With Afropunk building on its success since its inception in 2005, this year’s return home to its roots in Brooklyn, New York was no different. A two-day love fest of all things from punk music to soul to R&B, skate, film and art, Afropunk Festival 2018 sold out, filling Commodore Barry Park from August 25-26 with thousands of attendees promised a safe space free of discriminations of all kinds with an impressive music line-up of well-known artists and new talent.
Afropunk Festival 2018 featured artists
This year’s featured artists included Indie Pop’s Yuna, singer-songwriter Miguel, Pusha T, California native and breakout artist H.E.R., THE INTERNET, Tyler The Creator, Kaytranada, Twin Shadow, Power Jam, Janelle Monae, Willow Smith, The Fever 333, who are all about community, charity and change, Jamila Woods, Smino, Lion Babe and more, all there to celebrate black culture.
While some attendees were angered by the rise in cost to attend, others were happy to pay the increased ticket fee after organizers made youth a focus with a new initiative, a free ticket for a New York-area youth with each ticket purchased.
The Afropunk Festival drew a diverse crowd of millennials, families and music lovers from other generations.
Afropunk Festival 2018 mission
As seen in the past, many attendees expressed themselves with body paint, neon colors, flowers in their hair, bold attire, funky piercings and more, turning themselves into works of art.
This year’s mission statement was “The People Resist” with organizers writing in a statement surrounding this year’s theme.
“This resistance is not new! We the people who have lived under the thumb of white supremacy, gender, inequality, homophobia, environmental rape and economic apartheid have always known that when the world is an outrage, the sensible thing to do is defy it. Resistance is survival, not just a hashtag.”
