AFROPUNK Takes Minneapolis For Two Day Festival & Experience Featuring Ari Lennox, Sango & More
Source: Kevin Winter / Getty
AFROPUNK announces the lineup for Planet AFROPUNK Live: Minneapolis show this summer featuring Ari Lennox, Mereba, Sango and more. The festivities will feature live performances, events and experiences, which aim to build community through joyous expression.
Planet AFROPUNK is the first-ever AFROPUNK live experience in the Midwest. It will feature thought-provoking discussion and celebratory musical performances. Other artists performing include Noname, Dreamer Isioma, Pink Siifu and some of the best rising acts in the Twin Cities.
The upcoming live experience will kick-off with a series of panel discussions designed to explore the connection between art and activism while promoting community healing. The festivities will continue with a celebration of life, music, food and culture on its second day. Planet AFROPUNK will take place June 18-19 with panels and events across the city on the 18th and performances on June 19th in Sheridan Memorial Park.
The city of Minneapolis has a rich history as a hub of music and culture in the Midwest that many fans are not privy to, and AFROPUNK is happy to shed light on the city’s many talents. Minneapolis is famously the home of Prince and also birthed funk legends like Jam & Lewis, Morris Day and countless others.
AFROPUNK’s next event hopes to celebrate the city’s bustling community of Black creators and activists, and to affirm and support a community that still ails from tragic loss.
The arts festival shared their mission in a statement saying, “The people of Minneapolis rise up in the face of oppression, and AFROPUNK is dedicated to creating an experience of joy and celebration, while acknowledging and creating dialogue around the struggles faced by the community at large.”
Alongside the weekend of events and its live experience, the festival announces a partnership with High School For Recording Arts, a local high school often called “Hip Hop High,” which was founded by former Prince band member David T.C. Ellis, specializing in developing the next generation of musical talent. Students from the school will have an opportunity to host panels and show off their talents during the first day at a special showcase.
AFROPUNK Live: Minneapolis is more than its exciting lineup of performing artists. The two day event and festival will offer an array of unique activations to entertain and enlighten attendees between sets. AFROPUNK hosts the Spinthrift Market, a shop market full of talented makers, selectors and curators from the Twin Cities region, and AFROPUNK’s Bites ‘n Beats, which provides event goers an opportunity to indulge in cuisines from renowned Midwestern chefs and local food trucks. Other activations include a live mural, early morning Yoga sessions, art galleries, and film screenings.
Planet AFROPUNK Live: Minneapolis continues a new era of AFROPUNK live experiences, allowing for all elements of a local culture to be expressed freely and fully. AFROPUNK announced earlier this year its plans to expand its live footprint, and the Minneapolis Live Experience follows in the wake of Planet AFROPUNK Live: Miami, bringing performances from musicians like Rema and Skillbeng alongside panels, activations, food, and more.
Be sure to get tickets for Planet AFROPUNK Live: Minneapolis on Thursday April 21st at 9am ET here. Visit AFROPUNK’s website for more details and information here.
