“It’s a matter of feeling,” organizers say of the region’s annual Kumbh festival.
The festival, held Saturday on a street near Riverwalk Park in downtown Jacksonville, radiated positive vibes with music, dancing and uplifting words.
Onslow County NAACP Vice President Kevin Culbreath said the event didn’t go as organizers had hoped, but much of that was due to some problems early on.
“There were a lot of setbacks in the beginning,” he said. Culbreth explained that there are some administrative issues with dealing with parks and recreation, obtaining funding and securing space.
Still, he said, it was a great day. He said the festival is not about making money or selling things, but about people being human.
“It’s a matter of emotion,” he said. Now in its 36th year, Kumbh Festival aims to unite and enrich the community. Culbreth said this event is exactly what the community needs right now.
“We need something that lifts us up. We can’t be protesting and fighting and arguing all the time, that’s not who we are,” he said. “We just want to have fun and think about what we can do for the community. We want to live better.”
Naomi Lee, 28, said she danced at the Kumbh festival several times with a step team when she was a teenager.
“The atmosphere is still the same,” she says. She said no matter where the event is held, it remains important to come together as a community.
Eileen Lane and her father, Bernard Lane, attended the event and performed a “pantomime tribute.” Dressed in mime costumes, they danced passionately to an enthusiastic and responsive crowd. People clapped, sang, and danced together.
“It’s fun,” she said.
Culbreath said planning for next year’s festival will begin immediately. This is not a question of rich or poor, he said. It’s about being a person.
“That is what the Kumbh Festival is about: treat others as you would have them treat you,” he said.