MOJA Arts Festival opens Thursday
Mon, 09/21/2026 - 1:02pm
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STAFF REPORT
The Charleston’s Office of Cultural Affairs and MOJA Arts, the new 501(c)(3) nonprofit overseeing the national MOJA Arts Festival, announced the festival opening on Thursday, Sept. 24 at Marion Square.
The opening celebration, which will resemble an old-fashioned family picnic and drumline battle featuring Burke High School, Timberland High School and Woodland High School, begins at 11 a.m.
Tickets for five MOJA events are available now online. Other events, most of which are free, are being offered by the College of Charleston, the Drummond Studio Gallery and OCA at its new headquarters, the Cannon Street Arts Center.
The celebrated, eight-day MOJA Arts Festival celebrating Black arts, culture and heritage runs through Oct. 1 in locations across the city, offering entertainment from local and national stars. This year’s Honorary Chairpersons are Jonathan Green, Carolyn Murray, Michael B. Moore, Brenda Lauderback and Darius Rucker.
The festival includes the first Community Heroes Gala at the South Carolina Aquarium on Sept. 24, the much-loved Reggae Block Dance on Sept. 25 and a free blockbuster, family-friendly concert on Oct. 1 showcasing albums celebrating their 50th anniversary. The show, produced by Ray Chew and Vivian Scott Chew of Chew Entertainment and featuring Charleston’s own Tommy Brown and Zandrina Dunning, will feature music from Stevie Wonder’s ”Songs in the Key of Life” (featuring “Sir Duke” and “Isn’t She Lovely);” Parliament’s “Mothership Connection,” a defining P-Funk album; Marvin Gaye’s “I Want You” and Earth, Wind &Fire’s “Spirit” among others.
Chew Entertainment returns after a blockbuster Juneteenth Block Party and History Lesson that brought more than 1,000 people to downtown Charleston to dance in the street during a tribute to Michael Jackson.
“We are so excited to bring together some of the finest talent across the Lowcountry to celebrate some of the best music ever made,” said Charleston’s Director of Cultural Affairs Rochelle Riley in a press release. “I cannot wait for my friends from across the country to come to Charleston to experience this amazing display of local talent, cuisine and culture here. We want new sponsors to help MOJA become the best and largest cultural festival in the country.”
The festival also will honor music legend Wonder with a special concert on Sept. 28 specifically celebrating the 50th anniversary of Wonder’s masterpiece “Songs in the Key of Life,” which was released on Sept. 28, 1976. At the time of the album’s release, the album was the centerpiece of a groundbreaking $13 million contract that Wonder signed with Motown, the largest record deal in history at that time.
Provided by Charleston’s Office of Cultural Affairs