V-Fest 2025 Blends Music, Movement, and Wellness for a Day of Free Community Joy
V-Fest returns to St. Paul for its fourth year on Saturday, July 26, offering a vibrant, free celebration of holistic health, music, and cultural healing. Founded during the uncertainty of 2020, the festival aims to uplift, empower, and energize through live performances, movement workshops, and mindful living.
What started as a personal wellness journey during the uncertainty of 2020 has blossomed into one of the Twin Cities’ most uplifting summer events. Now in its fourth year, V-Fest: The Vibrant Music Health Festival returns to St. Paul on Saturday, July 26, from noon to 6 p.m. It promises a day of live performances, movement, holistic health, and community connection — all for free.
Held at the Hallie Q. Brown Community Center, located at 270 N. Kent Street, the festival offers more than just a good time. It’s a celebration of vitality and self-care rooted in cultural healing and joy.
“V-Fest was started based on my lifestyle in 2020 when I thought I was going to lose my job during Covid and became a personal trainer,” said Phillip McGraw, founder of the festival and the wellness business Living Naturally Abundant. “I wanted to give back. It was important to create spaces of holistic living so people could practice mindfulness, decrease stress, and improve their overall health.”
This year’s event features a robust lineup of eight live music acts, including Se’Anna on the Mic, Madie, Lewiee Blaze, Jandeltha, and Jamela Pettiford. Hosting duties fall to MC Jiccarra Da “Captain” and DJ Indigo Siren, with a special line dancing session led by Tina.
But behind the vibrant beats is a deeper mission.
“Our intention is to create a space that’s both a concert and a wellness festival,” McGraw said. “It’s centered on care, holistic living, self-love, and community. That’s what makes V-Fest the ultimate community experience in the summer.”
V-Fest includes energizing group workouts, wellness workshops, and a curated list of local business vendors. From decolonized nutrition to breathing practices and food sovereignty, the event is designed to empower and educate.
McGraw, who describes himself as a wellness coach and juicing enthusiast, also launched a juice line and pop-up business, Plant Bar Café, as a direct result of his experience organizing the first V-Fest.
“After the first festival, someone sold me a six-pack of fresh juice. I drank it all in two days and felt a surge of clarity and power,” he recalled. “That changed everything. I knew I wanted to create a product rooted in the same values: wellness, nourishment and community.”
Through Living Naturally Abundant, McGraw now offers wellness coaching, public speaking, and health-based programming with a focus on addressing disparities and encouraging sustainable living, especially in historically disinvested communities.
“I want to normalize breathing, movement and connection as a way of life…not just temporary fixes,” he said. “My goal is to teach people how to ‘live abundant.’”
V-Fest is supported by partners including Ramsey County Public Health, Mississippi Market, Hallie Q. Brown Community Center, and Living Naturally Abundant.
“Come join the movement and experience a day of pure vitality, wellness and joy,” organizers shared on the official flyer.
To learn more about the festival or see the full schedule, visit www.vfestmn.com.
Jasmine McBride welcomes reader responses at jmcbride@spokesman-recorder.com.