CURLFEST®: The Iconic Celebration of Natural Beauty, Culture, and Community Returns to New York City on July 25, 2026

The beloved celebration of Black beauty, culture, and community returns to New York City on Saturday, July 25, 2026, at Randall's Island.

NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES, June 26, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- CURLFEST^®, by Curly Girl Collective is back in New York City on Saturday, July 25, 2026, at Randall's Island. The festival will feature a dynamic lineup of experiences celebrating culture, entrepreneurship, creativity, and community while creating meaningful opportunities for connection, discovery, and inspiration. The flagship festival, which is 100% owned and operated by Black women and launched as a grassroots gathering of roughly 1,000 attendees, has grown into an event drawing over 30,000 people at peak.

Curly Girl Collective is building CURLFEST^® 2026 around the understanding that beauty, health, and economic empowerment are not separate conversations for young women of color. This year the festival will feature live entertainment from popular talent including DJ Young Chow; Beauty Row, home to interactive activations, immersive installations, product sampling, and exciting giveaways from some of your favorite beauty brands; the Empowerment Stage, where attendees can engage in thought-provoking conversations and panel discussions on topics including wellness, entrepreneurship, beauty, career growth, financial empowerment, and culture; Eats n' Treats, featuring carefully selected food and beverage vendors celebrating the diverse flavors of diaspora and beyond; a vibrant Vendor Marketplace showcasing beauty, fashion, wellness, lifestyle, and artisan small businesses; and the Small Beauty Village, providing emerging beauty brands with a unique platform to connect directly with a highly engaged, beauty-forward audience.

Curly Girl Collective is also excited to introduce Road to CURLFEST^®, a new series of in-person and virtual experiences leading up to and surrounding CURLFEST^® 2026. Stay tuned as the organization unveils community events, special collaborations, and exclusive experiences designed to keep the celebration going well beyond festival day.

Tickets and additional information are available on Eventbrite: eventbrite.com/e/curlfest-2026-tickets

The event is an empowering and uniquely magical experience where people of every shade, shape, and size can come and be celebrated unconditionally for who they are. CURLFEST^® 2026 will expand its focus on youth-centered programming, creating a dedicated space for the next generation of curly girls to connect with Black-owned beauty founders, wellness practitioners, and financial educators.

Press & media registration for CURLFEST^® 2026 is now open online: Apply Here.

Since launching, the festival has generated an estimated 8.4 billion cumulative social media impressions, all driven organically by the community, creators, and attendees who show up year after year. That organic reach is not an accident; it’s what happens when a brand is built by the community it serves rather than marketed at them. Past brand partners include Shea Moisture, Mielle, The Doux, Curls, Creme of Nature, Cantu, Miss Jessie's, and TPH by Taraji P. Henson.

The CURLFEST^® 2026 Radio Media partner is WBLS, and the official Gift Bag Participants include: The Doux, Miss Jessie's, Donna's Recipe, Mielle Organics, SheaMoisture, and Pardon My Fro. The Activation Sponsors are: Creme of Nature, Carol's Daughter, DevaCurl, Black Girl Vitamins, Donna's Recipe, SheaMoisture, DHair, En Love Beauty, NAACP, Mielle Organics, Red Bull, Watch and Sea Beauty, Uber Soca Cruise, and Dark and Lovely. Details on youth programming, mentorship activations, Gen Z creator partnerships, and additional 2026 sponsors will be announced in the coming weeks.

About Curly Girl Collective
Curly Girl Collective is the organization behind CURLFEST^®, currently led by founding members Charisse Higgins, Melody Henderson, and Simone Mair. Curly Girl Collective has spent over a decade building cultural infrastructure that celebrates natural beauty, wellness, and community for Black women and girls. From a small gathering to a nationally recognized institution with billions of organic social impressions, Curly Girl Collective has never accepted outside funding or corporate ownership. It remains fully bootstrapped and fully community-driven, with a growing focus on investing in the next generation of curly girls through programming, mentorship, and economic access.

Website: [curlfest.com] Instagram: [@curlygirlcollective] Hashtag: #CURLFEST2026

For press inquiries, interview requests, or media credentials, contact: playbook@playbookmg.com

Marie Driven Theodore
Playbook MG
+1 646-529-9349
marie@playbookmg.com

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