In 1994, nearly 5,000 people attended a small, old school music festival in Mobile, Alabama. At that time, no one knew how large the event would grow or how long it would last. Amazingly, more than a decade has passed since that first Funk Fest. And from those humble beginnings, the event has blossomed into a 5 city annual event that attracts more than 10,000 people in each city and is expected to reach a total of 15 cities by 2012. The cities that Funk Fest can be seen in are Jacksonville, FL., Augusta GA., St. Petersburg/Tampa FL., Charleston, SC., and Greenville/Spartanburg SC. Funk Fest is designed to expose and entertain a diverse audience with a variety of Old-School music. The categories of music range from Old School R&B, Funk, Old School Hip-Hop, Blues, Jazz and Comedy. Some of the artist that have performed at Funk Fest are, Frankie Beverly and Maze, Gap Band, New Edition, Whodini, Big Daddy Kane, Betty Wright, Rickey Smiley, Ohio Players, SOS Band, Cameo and many others. Funk Fest was formed to celebrate the rich cultural heritage of Old School Music and has grown into a celebration of human expression. It is the mission of Funk Fest to provide the African – American community access to a means of expression that promotes social consciousness, positive entertainment and personal fulfillment. Variety Entertainment will create these means of expression through Funk Fest which represent quality, creativity, and uniqueness.