From statement-making fashion and impromptu photoshoots to packed panels and networking opportunities, Black creativity was on display throughout the Brooklyn Navy Yard, in New York, as thousands gathered for CultureCon 2026.
The two-day festival, held Oct. 3-4, 2026 at the Duggal Greenhouse, brought together creators, entrepreneurs, artists and cultural leaders from across industries. This year’s theme, “Museum of Us”, centered on the people behind the culture, celebrating their work while giving emerging creatives opportunities to learn, network and build their careers.
CultureCon drew roughly 12,000 attendees and featured appearances from some of the biggest names in entertainment and culture, including Michael B. Jordan, John Legend, Olandria Carthen, Mahershala Ali, Aaron Pierre, Neicy Nash-Betts, Miles Caton, Daniel Kaluuya and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
But much of the energy extended beyond the main stages. Throughout the weekend, attendees moved between workshops, brand activations and spaces dedicated to career and business development.
The career lounge offered access to recruiters and speed networking, while programming on the Creative Business Stage focused on turning creative work into sustainable careers and businesses. A small-business marketplace gave Black-owned businesses another opportunity to put their products directly in front of thousands of attendees.
Attendees gather outside Activation Alley at CultureCon 2026 at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in Brooklyn, New York. Photo by Catherine Roth / The Haitian Times
Colorful directional signs guide attendees to stages, food trucks and other attractions at CultureCon 2026 at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in Brooklyn, New York. Photo by Catherine Roth / The Haitian Times
Attendees view a display of portrait paintings at CultureCon 2026 at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in Brooklyn, New York. Photo by Catherine Roth / The Haitian Times
Attendees gather at Nao’s Caribbean Flavors, a Haitian food truck serving traditional Haitian cuisine, during CultureCon 2026 at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Photo by Catherine Roth / The Haitian Times
Attendees filmed videos, posed for photographs and created social media content throughout the venue. People stopped to record and connect with other creatives. Fashion became an attraction in its own right, with guests arriving in elaborate, colorful, and highly individualized looks that reflected the range of Black style and creativity represented at the festival.
Haitian creatives and entrepreneurs who contributed to that larger display of Black culture.
Haitian-American multidisciplinary artist Kayra Theodore, a member of CultureCon’s 2026 Creative Class, uses hair artistry to tell stories, drawing on her life experiences and Haitian upbringing.
“My Haitian identity influences a lot about my work,” Theodore told The Haitian Times. “Through my hair, I’m just defying those rules that were kind of put onto me.”
Haitian-American artist Kayra Theodore’s “The Art & Rituals of Hair” exhibition showcases sculptural hairstyles, photography and hair-inspired artwork at CultureCon 2026 at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Photo by Catherine Roth / The Haitian Times
Photographs and intricate hair sculptures featured in Haitian-American artist Kayra Theodore’s “The Art & Rituals of Hair” exhibition at CultureCon 2026 at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Photo by Catherine Roth / The Haitian Times
A series of photographs highlighting creative hairstyling and cultural expression featured in Haitian-American artist Kayra Theodore’s “The Art & Rituals of Hair” exhibition at CultureCon 2026 at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Photo by Catherine Roth / The Haitian Times
Theodore recalled her mother taking her to braiding salons and once bringing in a photo of the jumbo box braids she wanted, only to be told the style couldn’t be done.
“I took someone’s ‘no’ and decided to make it my own ‘yes’ by teaching myself how to braid,” she said.
For Theodore, seeing Haitian creatives represented at events like CultureCon also challenged traditional ideas of what success should look like.
“To have Haitian creativity represented in these types of spaces shows that we don’t have to follow a certain path in order to find success,” Theodore said.
Haitian-born, Queens-raised musician C!RND!E also brought a distinctly Haitian perspective to CultureCon. The artist describes her sound as “Konpa drill,” a genre she created by combining the cultures that shaped her.
“I make konpa drill music because I am Haitian-born and raised in Queens, New York, so I had to combine my cultures,” C!RND!E told The Haitian Times.
At CultureCon, she said she was surprised and excited to encounter a Haitian food truck playing Caribbean music. “I saw a Haitian food truck and I was like, ‘Damn my people,’” she said. “I felt at home.”
Still, C!RND!E said she would like to see even more Haitian representation at future CultureCons, including Haitian-focused panels.
Other Haitian creatives were represented throughout the weekend. Visual artist Dimithry Victor, who was born in Haiti and raised in South Florida, was among CultureCon’s 2026 Creative Class. Victor’s work explores Black identity and his Haitian heritage through portraiture and storytelling.
Signage marks the Creative Business Stage at CultureCon 2026 at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in Brooklyn, New York. Photo by Catherine Roth / The Haitian Times
Colorful portrait paintings of prominent figures in music and entertainment are displayed at CultureCon 2026 at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in Brooklyn, New York. Photo by Catherine Roth / The Haitian Times
CultureCon attendees enjoy food and drinks outside at the Brooklyn Navy Yard during CultureCon 2026. Photo by Catherine Roth / The Haitian Times
Participating artists’ artwork is displayed inside CultureCon 2026 at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in Brooklyn, New York. Photo by Catherine Roth / The Haitian Times
Haitian culture also appeared through food and entrepreneurship. Rogers Burgers, the Haitian-owned Flatbush restaurant founded by Josue Pierre and Jonathan Pierre-Lafleur, served festivalgoers its Caribbean-American take on the classic burger. Actor Michael B. Jordan even stopped by the booth during the weekend.
For Jeff Joy Fulcher, co-founder of Spread Da Wealth, connection at CultureCon took the form of chess. Fulcher could be seen playing games with attendees throughout the festival, reflecting the community his organization has built around the game.
Fulcher also represented Haiti through fashion, wearing Robert Provilus to the festival.
“Everything we do as Haitian American creatives is for the people, just like everything that the people should do should be for us. We are one,” Fulcher said.
The festival’s stages drew major figures in entertainment and culture, while some of CultureCon’s most visible moments happened offstage, in vendor booths, networking spaces, and spontaneous interactions between attendees.
Between panels, festivalgoers exchanged contacts, supported Black-owned businesses, posed for photographs and created content together, making the crowd itself as much a part of CultureCon as its scheduled programming.
For the Haitian artists, entrepreneurs and attendees present, the weekend offered another opportunity to make Haitian culture visible within a broader celebration of Black creativity, through music, visual art, fashion, food and community.
At the same time, C!RND!E’s hope for Haitian-focused panels highlighted room for that representation to grow, potentially giving Haitian creatives an even larger platform at future CultureCons.
The post Haitian creatives bring art, fashion and music to CultureCon 2026 in Brooklyn appeared first on The Haitian Times.
Via Haitian Times
Read original article
Comments (0)
Add a Comment
No comments yet