There’s a new festival coming to New York City this summer. The inaugural Harlem Festival of Culture (HFC) is set to take place on July 28 through July 30 at Randall’s Island Park in New York City.
Teyana Taylor, a native of Harlem, New York, and star of A Thousand and One, is billed as the top performer for this three-day festival, inspired by the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, the centerpiece of Questlove’s Oscar-winning and Grammy-winning Summer Soul documentary.
Taylor’s upcoming performance will mark her first show since 2022’s The Last Rose Petal 2… Farewell Tour. It’s also her warmup affair before she plays as a special guest at the rescheduled Sol Blume Festival in August.
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Wyclef Jean, Grammy winner and Co-Chair of the HFC Music Advisory Board, will co-headline the Harlem Festival of Culture. Other performers include Bell Biv DeVoe, Muni Long, Adam Blackstone, Coco Jones, Eric Bellinger, Ro James, Tink, MAJOR. and more.
Hip-hop legend MC Lyte, also a HFC Music Advisory Board Member, will host the festival.
Harlem Festival of Culture was founded by Nikoa Evans, Musa Jackson and Yvonne McNair. According to the press materials, the festival’s mission is to present “world-class live programming that celebrates and preserves the cultural contributions of the Black Diaspora in music, media, art, fashion and entertainment.”
McNair, co-founder and Technical & Talent Producer of HFC, said, “For this inaugural year, we were very thoughtful and intentional in building what is an amazing lineup that aptly reflects the incredibly unique legacy that is intrinsic to the village of Harlem as well as the breadth and brilliance of Black music and culture. Ultimately, HFC is our love letter to Harlem and we are excited to grow it into a landmark cultural experience that encapsulates all the things that make Uptown the nexus of innovation, cultural expression and a place of true community- building.”
“For me personally as a Harlem native and co-founder of HFC, this moment is truly a dream realized and I couldn’t be more excited that it is all finally happening as we envisioned,” stated Jackson, HFC Community Liaison Officer. “This festival truly highlights the power of this special place – fully representing its vibrancy, resilience and spirit through music, food, culture and everything in between. And in true Harlem fashion, we are going to show up and show out!”
Evans, HFC’s Strategy & Business Development Officer, added, “One of our primary goals with this Festival is to amplify and support local, small businesses and creatives and to prioritize community engagement. From Mart 125 to our discussions surrounding critical issues such as mental health, this is also an investment in Harlem as much as it is a music festival and it gives us the opportunity to powerfully impact the economic and social vitality of this community in a real and meaningful way!”
Tickets for the Harlem Festival of Culture are available now. All tickets are sold through Universe. See full lineup below.
Harlem Festival of Culture Lineup 2023
Adam Blackstone
Bell Biv DeVoe
Cam’ron
Coco Jones
Doug E. Fresh
Eric Bellinger
Estelle presents Dancehall Linkup with appearances by Lumidee, Max Glazer, Mr. Killa, Nadine Sutherland, Nina Sky, Rupee, Serani, and Wayne Wonder.
Fat Joe
Jozzy
MAJOR.
MA$E
Muni Long
Remy Ma
Ro James
Teyana Taylor
Tink
Wyclef Jean
