New York City is about to feel the pulse of Carnival in full color. AfriCarnaval at Lincoln Center will bring the rhythms, movement, memory, and joy of Brazil and Trinidad & Tobago to Josie Robertson Plaza on Saturday, July 11, 2026, from 6 PM to 8 PM. Presented by the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute and Lincoln Center, this free evening will honor the legendary Calypso Rose, known around the world as the Queen of Calypso.
The event will take place on The Dance Floor at Josie Robertson Plaza, located at 10 Lincoln Center Plaza in New York City. Admission is free and open to the public.
This is more than a summer concert. This is culture in motion.
A Tribute to Calypso Rose
Calypso Rose is not just an artist. She is a cultural force. Born in Tobago, she began singing at the age of fifteen and went on to change the history of calypso music.
In 1978, she became the first woman to win Trinidad & Tobago’s national Calypso Monarch competition. Before her win, the contest was known as the National Calypso King competition. Calypso Rose walked in and made history.
Today, she is celebrated worldwide as the Queen of Calypso. She has earned more honors and medals than any other living Calypsonian. Her voice carries joy, wit, resistance, and the sound of a people who know how to turn survival into song.
Carnival Traditions From Brazil and Trinidad & Tobago
AfriCarnaval at Lincoln Center will celebrate Carnival as a living tradition. The evening will feature performances by Silvana Magda & Viva Brazil, Something Positive, 2J & Friends, and a special surprise guest.
Expect rhythm. Expect movement. Expect that feeling when the drumbeat finds your shoulders before your mind even catches up. Carnival is not passive. It invites you in.
The program is part of Lincoln Center’s Summer for the City series and continues CCCADI’s long commitment to honoring African Diaspora culture across music, dance, history, and community.
A Full-Circle Moment for CCCADI
This year, CCCADI is celebrating its 50th anniversary, and AfriCarnaval marks a powerful return to history. During the 1980s and 1990s, CCCADI presented the Carnival in New York program series at Lincoln Center. Those programs showcased the wide range of Carnival traditions across the African Diaspora.
That legacy is stepping back onto the plaza.
AfriCarnaval continues the story by celebrating Carnival as culture, joy, and resistance. It reminds us that Carnival has always been more than feathers, music, and beautiful costumes. It is memory. It is freedom language. It is community gathering in rhythm.
A Partnership Rooted in Culture
The partnership between CCCADI and Lincoln Center dates back to September 1979, when CCCADI presented its first Caribbean Expressions Festival. Since then, the two institutions have collaborated on more than 20 concerts, film screenings, festivals, and conferences.
Their shared history includes the 1984 Carnival in New York, which united groups from Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Haiti, and beyond. That celebration included a concert in Lincoln Center’s Damrosch Park.
Other memorable programs included the 1989 Uprise & Shine: Stay in School Rallies, featuring Queen Latifah, The Roots, A Tribe Called Quest, and MC Lyte, and the 2015 Ache: La Vegenda Rua at Lincoln Center Out of Doors.
Melody Capote, Executive Director of CCCADI, said the anniversary celebration speaks to the organization’s lasting legacy with Lincoln Center and the work of the late Leonard DePaur. She also noted CCCADI’s role in helping build and diversify Lincoln Center’s audiences through programming that highlights the cultural richness of African Diaspora communities.
Archives, Marketplace, and Community Memory
Throughout AfriCarnaval, CCCADI will host an Ọjà Marketplace table featuring 50th anniversary merchandise.
There will also be a Community Archiving Lab for Culture and Justice pop-up. This special feature will showcase archival materials from CCCADI and Lincoln Center’s 47-year collaborative relationship. Guests can also view video of a 1994 performance by Calypso Rose.
That archival piece gives this event extra sparkle. It connects past and present in one plaza. It says: we were here, we are here, and the culture keeps dancing forward.
Event Details
Event: AfriCarnaval
Date: Saturday, July 11, 2026
Time: 6 PM to 8 PM
Location: The Dance Floor at Josie Robertson Plaza
Address: 10 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY
Admission: Free and open to the public
Presented by: CCCADI and Lincoln Center
More Information: https://lincolncenter.org/series/summer-for-the-city/africarnaval
CCCADI: https://www.cccadi.org/
For anyone who loves Caribbean culture, Carnival traditions, live music, dance, history, and community celebration, AfriCarnaval at Lincoln Center is the summer evening to circle on the calendar.
Bring your friends. Wear something joyful. Let the plaza become a drumbeat.