Music fills Imperial Avenue park during third annual Encanto Block Party Music Festival
The festival returned to Imperial Avenue, bringing together longtime residents, local businesses and newcomers looking to build community.
Written by Lauren J. Mapp, Edited by Kate Morrissey
People danced, children laughed on nearby swings and Kahlil Nash shredded on his guitar, channeling the energy of the late musician Prince, as folding camping chairs filled the grassy lawn at Marie Widman Memorial Park on Sunday afternoon.
The Encanto Block Party Music Festival drew more than 1,500 people on July 12 to Imperial Avenue, where they enjoyed live music and shopped from local vendors at the adjacent street fair.
Organized by the Black Arts and Culture District, Sunday’s festival marked a return to a longtime Encanto tradition of block parties on Imperial Avenue between Woodman and 68th streets, said Carolyn Smith, a coordinator with the Black Arts and Culture District through the San Diego African American Museum of Fine Art.
“We wanted to help bring back what used to happen here in Encanto,” Smith said. “We're calling it the 'block party' because it's Woodman to 68th, but to help people remember what happened.”
After forming in 2022, Black Arts and Culture District planned to host its first block party at Marie Widman Memorial Park in 2024, but Smith said January 2024 flooding in the neighborhood forced organizers to host the event in Martin Luther King Jr. Park for the past two years.
People hang out on picnic blankets and camping chairs at Marie Widman Memorial Park during the Encanto Block Party Music Festival. Lauren J. Mapp/Daylight San Diego
The community held the original Encanto Street Fair on Imperial Avenue on Aug. 21, 1993 to celebrate the completion of a $400,000 "Streetscape Art Project" by Eddie Edwards. Selected by the community, Smith said the artwork depicts scenes ranging from horses and neighborhood life to science and youth, offering a visual tribute to the people and stories that have shaped the neighborhood.
Sunday’s festivalgoers explored the art installation of 24 decorative panels along Imperial Avenue.
“A lot of times people take things for granted because they see it all the time, so this is a good way to bring everybody back,” Smith said.
Throughout the day, music from Dub Testament, Geminelle, Lenny “Fuzzy” Rankins and Nash filled the park while host Dominic Malone kept the crowd engaged between DJ sets by Dauché and Almond Eyez.
Kahlil Nash performs during the Encanto Block Party Music Festival on Sunday, July 12, 2026. Lauren J. Mapp/Daylight San Diego
Some guests bought hats embroidered with a heart-shaped “SD,” t-shirts adorned with 3D roses and blue light glasses. Others grabbed smash burgers, collard greens, sweet cornbread cookies and chocolate-dipped strawberries from the food vendors set up along Imperial Avenue.
Mvinyo — a Southeast San Diegan vendor highlighting wines made by vintners of color — poured wine, beer and icy lychee frosé at The Block Club, about three blocks away from the park.
Beyond the music, food and shopping, the festival gave longtime residents and newcomers alike a place to reconnect with old neighbors, support local businesses and build new relationships.
Vendor Isiah Jones grew up in nearby Lincoln Park and founded Porsha’s Marketplace, a clothing brand named in honor of his cousin who died in 2020. Jones grew up attending the Encanto Street Fair and said being at Sunday’s block party brought back fond memories.
“It means everything to me,” Jones said. “It gives our community something else to do. I feel like over the past couple years, we've been kind of lacking events within the community. Anytime that we can come out as a people and enjoy some good weather, enjoy some good music, enjoy some good food — also support the local businesses, which helps build the economy — I'm all for it.”
Left: Porsha’s Marketplace owner Isiah Jones talks about how he collaborated on his hat design to honor Southeast San Diego during the Encanto Block Party Music Festival on Sunday, July 12, 2026. Right: Hats from Porsha's Marketplace are displayed on a table at Isiah Jones' booth. Lauren J. Mapp/Daylight San Diego
For R&B singer and wellness entrepreneur Geminelle Malone, Sunday's festival marked a full-circle moment from her roots growing up attending the street fair.
The Paradise Hills native returned to the festival as both a performer and entrepreneur, taking the stage while also operating a wellness booth with her husband, Dominic, who also served as the festival’s host.
The couple transformed their booth into a “restoration station,” inviting festivalgoers to step away from the crowds, browse wellness resources and take a moment to recharge. Between greeting visitors and preparing for her performance, Malone welcomed visitors into her booth as her young son napped on a pink velvet bench.
“I never had the opportunity to perform here, so to be able to be here, to be performing, and to be able to have a space to share what it is that my husband and I do is such a blessing,” Malone told Daylight.
Julia D.C. Jones, who co-owns Mitri’s Delights with her daughter Mitri Jones, said Sunday’s block party also evoked her memories from the Encanto Street Fair. Early in the day, Jones said she was most looking forward to chatting with other vendors and community members throughout the festival.
“When it's all said and done, I hope that we can all just connect and remember each other and help each other when we see each other in the store somewhere else,” she said.
While many of Sunday’s attendees and vendors grew up in the neighborhood — or come from families who have called Southeast San Diego home for generations — several festival goers were recent transplants to San Diego.
Two months after moving from Sacramento, Najah Hopkins attended Sunday’s block party searching for something every newcomer hopes to find: community.
As a Black woman who recently moved to San Diego as a new administrative law judge, she said it’s been challenging to meet people who have shared cultural connections in a city where Black residents make up only 5.6% of the population, according to U.S. Census data.
“I'm new here. I don't know where to go, what to do,” Hopkins said. “I thought that this would be a great opportunity to see what the town is all about and hopefully meet some people.”
Jennifer Essieh, who launched her cookie business after moving to San Diego from Boston last year, said festivals like Sunday's have helped her feel more connected to the city's community of entrepreneurs.
“Before this, I hadn't come across people like me or businesses like mine, so having these types of events kind of introduced me to different vendors, different people and different small businesses to support,” she said.
The San Diego Black Arts and Culture District is currently running a contest to name a new public space on Imperial Avenue near The Mental Bar and The Block Club. Once crews complete renovations, the space will host theatrical performances, cooking classes and other community events.
“People are excited about that space. One of the beautiful things about this for me, is [that we do] as much as we can do, entertain and program for free,” organizer Smith said. “We want that [space] to be around for everybody.”
The district’s advisory committee asks that proposed names reflect the community’s culture and history, but not the names of individual people. Submissions are due on July 31.
For performers and business owners like Malone, those plans reflect the district's growing momentum, which she hopes continues long after the festival ends.“I really love seeing this energy grow here in San Diego, so I know that it will continue, and I'm excited to see it,” she said.
