Street, right onto Third Street and ended on Elm Tree Lane The parade was followed by a wild and exciting Battle of the Bands and band performances. It was held outside the historic Lyric Theatre on East Third Street and Elm Tree Lane. The festival started with an African American marketplace on Friday and wrapped with a gospel celebration on Sunday. Check out the parade and bands below.

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A must see in the Southeast: Lexington's Roots and Heritage Festival returns after a two-year hiatus

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