Summer is almost here which means tis’ the season for longer and warmer days.
It’s also the time in the year that offers the best music festivals around the world.
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In just a few weeks, Afropunk will kick off its festival season in Paris for the third year in a row where Solange and Raphael Saadiq will join a long list of performers for the two-day event.
If you’re not already familiar, Afropunk is a series of annual festivals around the world, including Atlanta, New York, and London, that celebrates the influence of blackness in alternative and punk culture.
The inaugural event began in 2005 at the Brooklyn Academy of Music after the organization’s co-founder, James Spooner, debuted his 66-minute movie back in 2003 titled Afro Punk. The documentary spotlights black musicians and fans in punk, hardcore, and metal scenes around the country.
Inspired by African heritage, the festivals provide a “safe place and blank space for people to freak out in, to construct a new reality, to live your life as you see fit, while making sense of the world around you,” according to organizers.
Joining the lineup is Janelle Monae, British and French breakthrough acts Little Simz and Ibeyi, and Tiwa Savage.
The festival will be more than just musical concerts, however. Attendees will have the chance to celebrate the food of the diaspora through Bites & Beats thanks to a special collaboration with Black Spoon founder Fati Niang.
The SpinThrift Market will showcase the best of Paris’ DIY-maker-community. The market will feature one-of-a-kind pieces inspired by African art and textiles. Other items include jewelry, natural beauty products, apparel, housewares, books, prints, and more.
Afropunk Paris runs from July 13 through July 14. Find this year’s full lineup here.