Programs Museum Mile Festival 2026

Museum Mile Festival 2026

Tuesday, June 9th, 2026 | 6:00PM - 9:00PM

The Africa Center is delighted to join our neighbors for the 48th Annual Museum Mile Festival! Our doors will be open to the public throughout the celebration and admission is free to all.

Visitors of all ages will have the opportunity to explore Resistance in Memory: Visions of Sudan, The Africa Center’s acclaimed group exhibition of photographs by 12 emerging Sudanese artists, and to partake in top quality coffee, teas, and baked goods in our new sit-down cafe in partnership with coffee brand Coffee Uplifts People (CUP).

 We want to see you there!

Visit us and our partners for a great evening: The Metropolitan Museum of Art; Neue Galerie New York; Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum; Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum; The Jewish Museum; Museum of the City of New York; El Museo del Barrio.

I. Performance (7PM - 9PM)

Nkumu Katalay & The "Life Long Project" Band

Born in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nkumu Katalay is a Congolese-American artist, cultural curator, educator, multi-instrumentalist, musical director, and humanitarian whose work stands at the intersection of culture, social impact, and global artistic dialogue.

A vocalist, percussionist, guitarist, composer, arranger, and bandleader, Nkumu is the founder of Nkumu Katalay & The “Life Long Project” Band, a dynamic musical collective known for blending Congolese rumba, soukous, traditional rhythms, jazz, funk, Afro-Cuban influences, and contemporary global sounds into what he calls “Rumbianfunk” — “the rumba within my funk.” Rooted in the ceremonial drumming traditions of his family and inspired by the vibrant musical culture of Kinshasa’s Matonge district, his artistry reflects both ancestral memory and modern urban experience.  

 II. Interactive button-making workshop with Art in the Park

Art in the Park has served thousands of children and families through continuous positive impactful arts programming since 2015.

Our mission is to provide a positive outlet for children and their families to be creative in a space that is comfortable and very familiar. Through the arts, there are many forms of communication attributes that help combat mental and physical traumas and disparities.

 AITP has partnered with state, city, and local government agencies, as well as local businesses and other non-profits. This collaborative approach helps unite the community in addressing disparities.