What to know
- KUUMBA festival returns to Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre for its 31st edition, running Feb. 1–28, celebrating Black Futures Month.
- The festival opens with a tribute concert honouring the late reggae legend Jimmy Cliff, led by Jay Douglas and the All Stars.
- KUUMBA 365 continues on Feb. 6 with ‘Sounds of Blackness,’ a collaborative music project inspired by the contemporary visual art exhibitions at The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery.
- Throughout February, the festival features music, visual arts, family-friendly activities, wellness, films and workshops highlighting Black creativity, innovation and culture.
Toronto’s largest Black Futures Month festival, KUUMBA, is set to return this weekend, opening its 31st edition with two standout live music events that set the tone for the month of February.
Running Feb. 1 to 28 at Harbourfront Centre, KUUMBA is continuing its decades-long mission to centre the creativity, music, visual art, and critical conversations of melanated people across the city’s waterfront.
The festival officially launches on Feb. 1 with a tribute concert honouring the late Jimmy Cliff, led by the beloved Jamaican Canadian vocalist, Jay Douglas and the All Stars. This is just a taste of what’s in store for the month, which will be followed by the third edition of KUUMBA 365 on Feb. 6, which will spotlight a new collaborative music project titled ‘Sounds of Blackness.’
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A tribute to a reggae icon
KUUMBA organizers say it was only right to open their Black Futures Month festival with a tribute to the historic icons that paved the way. The opening night show will honour one of reggae’s most influential figures, Jimmy Cliff, who died on Nov. 24, 2025 at the age of 81.
Three-time JUNO Award nominee Jay Douglas and his band the All Stars will lead the celebration. This time around marks a meaningful return to KUUMBA for Douglas, who previously performed at last year’s milestone 30th anniversary for a Bob Marley tribute.
“I’m honoured to be doing a tribute for a great artist. This man, Jimmy Cliff, respectfully, has done so much with music,” Douglas said to Now Toronto, adding that Cliff was one of the pioneers to truly push reggae music beyond the borders of Jamaica.
The 45-year industry veteran says Cliff was an inspiration in his own career, reminiscing on how winning a local talent show as a child back in Montego Bay gave him the opportunity to meet a guest artist making waves in the community – that was Jimmy Cliff, known at the time by his birth name, James Chambers.
“He was an amazing entertainer at that young age. You should see that man dance, and he had a beautiful voice,” Douglas recalled.
Looking ahead, Douglas says he can’t wait to perform classic hits like “The Harder They Come,” “Many Rivers to Cross,” and “You Can Get It If You Really Want.” He also looks forward to sharing the stage with an extraordinary lineup of artists, including Nana McLean, Eddie Bullen, Belinda Brady, Ammoye, Kairo McLean, Fergus Hambleton and Tasha T.
“It’s gonna be a great night,” he said. “And I’m so grateful for the great people helping to make this happen. It takes a lot to put this together, but we’re all on the same page of sharing love, peace, happiness and respect in the community.”
KUUMBA 365: Sounds of Blackness
On Feb. 6, KUUMBA 365 returns with Sounds of Blackness, featuring award-winning Toronto-based musicians Larnell Lewis, Dennis Passley, and Dwight Jones.
Now in its third year, KUUMBA 365 extends the festival’s month-long run in February, supporting artists year-round through commissioned works and long-term creative development in interdisciplinary genres. This year’s theme of ‘Music’ sees the artists responding directly to the current exhibitions on view at The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery, creating original compositions inspired by contemporary visual art.
“It’s an extension of KUUMBA, because we’re Black 365 [days],” says Diana Webley, Senior Arts & Culture Manager and Co-Curator of KUUMBA to Now Toronto. “We commission three to four artists every year, and we want to tap into various genres because Black isn’t one dimensional – we’re multifaceted.”
A month of Black futures
This year’s KUUMBA festival continues to expand on the idea of Black Futures Month, an evolution of Black History Month that looks beyond the past and toward innovation, equity and the global Black diaspora.
Alongside live music, this year’s programming includes a strong return of visual arts, highlighted by Ghanaian Canadian LEGO® sculptor Ekow Nimako’s 16 new works, inspired by West African spiritual masks and Afrofuturism, on display at Harbourfront Centre until August.
Every Sunday until February 22, families can enjoy KUUMBA Family Sundays, free weekly hands-on activities with the Ontario Science Centre, The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery and the National Film Board of Canada. There will be ice skating on Harbourfront Centre’s expanded rink, hip-hop dance lessons for kids and a steelpan music workshop. Plus, live spoken word performances at When Brothers and Sisters Speak, wellness workshops on Wednesdays and more running all February long.
“It’s such a fulsome month,” Webley emphasized. “This is for everyone. The Black experience needs to be shared, heard and celebrated, and so we don’t close the doors on where you come from, your age, nationality. We are welcoming everyone to experience this!”
For more information on this year’s celebration, head to Harbourfront Centre’s website.
