Afro-Diasporic Ocean Festival

Start: Saturday, July 26, 2025 12:00PM
End: Saturday, July 26, 2025 8:00PM

Afro-Diasporic Ocean Festival Saturday, July 26, 2025 | 12:00–8:00 PM Rockaway Beach Amphitheater, Queens, NY The Afro-Diasporic Ocean Festival is a full-day, intergenerational, and multidisciplinary cultural event celebrating the richness, resilience, and creative brilliance of African-descended peoples across the Americas and the Caribbean. Taking place on the shores of Rockaway Beach in Queens, New York, this vibrant outdoor gathering uplifts the music, dance, food, stories, and activism rooted in the Afro-diasporic experience. In its 2025 edition, the festival is dedicated to International Afro-Descendant Women’s Day —centering Black women’s voices, leadership, and creative power across the diaspora. Lead organized by LiberArte Inc., a Queens-based nonprofit led by BIPOC artists and cultural workers, the festival aims to cultivate joy, connection, and healing in a time of global social reckoning and ongoing cultural erasure. The event is free and open to the public, with activities designed to be welcoming to all ages and accessible to multilingual, multiracial communities across New York City. PROGRAMMING HIGHLIGHTS ?? 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM Capoeira Angola Workshop, Roda & Samba Led by the internationally recognized collective Quilombo do Acupe, this workshop and public roda invites participants to experience Capoeira Angola as a liberatory Afro-Brazilian martial art form rooted in rhythm, movement, and resistance. Quilombo do Acupe, founded in Salvador, Bahia in 1989, honors the teachings of Mestre João Pequeno and promotes Capoeira as a path of autonomy, healing, and decolonial practice. Their approach includes live samba accompaniment and invites full-body participation for movers of all levels. ??? 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM Panel Discussion – Hosted by the afrolatin@ forum This dynamic conversation, curated by the nationally respected afrolatin@ forum, explores the experiences of Black Latinxs navigating art, identity, and liberation in the United States and beyond. The panel will spotlight Afro-descendant women and femme leaders who are reclaiming space, resisting invisibility, and reimagining future possibilities for Latinidad and Blackness. Designed to inspire dialogue across cultures and generations, this is a rare and timely opportunity to hear directly from community-based thought leaders. ?? 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM Live Poetry & Musical Performances by Women Artists The early evening stage will come alive with poetry and music from Afro-descendant women artists. Featured performer Koku Gonza, a Tanzanian-American Afro-soul artist, will offer a deeply resonant and genre-bending set blending Afrobeat, R&B, highlife, and jazz influences. Her music—performed in English and Swahili—bridges continents and cultures, reflecting the spirit of global Black solidarity and diasporic creativity. Additional poetry and music performances will be announced closer to the event date, amplifying local and international Afro-feminist voices. ?? 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM DJ Dance Party The day will close with a joyful DJ set celebrating Afro-Diasporic rhythms from across the globe, inviting everyone to move, release, and ground in celebration and connection. ADDITIONAL FEATURES Vendor Village featuring Afro-Diasporic food, handmade crafts, natural beauty products, books, and art Family-Friendly Activities including creative stations, movement-based play, and community resource sharing Accessibility & Safety: The event will include bilingual signage (English/Spanish), shaded seating, ADA-accessible areas, and COVID-conscious protocols, including masks and sanitization stations Community Partners including grassroots organizations, healing practitioners, artists, educators, and volunteers rooted in racial, gender, and climate justice work. Public Transit & Parking: Limited parking is available at the Rockaway Beach Amphitheater lot - please consider carpooling or using public transportation! Closest Bus Stop: Rockaway Beach Blvd/Cross Bay Pkwy (Q22, QM16) Closest Subway Stop: Beach 90th St. (A Train) Rockaway Beach Amphitheater is ADA accessible, but please expect mixed terrain and sandy conditions. Most activities at this location should be able to accommodate a wide range of abilities and ages. Optional activities that are on the beach may not be accessible. RSVP: https://oceanfest2025.eventbrite.com/