From statement-making trend and impromptu photoshoots to packed panels and networking alternatives, Black creativity was on show all through the Brooklyn Navy Yard, in New York, as 1000’s gathered for CultureCon 2026.
The 2-day pageant, held Oct. 3-4, 2026 on the Duggal Greenhouse, introduced collectively creators, entrepreneurs, artists and cultural leaders from throughout industries. This 12 months’s theme, “Museum of Us”, centered on the individuals behind the tradition, celebrating their work whereas giving rising creatives alternatives to study, community and construct their careers.
CultureCon drew roughly 12,000 attendees and featured appearances from a number of the largest names in leisure and tradition, together with Michael B. Jordan, John Legend, Olandria Carthen, Mahershala Ali, Aaron Pierre, Neicy Nash-Betts, Miles Caton, Daniel Kaluuya and New York Metropolis Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
However a lot of the vitality prolonged past the principle levels. All through the weekend, attendees moved between workshops, model activations and areas devoted to profession and enterprise improvement.
The profession lounge provided entry to recruiters and pace networking, whereas programming on the Artistic Enterprise Stage targeted on turning artistic work into sustainable careers and companies. A small-business market gave Black-owned companies one other alternative to place their merchandise immediately in entrance of 1000’s of attendees.
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Attendees collect outdoors Activation Alley at CultureCon 2026 on the Brooklyn Navy Yard in Brooklyn, New York. Photograph by Catherine Roth / The Haitian Occasions
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Colourful directional indicators information attendees to levels, meals vans and different sights at CultureCon 2026 on the Brooklyn Navy Yard in Brooklyn, New York. Photograph by Catherine Roth / The Haitian Occasions
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Attendees view a show of portrait work at CultureCon 2026 on the Brooklyn Navy Yard in Brooklyn, New York. Photograph by Catherine Roth / The Haitian Occasions
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Attendees collect at Nao’s Caribbean Flavors, a Haitian meals truck serving conventional Haitian delicacies, throughout CultureCon 2026 on the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Photograph by Catherine Roth / The Haitian Occasions
Attendees filmed movies, posed for pictures and created social media content material all through the venue. Folks stopped to report and join with different creatives. Trend grew to become an attraction in its personal proper, with friends arriving in elaborate, colourful, and extremely individualized seems that mirrored the vary of Black type and creativity represented on the pageant.
Haitian creatives and entrepreneurs who contributed to that bigger show of Black tradition.
Haitian-American multidisciplinary artist Kayra Theodore, a member of CultureCon’s 2026 Artistic Class, makes use of hair artistry to inform tales, drawing on her life experiences and Haitian upbringing.
“My Haitian id influences rather a lot about my work,” Theodore advised The Haitian Occasions. “By my hair, I’m simply defying these guidelines that had been sort of put onto me.”
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Haitian-American artist Kayra Theodore’s “The Artwork & Rituals of Hair” exhibition showcases sculptural hairstyles, pictures and hair-inspired paintings at CultureCon 2026 on the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Photograph by Catherine Roth / The Haitian Occasions
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Pictures and complicated hair sculptures featured in Haitian-American artist Kayra Theodore’s “The Artwork & Rituals of Hair” exhibition at CultureCon 2026 on the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Photograph by Catherine Roth / The Haitian Occasions
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A collection of pictures highlighting artistic hairstyling and cultural expression featured in Haitian-American artist Kayra Theodore’s “The Artwork & Rituals of Hair” exhibition at CultureCon 2026 on the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Photograph by Catherine Roth / The Haitian Occasions
Theodore recalled her mom taking her to braiding salons and as soon as bringing in a photograph of the jumbo field braids she wished, solely to be advised the type couldn’t be performed.
“I took somebody’s ‘no’ and determined to make it my very own ‘sure’ by instructing myself how one can braid,” she stated.
For Theodore, seeing Haitian creatives represented at occasions like CultureCon additionally challenged conventional concepts of what success ought to appear like.
“To have Haitian creativity represented in a lot of these areas reveals that we don’t should observe a sure path so as to discover success,” Theodore stated.
Haitian-born, Queens-raised musician C!RND!E additionally introduced a distinctly Haitian perspective to CultureCon. The artist describes her sound as “Konpa drill,” a style she created by combining the cultures that formed her.
“I make konpa drill music as a result of I’m Haitian-born and raised in Queens, New York, so I needed to mix my cultures,” C!RND!E advised The Haitian Occasions.
At CultureCon, she stated she was shocked and excited to come across a Haitian meals truck taking part in Caribbean music. “I noticed a Haitian meals truck and I used to be like, ‘Rattling my individuals,’” she stated. “I felt at house.”
Nonetheless, C!RND!E stated she want to see much more Haitian illustration at future CultureCons, together with Haitian-focused panels.
Different Haitian creatives had been represented all through the weekend. Visible artist Dimithry Victor, who was born in Haiti and raised in South Florida, was amongst CultureCon’s 2026 Artistic Class. Victor’s work explores Black id and his Haitian heritage by way of portraiture and storytelling.
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Signage marks the Artistic Enterprise Stage at CultureCon 2026 on the Brooklyn Navy Yard in Brooklyn, New York. Photograph by Catherine Roth / The Haitian Occasions
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Colourful portrait work of distinguished figures in music and leisure are displayed at CultureCon 2026 on the Brooklyn Navy Yard in Brooklyn, New York. Photograph by Catherine Roth / The Haitian Occasions
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CultureCon attendees get pleasure from meals and drinks outdoors on the Brooklyn Navy Yard throughout CultureCon 2026. Photograph by Catherine Roth / The Haitian Occasions
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Taking part artists’ paintings is displayed inside CultureCon 2026 on the Brooklyn Navy Yard in Brooklyn, New York. Photograph by Catherine Roth / The Haitian Occasions
Haitian tradition additionally appeared by way of meals and entrepreneurship. Rogers Burgers, the Haitian-owned Flatbush restaurant based by Josue Pierre and Jonathan Pierre-Lafleur, served festivalgoers its Caribbean-American tackle the traditional burger. Actor Michael B. Jordan even stopped by the sales space throughout the weekend.
For Jeff Pleasure Fulcher, co-founder of Spread Da Wealth, connection at CultureCon took the type of chess. Fulcher could possibly be seen taking part in video games with attendees all through the pageant, reflecting the group his group has constructed across the recreation.
Fulcher additionally represented Haiti by way of trend, sporting Robert Provilus to the pageant.
“All the pieces we do as Haitian American creatives is for the individuals, similar to the whole lot that the individuals ought to do must be for us. We’re one,” Fulcher stated.
The pageant’s levels drew main figures in leisure and tradition, whereas a few of CultureCon’s most seen moments occurred offstage, in vendor cubicles, networking areas, and spontaneous interactions between attendees.
Between panels, festivalgoers exchanged contacts, supported Black-owned companies, posed for pictures and created content material collectively, making the gang itself as a lot part of CultureCon as its scheduled programming.
For the Haitian artists, entrepreneurs and attendees current, the weekend provided one other alternative to make Haitian tradition seen inside a broader celebration of Black creativity, by way of music, visible artwork, trend, meals and group.
On the identical time, C!RND!E’s hope for Haitian-focused panels highlighted room for that illustration to develop, doubtlessly giving Haitian creatives a fair bigger platform at future CultureCons.
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