#CultureCon2026 is the hashtag for the 2026 edition of CultureCon, the Black creatives festival returning to Brooklyn’s Duggal Greenhouse October 3–4 under the theme “Museum of Us.” The 2026 lineup — headlined by John Legend, Michael B. Jordan, Mahershala Ali, Colin Kaepernick and Niecy Nash-Betts — is the biggest in the festival’s history, with a preceding “CultureCon Week” of dinners, screenings and community programming across NYC from September 28.
Quick Facts
- Main festival: October 3–4, 2026
- Venue: Duggal Greenhouse, Brooklyn Navy Yard
- Theme: “Museum of Us”
- CultureCon Week: September 28 – October 2, 2026 (satellite programming across NYC)
- Headliners: John Legend, Michael B. Jordan, Mahershala Ali, Aaron Pierre, Colin Kaepernick, Niecy Nash-Betts, Daniel Kaluuya, Sherri Shepherd
- Producer: The CultureCon organization, founded by Imani Ellis
The Event
CultureCon is an annual festival built around Black creatives, entrepreneurs and cultural leaders, and the 2026 edition is its largest to date. TheGrio’s September 11 announcement piece detailed the marquee lineup — John Legend, Colin Kaepernick and Michael B. Jordan among headliners — alongside an expanded footprint that includes a Career Lounge, Small Business Marketplace, Creative Business Stage and a new Braindate area for peer-to-peer networking. Bossip’s coverage described the 2026 booking as one of the “most star-studded lineups” in the festival’s decade-long run.
The Movement
The 2026 theme, “Museum of Us,” centers on recognizing culture-shapers in real time rather than waiting for their work to be validated later — a framing organizers position against the historic pattern of Black creativity being institutionalized only in retrospect. Founder Imani Ellis has repeatedly framed CultureCon as an antidote to the “waiting to be discovered” model that dominates traditional publishing, gallery and studio pipelines, and the 2026 partnerships with Black Girl Art Show and Black Boy Art Show extend that idea into visual art specifically.
Key Figures
- Imani Ellis — CultureCon founder; central figure in the festival’s growth from a small NYC meetup into a two-day marquee event.
- John Legend — 2026 headliner; represents the mainstream music/EGOT axis of the lineup.
- Michael B. Jordan — anchor of the film/producer track, following his own production company launches.
- Colin Kaepernick — activism and publishing pillar; ties CultureCon to sports and social-impact conversations.
- Niecy Nash-Betts — extends the recent TV-awards momentum (multiple Emmy wins) into the festival’s TV-industry programming.
Outcomes & Programming
CultureCon 2026 partnered for the first time with Black Girl Art Show and Black Boy Art Show to spotlight emerging Black visual artists on-site. A parallel Literature and Libations program brings curated books and author meet-and-greets, and a new Creative Business Stage runs sessions on turning creative practice into sustainable enterprise — an operational focus that Time Out New York’s ongoing CultureCon coverage has flagged as a central differentiator from other identity-forward festivals.
Cultural Impact
CultureCon has grown from a 2017 meetup into a festival that commercial studios, streamers and consumer brands now use as a talent-facing event during the New York fall culture calendar — sitting between New York Fashion Week and the year-end awards circuit. The 2026 booking of Kaepernick, Kaluuya and Michael B. Jordan on the same weekend is a signal moment: outlets from Bossip to TheGrio framed it as CultureCon claiming a Sundance-adjacent role for Black creative industries, without leaving Brooklyn.
Variations & Related Tags
- #BrooklynLifestyle — geographic and cultural context for the festival’s Duggal Greenhouse home
- #BlackGirlsCode — adjacent movement in the Black creators/entrepreneurs space
- #AfrobeatsGlobalRise — parallel diaspora-culture moment that intersects with CultureCon’s programming