Afropunk Festival is coming back to Brooklyn next month

Afropunk Festival, a celebration of alternative Black music and artistry, has become one of the most exciting live events in the world. Not everyone knows that the party, which is now global, actually started in Brooklyn, and it's officially coming back for two days next month.

This year's festival, AFROPUNK BLKTOPIA BKLYN, will take place from August 23-24 at the Lena Horne Bandshell in Prospect Park. 

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Afropunk is taking over in collaboration with BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn!, the longest running free performing arts festival. This year's event will reimagine the future of Black life, creativity and community and will be a precursor to Afropunk's 20th year anniversary, scheduled to take place in 2025. 

Although the full lineup hasn't been announced yet, the festival will be headlined by the legendary Erykah Badu for the first time since 2018.

If previous iterations of the celebration are anything to go by, it's safe to expect that the lineup will be iconic and absolutely worth the wait. Last year, featured artists included Teyana Taylor, Joey Badass, Baby Tate, Sudan Archives, Flying Lotus and other icons of the alt scene. Before that, Tierra Whack, Doechii and many others took the coveted stage. 

Afropunk started in 2005 at the Brooklyn Academy of Music and has traveled to Atlanta, Paris, London, Dakar, Johannesburg and other major cities throughout the world. Although the festival began as a space for Black punks specifically, it's since grown to include other alternative scenes and communities throughout the diaspora. 

Tickets to AFROPUNK BLKTOPIA BKLYN are available now to Afropunk Festival email subscribers at a reduced price until 2pm ET on Saturday, July 20. For everyone else, tickets will be released on Saturday, July 20 at 3pm ET on Ticketmaster. For updates on the lineup, make sure to follow Afropunk on Instagram.