A Weekend of Cultural Elevation Brings The Apollo ...

From Immersive Performances and Artistic Celebration to Community-Centered Gathering, the
Weekend Will Spotlight the Enduring Power of Black Creativity Across Generations

A Weekend of Cultural Elevation Brings The Apollo, National Black Theatre, Evidence, CAAPA, and The Church to the Hamptons

In the Hamptons, August usually arrives with the predictable rituals: linen, rosé, traffic, and at least one person explaining that they are “just here for the weekend.” But this year, the first weekend of the month comes with something more substantial. A Weekend of Cultural Elevation returns August 1 and 2, 2026, bringing together five major cultural organizations — The Apollo, the Coalition for African Americans in the Performing Arts, The Church in partnership with the Celebrating Creatives of Color Committee, Evidence Dance Company, and National Black Theatre — for two days of programming centered on Black storytelling, performance, legacy, and community.

The collaboration is both ambitious and refreshingly grounded. Rather than treating culture as a single evening’s entertainment, the weekend spreads across Bridgehampton, Sag Harbor, and East Hampton, offering a mix of free and ticketed events that move through music, dance, visual art, literature, conversation, and benefit glamour. The result is a cultural itinerary with range: a morning masterclass, a community dance workshop, an art show and book signing, a summer benefit for The Apollo, and an interdisciplinary performance honoring the spiritual and artistic evolution of Black classical music.

The weekend begins Saturday, August 1, with Building Our Heaven: Community Outreach Events at the Bridgehampton Child Care & Recreational Center. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Coalition for African Americans in the Performing Arts and Evidence Dance Company will offer free community programming designed to bring artists and audiences into direct conversation. 

At 10 a.m., internationally acclaimed soprano Angela Renée Simpson will lead a vocal masterclass for aspiring artists and community members. At 1 p.m., Ron Brown and Arcell Cabaug of Evidence Dance Company will facilitate a community dance workshop open to participants of all ages. The point is not merely to watch art happen, but to step inside it.

Over in Sag Harbor, The Church will host the 6th annual Celebrating Creatives of Color art show, sale, and book signing from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The event continues the tradition of Sag Harbor’s historically Black beach communities supporting local charities through the arts. A special program, requiring advance RSVP and a $10 ticket, will run from 10:30 a.m. to noon, with doors opening at 10 a.m. The program includes remarks by life stylist and author Harriette Cole, storyteller Muriel Monik Johnson, and ReShonda Tate, author of The Queen of Sugar and With Love From Harlem. The acclaimed artist Nanette Carter will receive the Living Legend Award, followed by a conversation between scholar and author Dr. Eddie S. Glaude Jr. and ABC News anchor Linsey Davis.

From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., the art show, sale, and book signing continue free of charge, with a suggested donation of $5 or more at the door. Visitors can browse original fine art, pottery, jewelry, clothing, books, and more by artists and authors of color from the East End and beyond. Proceeds from admission donations and participating artists’ contributions will benefit The Church and the Bridgehampton Child Care and Recreation Center.

Saturday evening belongs to The Apollo. After a seven-year hiatus, Apollo in the Hamptons made its return in 2025, and the celebrated summer benefit comes back in 2026 for an evening of cocktails, dinner, dancing, and A-list entertainment. The event begins at 6 p.m. with cocktails, followed by dinner and dancing at 7 p.m. at EHP Resort & Marina’s Si Si Restaurant in East Hampton. It is, naturally, a benefit with sparkle, but also with purpose: supporting The Apollo’s enduring mission to champion Black artists and culture.

On Sunday, August 2, the weekend closes at Guild Hall in East Hampton with On Our Toes in the Hamptons: Building Our Heaven, co-presented by CAAPA and National Black Theatre. Running from 2 to 4 p.m., the interdisciplinary performance explores the spiritual and artistic evolution of Black classical music, blending live music, spoken word, sacred traditions, jazz influences, and dance.

The program features pianist and composer Damien Sneed, musicians from The Orchestra for Tomorrow, soprano Angela Renée Simpson, bass Solomon Howard, poet Mahogany L. Browne, and Evidence Dance Company. Together, they trace a line through Black musical expression across generations — not as a museum piece, but as a living, breathing inheritance.

At its best, A Weekend of Cultural Elevation understands that culture is not decoration. It is memory, discipline, joy, protest, devotion, and sometimes a very good reason to cross the bridge and stay awhile. For more information on Celebrating Creatives of Color, visit TheChurchSagHarbor.org. Tickets for Apollo in the Hamptons are available at ApolloTheater.org. Tickets for On Our Toes in the Hamptons: Building Our Heaven are available at https://bitly./4fMbhle.