After being cooped up inside for the past couple of summers, we're outside this summer – outside at music festivals, that is. A number of big festivals have already occurred, but there are still a few more to come, including an exciting new kid on the block with the announcement of the inaugural edition of LETSGETFR.EE, A Conscious Carnaval. Scheduled to take place on Saturday, August 20th and Sunday, August 21st at Flushing Meadows Corona Park in the New York City borough of Queens, the festival will welcome a genre-busting array of talent to the stage.
LETSGETFR.EE was founded by Matthew Morgan (previously the head of AFROPUNK), and it's going to be a party with a purpose. In their own words, the inclusive event is described as, "the largest diversity-focused purpose-driven festival in the United States, that celebrates the power of artists, creators, and the entertainment and creative classes, community, to impact and change the world." The acronym FR.EE stands for "F**k Racism Elevate Equality," and their goal is to be a safe space where Black, Brown, Indigenous, Asian/Pacific Islanders and the LGBTQ communities can express themselves through music and art.
LETSGETFR.EE has assembled an incredibly talented and diverse lineup of artists to perform during the two-day, action-packed festival. The format, inspired by the Afro-Latin Carnaval concept, will feature artists performing on Trios, state-of-the-art mobile stages that move. There will be multiple stages each day, with close to 60 artists scheduled to perform.
On Saturday, on the Missy Elliott Party Stage, attendees will witness a rare performance by legendary artist Missy Elliott. Also performing on that stage will be Jorja Smith, Tiwa Savage, UMI, Ilham and DJ Miss Milan.
Nigerian Afrobeats superstar Wizkid will headline the lineup on the Wizkid Party Stage, which will also include performances by El Alfa, Mr. Eazi, Anik Khan and DJ Sydney Love. Mommy-to-be Jhené Aiko will headline the Carnaval Stage, which will also include Raveena, YENDRY, Lous And The Yakuza, Lido Pimienta and Bubble_T & Friends.
On the Trio Stage, Major Lazer Soundsystem and Ferg will headline, with performances by GoldLink, Bakar, Gyptian and many more. The Noir Fever Stage will feature Aluna & Friends with artists DJ Minx, Felix Da Housecat and others performing as well.
Sunday’s lineup is equally as impressive, with the Anderson. Paak Party Stage featuring performances by multiple GRAMMY Award-winning artist Anderson .Paak and his band Free Nationals, Pabllo Vitar, Bas, Fousheé, Major League DJz and BOYLIFE.
Immensely popular Puerto Rican singer/rapper Ozuna will headline performances on the Ozuna Stage where he will be joined by Beenie Man, Tokischa, DJ Camilo, Tems and María Isabel. Meanwhile, on day two of the Carnaval Stage, Kali Uchis will headline and Audrey Nuna, Deb Never, Teezo Touchdown, Priya Ragu and Dana Lu will also perform.
- Advertisement -Day two will feature two Trio Stages, one headlined by Flatbush Zombies and the other headlined by Bomba Estéreo. The lineup for those stages includes the legendary Erykah Badu who will be wearing her DJ Lo Down Loretta Brown hat, Papi Juice, Kojey Radical and more. The D36 Stage will have Bangladeshi American electronic music producer Jai Wolf, Daytimers, Weston Estate and Prateek Kuhad.
Throughout the weekend, there'll be a lot more than music for festival attendees to enjoy. There'll be parties, art installations, brand activations, an international food faire, a vendor marketplace and even a soccer tournament.
- Advertisement -If LETSGETFR.EE, A Conscious Carnaval sounds like a good time to you, make plans to attend now. Single-day tickets or weekend passes are available for purchase and VIP upgrades are available as well. Visit the LETSGETFR.EE website for more information on ticketing and passes. If you are serious about attending, you should act fast as tickets to this historic inaugural festival won't last long.
