Curlfest is a festival, first held in 2014, celebrating natural hair, Black beauty and culture. The founders were pleasantly surprised by how quickly the event caught on.
Co-founder Simone Mair remembers how, "we decided to have it in a park one day. Come experience what it feels like to express yourself in the most natural way. And Curlfest was born!"
The annual festival took a year off in 2025. The event returned in 2026, and didn't skip a beat.
Nicole Eaddy and her daughter Ava came from Spartanburg, South Carolina, to see the celebration and community for themselves. Nicole says they're here because, "We live in an area that doesn't have a lot of positive Black images. We're (some) of the only Black people in our neighborhood, and so it's really important for me to provide experiences for my daughter where she can be around other people of color and celebrate that."
Ava seems elated, "I love it. There's nice music and everyone is really pretty."
Curly Girl Collective and Curlfest are out to make natural hair accepted in the mainstream.
Co-founder Charisse Higgins says the group actually started when a friend experienced a bit of a hair crisis. Higgins explains how the friend "was cutting all her hair off and she used to have very straight hair. And the reason why was because that was easier to fit in."
Influencer Jess Martinez, who's been recognized for her record-breaking afro, is working to change the image of natural Black hair in the workplace. "I'm so happy and blessed to be in a community with such incredible people and to spread awareness that natural hair is professional."
The event's "vendor village" is packed with Black-owned hair, beauty, health and fashion vendors. The Curley Girl Collective and Curlgest have helped propel multiple businesses to success over the years.
Live performances on the main stage keep the party going while speakers on the empowerment stage motivate and inspire.
For all of the success, glitz and glamour, the collective and festival are still grassroots operations. Co-founder Melody Henderson stresses how she and the collective "really are building this out of passion... And so with that comes late nights, comes sacrifice, comes a certain level of knowing we're doing something bigger than ourselves."