The annual festival returns to Brooklyn’s Duggal Greenhouse October 3 and 4 with a “Museum of Us” theme and an expanded lineup of speakers and programming.
CultureCon is coming back to New York next month, and organizers say it will be bigger than ever.
The festival returns to the Duggal Greenhouse in the Brooklyn Navy Yard on Saturday, October 3, and Sunday, October 4, with this year’s theme, “Museum of Us,” built around celebrating the community currently shaping culture. CultureCon Collective has revealed an all star lineup for the weekend, including John Legend, Mahershala Ali, Niecy Nash Betts, Miles Caton, Daniel Kaluuya, Colin Kaepernick, Olandria Carthen, Danessa Myricks, Rajah Caruth, Scott Evans, and Sherri Shepherd, among others.
CEO and founder Imani Ellis said attendees will “feel the evolution” of the event this year, with a sharper focus on what happens for visitors once the festival ends.
“Our community is growing up, their businesses are expanding, their ambitions are bigger, and CultureCon has to grow with them,” Ellis said. “We’ve always been a place where you can come to be inspired and see yourself reflected, but inspiration can’t be where it stops. This year, we’re really thinking about what happens after you leave.”
She added that she wants attendees to leave with tangible outcomes, not just inspiration. “Did you meet someone who changes the trajectory of your career? Did you learn something that helps you negotiate your next deal or build your business differently?” she said. “I want you to leave full, not just inspired.”
The “Museum of Us” theme reflects Ellis’s intent to recognize culture shapers in real time rather than waiting for retrospective acclaim. “When you think about a museum, you think about the people and moments that someone decided were important enough to preserve,” she explained. “It’s about giving our community their flowers while they can still smell them.”
New for 2026, the festival is partnering with Black Girl Art Show and Black Boy Art Show to highlight emerging Black artists, along with Literature and Libations, which will bring a curated book selection and author meet and greets to the event.
The festival footprint is also expanding with a new campus space housing the Braindate, Career Lounge, Small Business Marketplace, and Creative Business Stage, all aimed at career growth, mentorship, and professional development. Returning staples like the Founder Summit and Creator Summit are expanding as well, with an emphasis on practical resources for building lasting careers.
Ahead of the main event, CultureCon Week will run five days of dinners, screenings, and community gatherings with brand partners. Reflecting on eight years of the festival, Ellis said this year is about building on the community’s established influence. “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?” she said.
Major partners for the 2026 event include Chase Ink, Cricket Wireless, Lincoln, HBO Max, TikTok, and Audible. CultureCon NYC 2026 runs October 3 to October 4 at the Duggal Greenhouse in the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
Origially read on People.