Afro-Punk Festival 2012: Erykah Badu and Gym Class Heroes Headline Brooklyn Event

The eighth annual Afro-punk Festival will be held in Brooklyn this weekend (Aug. 25-26) and will feature headlining musicians Erykah Badu, Janelle Monáe, and Gym Class Heroes. The event - which celebrates the growth and talent of indie and alternative cultures within the Afro-punk movement - is free to the public and will take place at Commodore Barry Park starting noon on Saturday.

The festival will feature numerous musical performances throughout the weekend (including notable acts Das Racist, Toro Y Moi, and Alice Smith) as well as Nike's Battle for the Streets, New York's largest street skate competition. The amateur skating event will be judged by top sports professionals including Shawn Powers, Danny Supa, and Ray Mate. Festival-goers may also enjoy a variety of other attractions including a live art wall, the Bites & Beats food-truck roundup (featuring 15 of NY's best food trucks all on one street), a custom-bike show, and the Spin Thrift Market (a creative arts fair which features over 80 local artists and artisans).

Afro-punk Festival organizers are crossing their fingers for good and cooperative weather this weekend, and so far the forecast looks promising. The event was canceled last year due to Hurricane Irene, but the 2012 lineup looks like a guaranteed good time.

For more information on the Afro-punk Festival - including info on artists and performers - check out the website.

Check out the video promo for "Let's get Free: A Skaters Life," which Red Bull will air this fall (featuring skaters Jon Lodge, Keelan Dadd, Cato Williams, Anthony Mosley, Ricky Web, Marcus Sorrell, Neen Williams, Kashawn Jackson).