CURLFEST 2016 RECAP
By Shalleen-Kaye
July 1, 2016
NEW YORK, June 29, 2016 -- Curly Girl Collective (CGC) hosted its third annual CURLFEST, the largest natural beauty festival and the official start to the curly girl's summer!! In just three years, CGC has quadrupled its natural beauty brand partners for CURLFEST, working together to create and produce activations that provide unique experiences for consumers and guests. We had such a great time offering social media coverage, spending the day interacting with the sponsors, brands, influencers, bloggers, vendors and the guests that make this event such a one-of-a kind experience.
Thousands of guests from all over the world, waited in line for their swag bags and the opportunity to interact with featured guests such as Michaela Angela Davis, Jenell B. Stewart and Shelah Marie. Vita Coco and Kind Bar ensured that we were all welcomed into the event with nourishment while for the second year, Tropic Isle Living offered their signature Caribbean Cool Out beverage to hydrate and rejuvenate.
Our press pass allowed us exclusive access to the brands that we love and rave about often! Curly Girl Collective was able to work with SheaMoisture, ORS and Tropic Isle Living, the brands with the largest footprint at CURLFEST, to help driving brand awareness including unveiling a new brand look and feel for Tropic Isle Living! The Mane Choice, Ouidad, Cantu, Dove, Eden BodyWorks, Palmers, Dark & Lovely, Phyto Specific, CentricTV and Made Beautiful were also displayed on CURLFEST's Beauty Row. We also got to see some of our favorite beauty influencers and bloggers like @evelynfromtheinternets, @itsdaynadayne, @heycurlie, @mycandishoppe, @MsVaughnTV, @teamnatural_, @naturallyshesdope, @tobnatural, @hunnibre, @curlsndcouture, @amberjanelle, @sisterscientist, @courtneyadeleye, @danieandthebloom @naturalpartnersincrime, @lipstickfashion, @themariaantoinette, and so many more!
CURLFEST is an opportunity to unite the many supporters of the beauty community, to promote self love, and combat societal views that lead to self-hate and low self esteem. This festival draws attention to the importance of unity in our communities, builds relationships on a grand scale and spreads awareness of women across the globe who are embracing their natural beauty. The ladies of Curly Girl Collective set the bar of excellence for creating experiences for their audience in every aspect of the planning process. We were so blessed to have been a part of this event! If you weren't able to attend #curlfest2016, be sure to be there next year. We're sure it'll be bigger and even better!
Social media played a huge role in the festival. As part of the official CURLFEST social squad, we had an amazing view of the crowd interacting with each other, snapping selfies, mixing and mingling, and then sharing their expereince across their Instagram, Snapchat (with the custom CURLFEST filter of course), Twitter, Facebook, and Periscope platforms. The #CURLFEST hashtag has over 66M impressions across Facebook and Instagram with over 5K posts. From bloggers, influencers, guests, and even major publictions such as ESSENCE and Allure magazines, this event expertly leveraged social and drove consumer engagement.
Coverage from the festival will be airing on CentricTV later this year. To see more of our official press coverage visit (and like) our Facebook Page! See you at the next #nhdcEVENTS!
Love,
The #KayeSisters
 Curlfest 2016Us! The #KayeSisters! |  CurlFest 2016The lovely ladies of @curlygirlcollective |  Curlfest 2016How good were the Vita Coco juice boxes on that hot summer day! Like sticking a straw into a coconut |
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 CurlFest 2016Simone, Tracey, Charisse, Melody and Gia = Curly Girl Collective, the organizers of this amazing event |  Curlfest 2016Naturally and Wonderfully Made, CurlFest Attendee |  Curlfest 2016ORS Yoga Retreat led by Yogi @wonder_oman_o |
 CurlFest 2016Benny Harlem for ORS Hair Care! |  CurlFest 2016Benny Harlem and his beautiful #preQUEEN |  CurlFest 2016ORS Hair Care Global Hair Expert Eugene Davis and Sister Scientist gave in depth consultations. |
 CurlFest 2016Beautiful attendee to the Dove #LoveYourHair activation. |  CurlFest 2016Beautiful attendee, naturally and wonderfully made |  CurlFest 2016@henndready offered some beautiful designs for attendees |
 CurlFest 2016Curlfest beauties! |  CurlFest 2016Curlfest beauties! |  CurlFest 2016So many exciting new products from Palmers! |
 CurlFest 2016@MelissaChanel giving tons of info about Cantu Beauty. |  CurlFest 2016Cantu Jenga was great summer fun! |  CurlFest 2016Kia, Danielle and Jess hanging out on the Ouidad swing. |
 CurlFest 2016These ladies asked us to take their picture! How could we say no? |  CurlFest 2016There's always time for an usie! |  CurlFest 2016These ladies were so beautiful and had an amazing vibe! |
 CurlFest 2016Curlfest beauties! |  CurlFest 2016Artists in the creative space created works of art throughout the event |  CurlFest 2016Dope art created right on beauty row! |
 CurlFest 2016We loved her look! Definitely Naturalista Chic! |  CurlFest 2016Such a beauty! And wow did she keep the party going! |  CurlFest 2016The CurlFest MC had the crowd MOVING! |
 CurlFestAnd you don't stop! |  CurlFest 2016Grooving! |  CurlFest 2016So many beauties. So many beautiful textures. So much love. |
 CurlFest 2016The brothers were out in full force! |  CurlFest 2016The brothers were out in full force! |  CurlFest 2016Au Natural Head Movement |
 CurlFest 2016The brothers were out in full force! |  CurlFest 2016Taking a moment to Pose! |  CurlFest 2016We had an amazing time at curlfest. It was great to reconnect with good friends and good meeting new ones! For more event pics visit our Facebook Page |
"Sisters and brothers dancing in the sun... a definition of beauty for me... we are so gorgeous when we are happy & together"
#CURLFEST
@michaelaangelad
"When @batalnyc performed the artist in me was so energized! I almost got emotional...watching them perform. Just something about seeing powerful women of different shapes, sizes, textures, shades coming together to perform..."
#CURLFEST
@theshelahmarie
"We talked about how a mere 10% of women with curly hair actually love their hair and we discussed many of the negative stigms of #naturalhair from family, friends, and colleages. But the most epic thing happened when I had everyone chanting "LOVE YOUR HAIR! LOVE YOUR HAIR! LOVE YOUR HAIR!""
#CURLFEST
@blakizbeautyful