What to know
- KUUMBA 2026 returns to Toronto Feb 1–28, celebrating Black excellence and creativity.
- “Sounds of Blackness” theme features music, art, poetry, film, and drag performances.
- Year-round KUUMBA 365 programs support artists and community engagement.
Black History Month is just around the corner, and KUUMBA is returning to Harbourfront Centre for a month-long celebration.
Returning to Toronto for its 31st year, KUUMBA, a cultural celebration of Black Excellence, is taking over Harbourfront Centre from February 1–28.
The 2026 festival, presented by TD Bank Group through the TD Ready Commitment, is celebrating, honouring, and highlighting the creative brilliance and countless achievements of Afro-Caribbean and Canadian artists framed within a dynamic global perspective.
Senior Arts & Culture Manager and Co-Curator of KUUMBA, Diana Webley, explained that the festival has been a vital platform for Black voices, ideas and artistic excellence for three decades.
“Rooted in creativity and critical reflection, the festival fosters community connection and dialogue while actively shaping Black futures through artistic expression and cultural exchange,” Webley shared in a statement.
She explained that thanks to the KUUMBA 365 initiative, Harbourfront Centre’s commitment to actively shaping Black futures extends beyond the festival, offering year-round programming in order to deepen engagement within the communities it serves, while nurturing emerging artists and fostering meaningful cultural conversations throughout the year.
SOUNDS OF BLACKNESS
This year’s event follows the theme Sounds of Blackness, boasting an impressive multidisciplinary lineup of music, literature, dance, theatre, film, wellness, and visual art, as well as specific programming for families and a series of masterclasses.
“Sounds of Blackness invites audiences to listen deeply to Black creativity as a living and evolving force shaped by history and propelled toward the future,” Arts & Culture Manager and Co-Curator of KUUMBA Pam Briz said in a statement.
Kicking things off on Feb. 1, reggae artists Jay Douglas and the All Stars are putting on a Jimmy Cliff Tribute Concert, featuring covers of Cliff’s wide catalogue and celebrating liberation, love and resilience. The impressive concert lineup features an array of talent like Nana McLean, Eddie Bullen, Belinda Brady, Ammoye, Kairo McLean, Fergus Hambleton and Tasha T, and invites attendees to reflect, rejoice and rise to the spirit of the music.
This year’s event also showcases Afro-Francophone talent, reflecting the rich history of Black expression across languages, regions and diasporas. This includes the Afro-Franco Music Showcase, presented in partnership with Batuki Music Society. Going down on Feb. 15 from 7-11 p.m., visitors can look forward to an evening of Black, French sound and culture, featuring performances by Carine au Micro, Naxx Bitota and Boubé.
Also among the showcases at this year’s event is Building Black AMORPHIA: Spiritual Starships, a new visual art series by the Ghanaian Canadian multidisciplinary artist and LEGO sculptor, Ekow Nimako. Featuring 16 new creations, the installation threads together elements of West African mask-making traditions, science fiction, geometric figures and interstellar vessels. Nimako’s work will be on display at Harbourfront Centre from Feb. 1 through Aug. 31.
On Feb. 6, KUUMBA 365: Sounds of Blackness will take over The Fleck at Harbourfront Centre Theatre for a celebration of Black culture through sound, featuring musicians Dennis Passley, Larnell Lewis, and Dwight Jones responding to The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery’s current exhibitions through breathtaking performances that thread music and contemporary art together.
Film buffs and feminists alike should tap into the CineFEMME Film Series, presented by CaribbeanTales Media Group. The series of films aim to celebrate the stories of Canadian women and non-binary filmmakers of colour, with movies that serve as a call to connect, reflect and embrace the transformative power of storytelling. The series runs Feb. 6, 13, 19 and 27 from 7-10 p.m.
For the first time, two iconic annual poetry events are coming together, inviting poetry lovers to an evening of unapologetic, uncensored Black brilliance on Feb. 7. Curated and produced by Toronto powerhouse poet and recent Order of Ontario inductee Dwayne Morgan, When Brothers & Sisters Speak features a captivating lineup of local and international artists baring their souls through spoken word.
Looking for something to do this Valentine’s Day? Check out Sean Jones: The Love. Affair and the corresponding afterparty with BELLOSOUND. The show starts at 8 p.m., with Sean Jones and special guests performing classic and original love songs to get the romantic vibes going. Then, DJ crew BELLOSOUND will be on deck, spinning tunes and live sets from local artists during a special afterparty.
Aspiring artists looking to tap into a worthwhile workshop should check out A Black Panther in the Great White North, a play reading and workshop event with playwright and screenwriter Darren Anthony. He is running two sessions: Feb. 20 and 21, from 7-8:30 p.m. on both evenings.
Fans of the art of drag should check out DIVA, a celebration of drag’s roots in iconic female impersonation. The fully-curated and choreographed show, presented by Hollywood Jade, is scheduled for Feb. 21 at 8 p.m. and features a diverse range of queens embodying the likeness, mannerisms, costumes, hair and makeup of the classic divas they’re impersonating, including Tina Turner, Brandy, Doechii and Janet Jackson.
This year’s festival also features a series of fitness events dubbed Wellness Wednesdays. The sessions include everything from mobility exercises and mat work to core exercises, running from 6-7:30 p.m. Feb. 4, 11, 18 and 25.
Plus, those with little ones should check out the KUUMBA 2026 range of family-friendly programming, including Family Sundays, which will offer hands-on activities and arts and crafts. KUUMBA visitors should also check out DJ Skate Nights, scheduled throughout the month-long celebration, with soca and R&B-themed nights in the lineup.
Visit Harbourfront Centre’s website for the full KUUMBA 2026 lineup.
