Carnegie Hall Will Be Hosting a Afrofuturism Festival Starring Flying Lotus, Sun Ra Arkestra, & More

Carnegie Hall's Afrofuturism festival will feature performances from Flying lotus, Sun Ra Arkestra, Theo Croker, and more.

We're going to the future, ya'll. 

On Tuesday, November 16th, Carnegie Hall announced the details for its next citywide festival and it sounds amazing. The festival will be calledAfrofuturism, and it is scheduled to happen from February to March 2022. According to the press release, the festival will explore "the thriving aesthetic movement and practice that looks to the future through a Black cultural lens, intersecting music, visual art, literature, politics, science fiction, and technology."

The festival will include performances from legendary artists straight from the cosmos. This includes Flying Lotus, Sun Ra Arkestra, Theo Croker, and more. 

The Afrofuturism festival was first announced in June. But the concept has been in the works for a years and is seen as Carnegie Hall’s latest attempt at exploring Black music and culture. (In the past, Carnegie Hall has had shows based around the civil rights movement, the Great migration, and more.)

Speaking about the Afrofuturism festival, Clive Gillinson, Carnegie Hall’s Executive and Artistic Director, said:

“In planning for this festival, it’s been fascinating to see how Afrofuturism embraces so many art forms — from music and the visual arts to science fiction and technology... It’s a creative and inventive theme, and we hope this will be an opportunity for people to embark on a journey of discovery, ask questions, and dream about future possibilities.”

Tickets go on sale Wednesday, November 17th. Check out the full lineup below:

Flying Lotus—Saturday, February 12 at 8:00 p.m.

Sun Ra Arkestra with Special Guests Kelsey Lu & Moor Mother—Thursday, February 17 at 9:00 p.m.

Nicole Mitchell and Angel Bat Dawid—Thursday, February 24 at 7:30 p.m.

Chimurenga Renaissance and Fatoumata Diawara—Friday, March 4 at 9:30 p.m.

Carl Craig Synthesizer Ensemble—Saturday, March 19 at 10:00 p.m.

Theo Croker—Saturday, March 26 at 9:00 p.m.