| Harlem Cultural Festival | |
|---|---|
 Poster for the 1969 festival | |
| Genre | Rock music, R&B, soul music, jazz, pop music, gospel |
| Dates | June 29 – August 24, 1969 |
| Location(s) | Mount Morris Park in Harlem Manhattan New York City |
| Founders | Tony Lawrence |
The Harlem Cultural Festival was a series of events, mainly music concerts, held annually in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, between 1967 and 1969 which celebrated soul, jazz and gospel and black music and culture and promoted Black pride. The most successful series of concerts, in 1969, became known informally as Black Woodstock,[1] and is presented in the 2021 documentary film Summer of Soul.
Although the 1968 and 1969 events were filmed by Hal Tulchin, the festival had difficulty gaining publicity, partially due to lack of interest by television networks, which felt there would be little benefit in broadcasting it. What was filmed was stored in a basement and hidden from history for decades.[2] The 1969 event took place around the same time as the Woodstock festival, which may have drawn media attention away from Harlem.
- ^ Greene, Bryan (June 2017). "This Green and Pleasant Land". Poverty and Race Research Action Council.
- ^ "Summer of Soul: rescuing a lost festival from Woodstock's unlovely shadow". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2022-11-14.