Your Guide to Top July Festivals Picks for the Culture
Must-Attend Festivals for Black Culture in July 2024
If you're looking for the best festivals celebrating Black culture this July, you've come to the right place. This month is packed with exciting events across the globe, from jazz and hip-hop festivals to tech conferences and cultural celebrations. Here’s a breakdown of some of the best Next Fests to mark on your calendar, including the NOLA’s Essence Fest, Ocean City Jazz Fest and Rolling Loud Europe which is taking place in Austria for the first time. Dive into the details and plan your month around these vibrant celebrations of Black culture.
June 22 – July 6
Most of the 350 concerts for Montreal Jazz Festival are free including The Sacred Souls of recent Tiny Desk concert fame, sultry singer Charlotte Day Wilson and singer-strings player Angelique Francis. The festival takes place over two weeks and there are so many artists to experience.
July 4 – 7
I fell in love with festivals (and New Orleans) when I went to Essence Fest in 2017 so this event will always have a very special place in my heart. Most events for Essence Festival are free like the Wellness Zone, BeautyCon, a family day and a new event focusing on the men - Essence in His Zone. Essence Fest is known most for the Evening Concert Series and they’ve made sure that the performers for the 30th anniversary offer something for everyone.
July 4 – 14
This Canadian festival is also celebrating a 30th birthday. Ottawa Bluesfest is one of the top 10 festivals in North America and day passes cost just $75. You can also buy a festival pass that covers all 10 days of performances.
July 5 – 7
This festival is an annual fundraiser for Ocean City, NC, one of few remaining Black beach towns in the country. Each July 4th weekend, performers and patrons come to the beach to enjoy amazing live music and a coastal breeze.
July 5 – 7
Rolling Loud is bringing the chill hip-hop vibes to Austria for the first time in franchise history. This year is the 10th year for the franchise which started in Miami and has taken place in California and Tokyo. This year, Rolling Loud will also make a stop in Thailand.
July 5 – 7
Afro-Caribbean vibes will take over Fuhlinger with seasoned performers like International Reggae and World Music Awards Dancehall Artiste of the Decade winner Busy Signal and Bernie Man and newer artists like Konshens and Nigerian superstar Burna Boy.
July 6
British-Nigerian rapper Skepta is putting on for both home teams, bringing Afrobeats flavor to the UK. YG Marley was just announced as a performer and Uncle Waffles will be doing her signature Amapiana dance and DJing.
P.S. Am I the only person that just learned that YG Marley was Lauryn Hill’s son when watching the BET Awards this past weekend?
July 10 – 13
From the website, “With over $100 million of intellectual capital and expertise from around the globe, our conference has been the real-life “WAKANDA” for many black entrepreneurs from around the globe.” This year’s theme is “Ascension through Succession” and a lineup of successful Black business people has been been put together to ensure attendees leave better than they came.
July 16 – Jul 19
Black Tech Week was created to connect corporations, Black professionals and entrepreneurs in the tech industry. This year there will be an opportunity for business owners to pitch to investors, a career fair, expo and speaker series.
July 17 – 21
This event is put on by the City of Hammond each year to celebrate the residents. Free events include boat rides, a kids day at the aquatics park, a carnival and concerts. The more popular concerts have a price tag but the price is still reasonable. Ginuwine and BLACKstreet passes are $75 and Da Baby passes are $85. Last year, there were an amazing fireworks show over the lake on Saturday night.
July 20
This Black-woman owned event was created by the Curly Gril Collective to embrace and celebrate our crowns and everything else that makes the Black woman magical. Events include a Beauty Row, Vendor Marketplace, dance party and Arts District. Tickets are currently available BOGO free.
July 25 – 28
This four-day festival in downtown Topeka features a gala, art scholarship for high school students, historical bus tour and of course, a day full of music, food and good vibes. The festival is free but organizers ask that you come with your wallet and hearts open to support vendors.
July 25 – 27
The Cincinnati Bengals stadium will be filled with great music and good energy during this event. Thursday’s Tribute to Hip-Hop honors pioneers of the genre and the weekend has a lineup of some great new and old R&B performers.
July 26 – 28
In conjunction with Ohio Ghana Festival this event is bringing the culture to Columbus! Performers include West African dance troupe G.O.R.E.E. Drum and Dance and Nigerian singer Eliza and the weekend will feature stunning art and fashion.
July 27 – 28
This festival started in 2013 and has past performers like Rae Sremmurd, H.E.R., Burna Boy and IDK and returning headliner, Megan the Stallion. In their initial campaign for 2024 organizers acknowledged issues during previous festivals but they’ve changed locations and linked with Live Nation Urban to make this year’s “Black Coachella” the best one yet.
A Vibe Called Fest keeps you up-to-date with all the important information for festivals and cultural events centered around Black culture. Subscribe and check out our FesTEAval Blog posts and the Next Fests list.
