By Madeline Holly-Carouthers
Durag Festival will return to Charlotte on June 21 with a new location and opportunities for artists to showcase their creative talents.
The festival, founded in 2018 by Lisa Michelle and the Charlotte artist known as Dammit Wesley, merges culture, fashion and creativity. The annual event centers its celebrations on the durag, a head cloth generally used to protect or cover hair. First-time attendees can expect music, food, art, fashion and an atmosphere that is “unapologetically Black,” according to the founders.
“The biggest or the newest change is our location,” Michelle told QCity Metro. “We will be at a really exciting development called The Pass… there’s a lot of new energy around the area.”
The Pass is a new mixed-use development in the Sugar Creek area near NoDa. In April 2024, Axios reported that the development offers more than 80,000 square feet of retail and office space.
At The Pass, the festival will embrace a “campus-style” setup, using two buildings and about 10,000 square feet to create installations that encourage networking among creatives, Michelle said.
One building will feature an auditorium-style layout for community activations; the other will host traditional concert setups.
This year marks the first time the festival will not be held at Camp North End, where it has been since its inception. It is also the first year that Durag Festival will adopt a specific theme, with a focus on “homecoming” and honoring historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs).
“We really want to recreate [the HBCU homecoming] and lean even harder into that,” Michelle said, emphasizing the festival’s commitment to celebrating creativity within the Black community.
For those who have attended in previous years, Michelle said that while the familiar “reunion vibe” will remain, attendees can expect an amplified experience with more sponsor installations and interactive elements.
In addition to its new location and theme, Michelle said Durag Festival 2025 will feature an initiative to celebrate Father’s Day. The festival will partner with an organization called Active Dads to host an ice cream social designed to highlight the positive role of Black fathers in their children’s lives.
“Durag Fest has always kinda been around Father’s Day anyway, so we’re excited to lead into this challenge of getting at least 100 Black fathers and their kids out for the event,” Michelle said.
Another element, now underway, will be a “March Madness” contest, which allows local artists a chance to win a spot on the festival lineup by submitting an original verse over a beat produced by a Grammy-nominated artist.
Michelle said she and her team are excited about this year’s activations, some of which will be revealed in the coming months.
Despite the new elements, Michelle said one thing will remain: “Durag Fest is a space where the Black community can be themselves and express themselves in the most creative way possible.”