AMC Networks, a presenting sponsor of the Harlem Festival of Culture, said it has signed up Shark Beauty, SheaMoisture and Boost Mobile as sponsors of the event.
The festival, which recalls the historic 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival featured in the Oscar-winning documentary Summer of Soul, will take place July 28 through July 30 on Randall’s Island in New York and will be headlined by Teyana Taylor and Wyclef Jean.
AMC’s ALLBLK and WE tv will sponsor a VIP area inspired by the Cotton Club, the legendary Harlem nightclub.
MC Lyte, star and executive producer of the ALLBLK original series Partners in Rhyme, is the festival’s host for the weekend.
Fat Joe, who appeared on WE tv’s Growing Up Hip Hop: New York, is one of the weekend’s performers. Reginae Carter, star of the upcoming WE tv series Toya & Reginae, will be creating custom social content for Shark Beauty leading up to the festival.
“We could not be more pleased or proud to be a presenting sponsor of this landmark cultural event, the present-day reimagining of the historic Harlem Cultural Festival of 1969,” Kim Kelleher, chief commercial officer of AMC Networks, said. “This important partnership has paved the way for our talent and creators to play meaningful roles in the program itself, and also for a number of key partners to become involved in the event that promises to be a one-of-its-kind celebration of Black music and culture.”
Shark Beauty is working with AMC Networks and the Harlem Festival of Culture as the official hair drying and styling tool. During the festival weekend, guests will be able to book complimentary dry styling appointments at the Shark Beauty Hair Village choosing from a menu of festival styles.
Custom social content featuring Reginae Carter will kick off Shark Beauty’s festival presence across WE tv’s social handles, spotlighting three unique looks that guests can get. Live coverage of Shark Beauty’s Hair Village activation will also be posted on the WE tv Instagram handle during the festival weekend.
“We’re thrilled to be a part of this amazing celebration and cultural experience,” said Brendan Bosch, global head of marketing at Shark Beauty. “The Shark FlexStyle was designed to help consumers embrace their hair, no matter their hair type, and we’re excited to bring the multi-styling tool to festival weekend to help attendees look and feel their best.”
SheaMoisture will be activating on-ground as the official hair care partner of the Harlem Festival of Culture. The brand will have an extensive footprint within the Mart 125 marketplace, which showcases Black-owned entrepreneurs. SheaMoisture products will be for sale, as well as products from many of the Shea List businesses it supports.
A recap of their activation will be posted on WE tv social handles in the days following the festival.
As a partner of AMC Networks, Boost Mobile will be supporting the Harlem Festival of Culture through an extensive presence in the Harlem community. Boost Mobile will host events in and around its 12 Harlem retailers with music, giveaways, Harlem Festival of Culture discount ticket access, and opportunities to win VIP admission tickets.
“The Harlem Festival of Culture is our love letter to Harlem and is truly an opportunity to recenter Harlem as the mecca of Black culture. This is the ultimate celebration of Black culture, and we are so thrilled that we have partners in AMC Networks, Shark Beauty and SheaMoisture that understand that and see the vision of what we are doing with this festival,” said HFC co-founder and technical & talent producer Yvonne McNair. “We look forward to working with them to build on that vision and create a festival experience that will become the cultural event and a destination point for festival goers every year.”
