CultureCon is set to return to Brooklyn on Oct. 3 and 4, bringing together creators, entrepreneurs, artists, and other people shaping culture.
The 2026 event will take place at the Duggal Greenhouse in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, with workshops, networking sessions, career resources, art showcases, and community programs planned across the two-day festival.
CultureCon Collective, the group behind the annual event, has announced a wide-ranging lineup that includes John Legend, Mahershala Ali, Colin Kaepernick, Olandria Carthen, Niecy Nash-Betts, Miles Caton, Daniel Kaluuya, Danessa Myricks, Rajah Caruth, Scott Evans, and Sherri Shepherd.
A New Focus
CultureCon CEO and founder Imani Ellis says this year’s event will focus on more than inspiration. It will also help attendees use what they learn after the weekend.
“Our community is growing up, their businesses are expanding, their ambitions are bigger, and CultureCon has to grow with them,” Ellis tells PEOPLE. She says the event has long given people a place to find inspiration and representation. Now, the focus goes beyond those moments.
Ellis points to practical questions that can shape a person's career after the event. Could an introduction lead to a new opportunity? Might a workshop provide useful information for negotiating a deal? Could meeting someone help a visitor recognize a place for their own work?
“We’re pairing that with real access, education and connection. I want you to leave full, not just inspired,” Ellis says.
That approach connects with this year's theme, “Museum of Us,” which centers on recognizing people and moments that are shaping culture now.
Instagram | imaniimani | Imani Ellis says CultureCon is shifting from inspiring its audience to actively helping them scale their businesses.
“Museum of Us”
Ellis describes the theme through the idea of a museum, where selected people, events, and objects are preserved because they are considered important.
“When you think about a museum, you think about the people and moments that someone decided were important enough to preserve,” she explains. “I kept thinking, why do we have to wait for someone else to decide that for us?”
She adds that culture is not shaped only by the most recognizable names on a stage. “Museum of Us” is intended to recognize the work happening within the community while it is still taking place.
“‘Museum of Us’ is our way of saying all of that deserves to be seen, celebrated and preserved while it’s happening,” Ellis says.
The 2026 program also marks the first CultureCon collaboration with Black Girl Art Show and Black Boy Art Show. The partnerships will highlight emerging artists working in Black art.
Literature and Libations will also take part, bringing a curated selection of books to the festival and arranging author meet-and-greet sessions.
More Career Resources
The physical event will expand this year with an additional space dedicated to career and business development. The area will include the Braindate program, Career Lounge, Small Business Marketplace, and Creative Business Stage.
The expanded setup is designed to bring mentorship, professional development, networking, and business resources into one location. Existing programs, including the Founder Summit and Creator Summit, will also expand.
These sessions will focus on practical information for people building creative careers and businesses, with an emphasis on resources that remain useful after the event ends.
Ellis says the festival can serve different needs depending on where someone is in their career.
“There isn’t just one way to experience CultureCon this year,” she says. “Everyone is still becoming, still building, still creating, and I think there’s something really beautiful about creating a space that celebrates people in the middle of that journey.”
CultureCon Week
Instagram | blex_media | CultureCon Collective revealed a wide-ranging lineup featuring top stars from John Legend to Colin Kaepernick.
The main festival will be preceded by CultureCon Week, a five-day schedule of dinners, screenings, and community events held with major brand partners.
The 2026 gathering comes eight years after Ellis launched CultureCon. She says the event has changed as the community around it has grown.
“In the beginning, we were creating the room we wished existed. Eight years later, we know the power of this community, and now we’re asking: what can we build with it?” Ellis says.
She adds that CultureCon has developed beyond a once-a-year event and now represents a community that can influence future cultural conversations.
Ellis also hopes attendees leave with a clearer sense of what they can achieve. “Sometimes you just need to be in a room where you can see someone doing the thing you’ve been dreaming about,” she says. Meeting the right person can also remind you that you do not have to figure everything out alone.
She adds, “More than anything, I want everyone who walks through our doors to know that there is room for what they’re building. Their voice matters. They don’t have to wait for someone else to tell them they belong.”
Event Details
Major partners listed for CultureCon NYC 2026 include Chase Ink, Cricket Wireless, Lincoln, HBO Max, TikTok, Audible, and others.
CultureCon NYC 2026 is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 3, and Sunday, Oct. 4, at the Duggal Greenhouse in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The event will feature its speaker lineup, professional development programs, creative showcases, networking opportunities, and community activities.
The 2026 program covers entertainment, art, business, career growth, and publishing under the “Museum of Us” theme.
John Legend, Mahershala Ali, Colin Kaepernick, Niecy Nash-Betts, Daniel Kaluuya, Sherri Shepherd, and other speakers will appear alongside emerging creators and artists. The lineup reflects CultureCon’s focus on both established names and rising talent.
The expanded program also adds more career and business resources. Attendees can explore mentorship, networking, and creative opportunities. These additions give the Brooklyn event a wider focus beyond its speaker sessions.
