The 2008 Afro-Punk Festival has been announced. The event will take place July 5th -July 13th, 2008 in the heart of Brooklyn, NY. The festival is the definitive destination for the global Afro-Punk community and audiences yearning to experience true AP culture. Last year 30,000 people attended the festvial, and this year is expected to be even bigger, featuring 40 bands, 15 films being screened, a visual art exhibit and a skate park featuring 30 pro BMX riders/skaters.
The festival focuses on giving a voice to thousands of multi-cultural kids fiercely identifying with a lifestyle path-less-traveled and to show that the rock/punk/hardcore scene had powerful appeal beyond the predictable Caucasian audience. The movement is compared to the early days of Hip-Hop.
Free and open to the public, Afro-Punk Festival 2008 will spotlight some of the most exciting young artists and bands fr om the US and abroad, presenting live music and films every night throughout the festival, along with several other key events including:
July 5 - Opening Night Event @ AP Skate Park
July 5-9 -Skate Clinics (featuring BMX skaters), Live Performances & DJâs, Exhibitions & Competitions
July 12 -Concert in Fort Green Park
July 13 - Block Party / Closing Event on Clinton Ave. (Fort Greene, Brooklyn)
The AP Skate Park
A skate park including ramps and a half-pipe will be erected in the BAM car park and open for 5 full days of the festiva l. Staffed by BMX pro skaters who will give demonstrations, the AP Skate Park will provide free instruction for youth o f all ages along with boards, pads, and helmets. Rounding out the Skate Park will be a music stage hosting a high-energ y series of DJ sets and band performances.
The AP Art Series
This year AP presents the work of artists chosen from a supremely talented pool of young exhibition hopefuls, including a cooperative graffiti mural project courtesy of the Trust Your Struggle Art Collective. The critically acclaimed, mult i-national collective of brilliant young visual artisans will bring more than 25 artists together to co-create a mural o ver the course of 5 days at the AP Skate Park.
THE BLOCK PARTY
The Afro-Punk Festival marketplaces will feature emerging artisans of the AP movement, representing music, fashion, arts & crafts, and more. And in a special collaboration between Afro-Punk, BAM, and MARP, the bi-monthly open-air Brooklyn Urban Arts Market (exclusively featuring local businesses) will launch during the AP Block Party.