CultureCon Brings Thousands of Creatives to Brooklyn for ‘Museum of Us’

CultureCon returned to the Brooklyn Navy Yard on Oct. 3 and 4, bringing thousands of creatives together for a weekend featuring some of the biggest names across entertainment, media, business and culture.

Held at Duggal Greenhouse, the 2026 conference centered on the theme “Museum of Us,” with programming that included live conversations, workshops, mentorship opportunities, art installations, networking experiences and brand activations.

Michael B. Jordan, John Legend, Mahershala Ali, Colin Kaepernick, Daniel Kaluuya, Niecy Nash-Betts, Aaron Pierre and Olandria Carthen were among those featured throughout the weekend.

Jordan used his appearance to encourage attendees to trust their ideas even when others may not immediately understand them.

John Legend, who attended the first CultureCon, returned as the event celebrated a decade of growth. During his appearance, Legend also revealed that he and Pharrell have completed an album they worked on together in Paris.

Mahershala Ali spoke about representation and the importance of portraying Muslim characters as fully developed people, while Olandria Carthen discussed navigating increased public attention and encouraged aspiring creators to use social media as a tool to pursue their goals.

CultureCon Marks a First With Mayoral AppearanceNew York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani also joined CultureCon founder Imani Ellis for a conversation focused in part on the realities of building a creative career in New York.

According to CultureCon organizers, Mamdani became the first sitting New York City mayor to participate in a CultureCon stage conversation.

During the discussion, Ellis reflected on CultureCon's beginnings as a gathering of about 10 people in her Harlem apartment and its growth into an event now drawing thousands.

Mamdani also addressed the financial challenges facing artists in New York and discussed the city's recently expanded individual artist grant program, which now offers grants of up to $10,000.

While celebrity conversations drew crowds, much of CultureCon's programming happened outside of its headline panels.

Attendees participated in workshops covering business, technology and entrepreneurship, as well as mentorship sessions and Braindates designed to encourage smaller group conversations and knowledge sharing.

The weekend also included the “Museum of Us” Art Exhibition, featuring work from more than 20 artists.

The range of programming reflected CultureCon's continued expansion from an annual gathering into a larger platform connecting creatives with professional resources and one another.

The weekend also faced an early logistical challenge when some attendees reported long waits to enter the venue Saturday.

Ellis addressed the delays and said organizers responded by increasing staffing and security support for the following day.

By Sunday, Ellis said the changes had reduced the entry process to approximately five minutes.

The quick adjustment allowed the remainder of the weekend to continue with programming across the venue.

CultureCon concluded Sunday after two days of programming that reflected how far the event has come since its beginnings in Harlem, growing from a gathering among friends into one of the country's prominent annual gatherings for Black and multicultural creatives.

With its tenth year complete, CultureCon's next chapter will build on a community that has continued to grow alongside it.