The Curly Girl Collective returned with the worlds largest annual natural beauty festival, Curl Fest, on July 27, 2019. Curl Fest began in 2014 the first held at Commodore Barry Park before moving to Prospect Park as it gained more popularity. This year, for the first time, the festival was held on Randalls Island after outgrowing Prospect Park due to its growing success.
Naturalistas (and naturalistos) , mainly Black and Hispanic women and men who know the struggles and wonders of natural hair, came from each of the boroughs and beyond to celebrate themselves,their hair; and NYC’s ban on hair discrimination as of February 2019.
Brands such as Shea Butter, Target, Eden Body Works, BET, Jamaican Mango and Lime, Palmers and more set up tents on the lawn offering festival goers discounted products and complimentary samples of their most popular beauty and hair products.
The Curly Girl Collective held the first panel of the afternoon admitting they were a bit apprehensive about changing locations and expressed their gratitude for everyone who came out to support despite the lengthy commute. As the event continued they took pictures and danced amongst the crowd as T-shirts were being thrown from the main stage into the crowd whereDJ Moma and DJ Stackz spun old school and new school hip hop, reggae, soca, and more.
On the Empowerment Stage, several panels took place discussing colorist, beauty, business, and even a discussion between the men from the Guys Next Door podcast titled, “Curls After Dark; His Voice, Her Hair.”
With an event as successful as Curl Fest, there’s comfort in knowing that next years event is already being planned according to the five members of the Collective. Check out highlights from the festival under the events hashtag, #curlfest, and by following the Curly Girl Collective @curlygirlcollective.