From art and food to music, customs, language, sports, and everything in between — large aspects of our society have been shaped by our black communities. 

We believe this month is an incredible opportunity for event creators to celebrate black culture and let it shape their events. 

To cherish and celebrate black excellence, we’ve listed our top Black History Month event ideas inspired by creators who use Eventbrite’s events platform to create, market, and sell tickets at their events. 

Check out our guide to learn more about Black History Month event opportunities and 10 of our favorite ideas to create unmissable event experiences.

Man stands on stage smiling while talking into mic
Birdland Jazz Club / Emmet Cohen Trio / New York, NY

Why should you organize a Black History Month event?

Black History Month is the perfect opportunity to unite communities, educate people, tell unique stories, and celebrate amazing voices.

The concept of Black History Month has been floating around since the early 1900s — but it wasn’t until 1976 that President Gerald Ford officially named Black History Month to coincide with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass.

Fast-forward 50 years. Black History Month is celebrated in February and has evolved to become a powerful and evocative annual celebration that enables event creators to showcase and support black leaders from all walks of life.

There are over 140,000 black-owned businesses in America, and 60% of people say they prioritize buying from black-owned businesses.

Translation: Black History Month is an amazing reason to organize a small or large-scale event to support the black-owned businesses in your area (or your own business). 

But the roots of Black History Month run so much deeper than any business opportunity. Black History Month is your chance to give back to communities, give marginalized people a powerful voice, and recognize black excellence.

Here are our 10 favorite Black History Month event ideas 

There’s nothing more rewarding than standing up for your community by creating an amazing experience and uniting attendees from all walks of life. 

To help you find the perfect event idea for Black History Month, we’ve rated each type of event on a scale of one to three based on the cost, difficulty, and staffing requirements.

Woman holds up fork with food on it flashing an 'ok' sign
Pop pop / All In Together Now – A 36 Course Wu-Tang Clan Inspired event / Seattle, WA

1. Create a culinary event celebrating black chefs

Food brings people together. Culinary events celebrate family values, culture, the history of ingredients, and the people who introduced those ingredients — so why not celebrate Black History Month by creating a black culinary adventure?

By setting up a culinary event, you can celebrate classic flavors from trailblazing black chefs — people will love it.

Need some inspiration? Check out event creator Cambria DC Capitol Riverfront Hotel and their recent Cuisine of the African Diaspora event. 

Part of a wider Black Chef Series, this event saw five chefs “use ancestral ingredients to pay homage to the rich history of their African American ancestors” — and they even partnered with a whiskey distillery for the perfect accompaniment.

Black artist works on painting on stage
Art Battle International / Art Battle SF / San Francisco, CA

2. Showcase work by black artists

Create a show celebrating forgotten voices in black art, bring in world-leading talents from the contemporary era, or even host a workshop encouraging event attendees to make their art.

For best practice, look at Sylvia Thompson & Courtney Natt’s Black Culture In The Burg Art Exhibition and Celebration. The immersive exhibition brought together 17 visual artists and a wide range of live musicians for guests to experience black art at its finest — they totally nailed it!

Photo of black people marching down the street holding signs

3. Create an immersive historical exhibition

Celebrate Black History Month by highlighting key historical figures from black American history.

By setting up a historical exhibition, you can teach people from all communities about important names in black history and bring essential historical lessons on racial justice and civil rights to the front of everyone’s minds.

Look at The Color of History Team and their unique Sip Juice & Color History Kid’s Virtual Paint Party for inspiration. This a super creative way to engage young people with history, and it’s also virtual to reach a wide range of attendees.

Customers talk to vendor at a craft fair
Black Culture Market / Christmas Market / London, UK

4. Assemble black artisans for a craft fair

Organize a craft fair to support black business owners and share their wide range of skills, styles, and art.

You’ll have to find an ample event space and set up stalls for vendors to sell their products, food, drinks, or entertainment. 

Event creator Oak Park Brewing Co. is a great example. They created an art show to shawcase the work of black artists in beer to celebrate the launch of the National Black Brewers Association.  

5. Connect black entrepreneurs with a networking event

Networking events stimulate collaboration, unite your local business community, and express solidarity. You can even invite successful black entrepreneurs to do an inspirational talk or a Q&A to open your event.

Want to see how it’s done? 

Event creator Happy Neighborhood Project and their weekly Black Entrepreneurs Free Online Networking Events are a great example. The virtual event sessions offer black business owners an accessible way to forge new connections, share essential business lessons, and build each other up to find success.

Want to set up an online event?

Create your virtual event with Eventbrite
Computer showing online training

6. Start a volunteer event 

A huge part of Black History Month is giving back to the black communities that helped forge America — so why not organize a volunteering event? Or, if you’re a black-owned business, you could advertise for volunteers to help you do good work.

Volunteering events give people a chance to give back, build a sense of community, and offer an opportunity to support black charities and important causes that benefit us all. 

Uhuru Foods & Pies’ events are all about building economic development for the black community, and they run on volunteer power — and the end result looks incredibly delicious!

A singer and musician performing outdoors
SoulofNoise / Juneteenth Concert / LA, CA

7. Hold a concert celebrating black excellence

The global music landscape wouldn’t be what it is today without black excellence and innovation, so celebrate Black History Month by organizing a music event.

Concerts give the community a chance to let their hair down and have fun — and you can also double your concert as a fundraiser for black charities.

If you want to see how it’s done the right way, take a leaf out of Howard County Center of African American Culture’s book and their Black History Month Celebration Concert in 2023. 

Showcasing jazz, gospel, spirituals, art song, and contemporary choral music, event organizers managed to create a unique musical experience that was absolutely second-to-none.

Black and white photo of a sign in the street promoting a trivia night

8. Set up a trivia night built around Black History Month

Organizing a quiz for Black History Month is also perfect if you’re looking for a corporate event or a workplace event idea — quizzes are fun and an excellent opportunity to collaborate with other black businesses and event spaces.

For example, City of East Point and its 2023 Black History Trivia Night event. The free event included food, prizes, and a black history-themed costume contest.

Man speaks on stag while fellow guest speaker listens
Voxburner / Youth Marketing Strategy / San Francisco, CA

9. Organize a live Q&A with black authors

Another great way to celebrate Black History Month is by showcasing the amazing voices in black literature. Organize a book reading, a live Q&A session, or a panel discussion with black authors to educate attendees on important issues in black communities.

This type of event is also a great way to support up-and-coming talent, and it’s easy to set up as a hybrid or a virtual event to spread your message even further.

For lessons in best practice, check out event creator Black Connections and their Black Author Virtual Expo. This regular event gives black authors a forum to reach new readers and enables people to discover new black voices.

Group of event attendees dance at an outdoor event
SoulofNoise / Juneteenth Concert / LA, CA

10. Throw a black-led festival

Celebrating Black History Month doesn’t have to be serious; you can also create a fun festival to unite communities.

Combine and share various elements of black arts like music, crafts, food, and dance so everyone can let their hair down. This is also a great way to support black businesses and artists and expose other communities to new ideas and concepts.

To see how it’s done right, take a look at the Uncommonwealth Group and their Black Music Festival 2023 event. 

This event included live entertainment and music, exciting cultural events, guest speakers, food vendors, and craft vendors to create a sense of unity and showcase black excellence at its finest.

Ready to start celebrating black excellence?

If you want to enable people to experience rich black culture, setting up an event for Black History Month is a great place to start — and we’d love to help.

By partnering with Eventbrite, you can set up a custom event page in minutes, create and sell tickets, and promote your event worldwide using our wide range of marketing tools. If you’re hosting an in-person event, you can even use the Eventbrite Organizer App to check in your guests without the hassle.