I decided to get there 2 hours ahead of time, managing to be nearly first in line both days of the sold out event. Although my first concern was food, the main need on that hot weekend was water. Lots and lots of water. Early performances were not too crowded, allowing for some room to sway to the talented performers. All of the most popular acts this year were concentrated on the larger green stage, which had to biggest area for the audience. This was in response to complaints from last year when they spit big performers between the green stage and the smaller red stage.

See pictures of the Afropunk Brooklyn Music Festival 2018

I was able to stand close to the stage this year for the exciting final acts, Janelle Monae and Erykah Badu with special guest Angela Davis reading poetry. Securing that prized spot meant standing in place for around 3 hours in the sun with little water. Some people passed out before and during the climactic performances. The organizers did hand out some bottles of water to keep us alive. It was sucked up from far beneath the sea near Hawaii and desalinated according to the label, although at that point I was too thirsty to care.

Janelle Monae and Erykah Badu were both amazing, but they had two different approaches. Ms Monae danced up and down a central pyramid of steps with several backup dancers and musicians. Ms Badu sang alone for much of her set in front of a plain white curtain, which hid the musicians. The most touching part of her show was when she went into the audience, returning with Janelle Monae, who was secretly watching from the fenced off section in front of the stage. Ms Monae lovingly held Ms Badu while she sang one of her final songs. You can see pictures of the event here.