Afropunk Unveils April 2021 ‘Black Spring’ Event

Jason Mendez / Getty Images – Afropunk 2019
Brittany Howard performs at Afropunk’s flagship event in Brooklyn, N.Y.’s Commodore Barry Park on Aug. 25, 2019.

Esteemed festival Afropunk announced its 2021 initiative, titled “Black Spring,” on Wednesday.

“Black Spring” will take place this April in Miami – and be available across the globe virtually and for free – and will feature performances, talks and salon sessions immersing audiences in the Afro-Latin and Afro-Caribbean worlds.

Afropunk will also host COVID-safe, in-person watch parties in Miami and Bahia, Brazil.

Participants and exact dates for the festival will be announced soon, according to a press release.

“Afropunk has always been about centering the genius of Black creators from throughout the diaspora and in this time of renewal

we are inspired by the spirit of resilience and joy in the Afro-Latinx Diaspora,” said Afropunk strategic advisor Nichelle Sanders in a statement. “From music to politics to culture, this community has contributed to revolutionary progress in global black culture. We are so excited to bring some light, heat, sun and party after the dark winter of 2020. We are also excited to provide a further platform to explore the deep complexity and intersections of Blackness, Latinidad, nationality, gender, sexuality and more in the newest edition of Afropunk.”

Afropunk’s announcement explains that “Black Spring” will “be an experience of revitalization, reclamation, revolution and renewal,” and promised the event “will be a virtual festival like no other this year.”

Afropunk debuted in Brooklyn in 2005, and has since staged editions throughout the world in Atlanta, Paris, London and Johannesburg, South Africa.

The festival’s most recent flagship event, held in Brooklyn in August 2019, was headlined by Jill Scott, FKA twigs and Kamasi Washington. Other recent headliners include Erykah Badu; Miguel; Tyler, the Creator; Gary Clark Jr.; Ice Cube; and TV On The Radio.

Like many festivals, Afropunk pivoted due to the pandemic in 2020, staging the three-day “Planet Afropunk” virtual event, which featured a slew of artists including Common, Bootsy Collins, Moses Sumney, Yves Tumor, serpentwithfeet, Smino and Songhoy Blues.

For even more about Afropunk, revisit Pollstar‘s “Black History Month Roundtable: Celebrating Excellence In The Live Industry,” which streamed last week and featured Afropunk executive producer Tina Farris as a panelist.