Festival Schedule 

 5:30pm     Doors Open with DJ Jerry Cartier

6:00pm     Spoken Word Artists  
Ashley "Ms.AyeVee" Vargas 
Petit Monstre  aka Ryan Alexander
Vanessa Williams known as Poetic V  

6:20pm     Juneteenth Nevada Presentation and Scholarships 
6:40pm     Performance: Thunderstorm Artis 
8:00pm     Performance: Naturally 7  

Entertainment ends 9:30pm

Thunderstorm Artis

Thunderstorm Artis is a singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist known for his heartfelt lyrics, soulful voice, and powerful storytelling. Born into a musical family on the North Shore of Oahu, Thunderstorm grew up surrounded by creativity, which shaped his unique blend of folk, pop, soul, and gospel.

He rose to national prominence as a finalist on The Voice and later captured the hearts of millions as a Top 5 finalist on American Idol. Since then, he’s been on a mission to create music that heals, connects, and uplifts — a message woven through every note he sings.

Whether he’s performing on national TV or at a cozy house concert, Thunderstorm invites listeners into a space of honesty, vulnerability, and hope.

 Naturally 7 

Certain experiences burn themselves in your memory from the very first encounter. The jaw-dropping audio pyrotechnics that Naturally 7 put on display every night  absolutely belong in that category. “A capella group” so vastly underplays what they create onstage that they had to coin a phrase – “Vocal Play” – to more accurately depict what they do. Naturally 7 is more than a tightly orchestrated collection of great singers. They transform their voices into actual human instruments, effortlessly producing music of any genre. Their vocal choreography is so perfectly interwoven that they compelled the musical maestro himself, Quincy Jones, to declare that “Naturally 7 is the future of vocal music!!” Their sonic mastery was on full display in a series of unforgettable performances on “The World’s Best” TV show, which premiered on CBS immediately following Super Bowl LIII. Hosted by comedian and “Car Karaoke” collaborator, James Corden, Naturally 7 reigned supreme as the world’s “Best Group”, and cemented their singular status among the planet’s musical elite.

This was only icing on the cake of a still-vibrant 20-year career, which includes 3 world tours – nearly 500 shows – with the incomparable Michael Bublé, shared  billing with global phenomenon Coldplay – including a sold out show at the Barclays Center – and owned the spotlight in a pair of national Cheerios commercials. In addition to Bublé, Naturally 7 has shared the stage with numerous icons, including Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, Quincy Jones, Sarah Connor, Lionel Richie, Ludacris, The Roots, and more. Counted among their world-famous fans are President Barack Obama, Will.I.Am., Ellen DeGeneres, Craig Ferguson, Bill and Melinda Gates, Jay Leno, Allan Titchmarsh, Mo’Nique, Jools Holland, and Arsenio Hall, along with countless others.

With the release of their latest project, 20/20, Naturally 7 comes full circle, adding a fresh spin on 20 fan favorites, hand selected by fans the world over. This, their  eleventh studio album, celebrates their 20th anniversary in the music industry, giving music lovers all they could hope for, and then some. For the members of Naturally 7 – “Ricky“ Lee Ricardo Cort, Rod Eldridge, N'namdi Bryant, Sean Simmonds, Dwight Stewart, Roger Thomas, and Warren Thomas – it’s a privilege to do what they love and bring so much joy to the hearts of their fans each and every night.  It’s exactly what you would expect. When something is pure magic it’s destined to withstand the test of time. Naturally… 
Naturally 7.

Ashley "Ms AyeVee" Vargas

Ashley "Ms.AyeVee" Vargas is an award-winning Afro-Latina Literary Artist from Las Vegas, Nevada. She is a woman of many hats with a passion for Poetry. Her work has been featured by "The Legendary All Def Poetry, Write About Now & Button Poetry." She has also been recognized by the Las Vegas Book Festival, Nevada Public Radio and the U.S. Congress for advancing the cause of literacy and extraordinary literary achievement. In 2022, Ms. AyeVee was selected as an official TEDx speaker for Las Vegas. She also runs a Las Vegas-based poetry organization, Beyond the Neon (@btnpoetry), focusing on poetry-exclusive events and community outreach.

Ryan Alexander

Petit Monstre (Ryan Alexander) is a Las Vegas-based photographer, poet, and teaching artist known for blending visual storytelling with spoken word poetry. His work has been featured by Clark County Public Arts, City of Henderson, City of Las Vegas, Las Vegas Weekly, Desert Companion & Voyage L.A. He believes in the power of helping the community to express themselves, by exploring themes of emotion and identity. His work often bridges the gap between photography and written poetry.

Vanessa Williams

Vanessa Williams AKA “Poetic V” is a California-raised, Las Vegas-living Poet, teacher, spoken word artist and author. As a voice to the voiceless, her passion is to inspire the world with her writings, ignite nations with her voice and illustrate the power of healing through writing. Poetic V has competed in and won over 10 poetry slams and has written and published her own poetry book, "Poetically Affirmed." She has had the privilege of being a featured artist in over six states and 30+ events, including the Las Vegas Book Festival, Miss Nevada African Pageant, 3x Utah Arts Festival performer, SXSW performer and a TEDx presenter. She draws on her painful life experiences to prove there is a purpose in it all and knows God will use her grief and turn it into greatness while empowering others to do the same.