The Black Future Fest launches Jan. 19, 2026

The Iowa City Senior Center (ICSC) and 10 other area organizations are proud to announce the first-ever Black Future Fest, coming to Iowa City starting Jan. 19, 2026.

With its theme "Parables of the Future," the festival will be a multi-site, month-long celebration of Afrofuturistic art, literature, fashion, and community imagination. With a community mural project, art galleries, a fashion show, a community reading of Octavia E. Butler's "Parable of the Sower," and much more, the festival is free, and residents of all ages are invited to attend.

Black Future Fest is made possible by the following organizations: Iowa City Senior Center, Public Space One, The Center for Afrofutrist Studies, Iowa City Public Library (ICPL), FilmScene Iowa City, UNESCO City of Literature, Art Advisory Committee, Dream City, Iowa City Foreign Relations Council (via Dream City), Founders of Iowa City Africa Fest (via Dream City), and United Action for Youth (UAY).

Taking place partly during Black History Month, the festival was created to celebrate Black Creativity, Imagination & Afrofuturism. For those not familiar, Afrofuturism "expresses notions of Black identity, agency, and freedom through art, creative works, and activism that envision liberated futures for Black life," according to the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Other festival highlights include:

• An MLK Day of Service event at the ICSC.
• The unveiling of the ICSC's Historic Post Office Gallery.
• A film screening at FilmScene.
• An open house at Public Space 1.
• A community forum at Dream City.