beyonce tour africa

Beyoncé is going on a world tour. Why she shouldn’t ignore Africa

Doctor of Music Candidate, University of Pretoria

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James Chikomborero Paradza does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

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Beyoncé announced her highly anticipated Renaissance World Tour on the first day of Black History Month – an annual observance in the US that honours the African diaspora. Social media erupted and ticketing websites crashed briefly as fans worldwide rushed to secure tickets. Following her record-setting 32nd win at the 2023 Grammy Awards for her album Renaissance , the US singer-songwriter’s tour is the most sought-after musical event of the year. It will run from May to September 2023, with performances so far scheduled only across Europe and North America.

African fans were disappointed, but no doubt not surprised – Africa is almost always excluded from major world tours organised by global record labels. To be clear, it’s not just Beyoncé.

Read more: Beyoncé has helped usher in a renaissance for African artists

Still, this particular exclusion is compounded by Queen Bey’s love of the continent – especially of former South African president Nelson Mandela – and the influence she’s drawn from it in her work. Of course, hope remains for her African fandom that destinations could still be added to the tour.

As a popular music scholar, I’m interested in how Beyoncé addresses social issues in her music – and how this is perceived by listeners in Africa. I argue that African destinations should be included – and not just because Beyoncé incorporates African elements in her music. But because of how large and fervent her fanbase is in Africa and how her social awareness messages resonate with these fans.

Snubbing Africa

In a capitalist commercial music industry , stadium world tours significantly affect an artist’s revenue and exposure. Almost without fail, African countries are erased as possible destinations, leaving many fans asking why.

While we may never know the answer – unless record labels blatantly state their perspectives – many are left to wonder if big name artists and their management teams think that Africa does not have adequate infrastructure to accommodate their grandiose sets. Or if they believe that stadiums will not fill up with patrons such as those across the global north do.

One of the ways that we can start to make sense of Africa’s exclusion is by applying an intersectional lens to western popular culture. (This is a framework to understand the distribution of power – social, economic, political and cultural – in society, how it is maintained, and why certain groups of people are marginalised.) By thinking particularly about the relationships between class and geographic location, western popular culture can be viewed as a product of a capitalist society that prioritises the generation of profit. Capitalist record labels put making money first.

In popular culture, Africa has traditionally been cast as a backward continent plagued by famine, poverty and war. This shapes how the continent is viewed when assessing its capabilities to generate profits. The management teams and record labels of global pop musicians could see Africa as a high-risk, low-reward destination. They would rather travel to destinations where profitability is guaranteed based on infrastructure and previous experiences .

However, some major artists have had successful tour performances in Africa, such as Ed Sheeran in 2018 and Lady Gaga in 2012. Even though both performed only in South Africa, they did not wholly snub the continent. And their South African dates were commercial successes.

Beyoncé and Africa

What further confounds many African fans is that it seems such a natural fit for Beyoncé to revisit the continent. Her love for Africa is evident. Her visual album, Black Is King , is a testament to this. She explores and celebrates her African heritage through it. At the same time it highlights the diverse tapestry of culture and tradition on the continent and across the diaspora. Various musical, visual, language and wardrobe elements from Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and South Africa are fused in it.

Beyoncé may never have brought a world tour to Africa, but she is one of the few major global pop musicians to perform here. In 2003 she appeared at the 46664 Concert in Cape Town. Hosted by Mandela, the concert aimed to spread awareness of HIV/AIDS in the country. In 2018 she headlined the Global Citizen: Mandela 100 Festival in Johannesburg together with her husband Jay-Z. Interestingly, most tickets for the performance were earned through acts of social activism, so we will never know if it was a commercial success. But the stadium was filled to capacity.

It’s probably not a coincidence that Beyoncé’s two African performances were at events connected to Mandela. In 2018 she expressed her adoration for the late president, highlighting his lessons of forgiveness. These lessons she portrayed through her desire to break generational curses in her seminal Black feminist visual album Lemonade .

Both concerts raised awareness of growing inequalities across South Africa and the continent. Beyoncé has advocated for social justice and calls attention to power relations that marginalise people based on elements such as race, gender and class.

Why she should return

Undoubtedly, Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour tickets would sell out as fast in any African city as a city in the global north. (Sheeran sold 230,000 tickets for his stops in Johannesburg and Cape Town.)

In addition to her musical and dancing talents, Beyoncé addresses social issues in a way that many people can understand. She reminds people who have been marginalised that they are greater than the dominating forces have led them to believe. She encourages self-care and self-love within a capitalist society that values productivity over the individual.

Moreover, her love for Africa has recast the continent’s image within popular culture, bringing various African art forms to the forefront of media and music. And finally, Beyoncé has the power to trigger a music industry renaissance and reform the west’s perceptions about touring in Africa.

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Beyoncé Announces Her Renaissance World Tour 2023: All We Know

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Beyoncé kicked off Black History Month with the announcement the world has been waiting months for: Her Renaissance World Tour is happening, this year. Bey unveiled the news with a simple Instagram post: “RENAISSANCE WORLD TOUR 2023.” She did not immediately provide more information, but more is obviously coming.

So, what is known so far about her tour? What can the world expect? Here, we've gathered everything released so far.

When is the Renaissance World Tour happening?

• May 10: Stockholm, Sweden @ Friends Arena
• May 14: Brussels, Belgium @ King Baudouin Stadium
• May 17: Cardiff, Wales, U.K. @ Cardiff Principality Stadium
• May 20: Edinburgh, Scotland, U.K. @ BT Murrayfield Stadium
• May 23: Sunderland, U.K. @ Stadium of Light
• May 26: Paris, France @ Stade de France
• May 29: London, U.K. @ Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
• May 30: London, U.K. @ Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
• June 8: Barcelona, Spain @ Olympic Stadium
• June 11: Marseille, France @ Orange Vélodrome
• June 15: Cologne, Germany @ Rhein Energie Stadion
• June 17: Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Johan Cruijff Arena
• June 21: Hamburg, Germany @ Volksparkstadion
• June 24: Frankfurt, Germany @ Deutsche Bank Park
• June 27: Warsaw, Poland @ PGE Narodowy
• July 8: Toronto, Canada @ Rogers Centre
• July 12: Philadelphia, PA @ Lincoln Financial Field
• July 15: Nashville, TN @ Nissan Stadium
• July 17: Louisville, KY @ L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium
• July 20: Minneapolis, MN @ Huntington Bank Stadium
• July 22: Chicago, IL @ Soldier Field Stadium
• July 26: Detroit, MI @ Ford Field
• July 29: East Rutherford, NJ @ MetLife Stadium
• August 1: Boston, MA @ Gillette Stadium
• August 3: Pittsburgh, PA @ Acrisure Stadium
• August 5: Washington, DC @ FedEx Field
• August 9: Charlotte, NC @ Bank of America Stadium
• August 11: Atlanta, GA @ Mercedes-Benz Stadium
• August 16: Tampa, FL @ Raymond James Stadium
• August 18: Miami, FL @ Hard Rock Stadium
• August 21: St. Louis, MO @ Dome at America's Center
• August 24: Phoenix, AZ @ State Farm Stadium
• August 26: Las Vegas, NV @ Allegiant Stadium
• August 30, San Francisco, CA @ Levi’s Stadium
• September 2: Inglewood, CA @ SoFi Stadium
• September 11: Vancouver, BC @ BC Place
• September 13: Seattle, WA @ Lumen Field
• September 18: Kansas City, MO @ Arrowhead Stadium
• September 21: Dallas, TX @ AT&T Stadium
• September 23: Houston, TX @ NRG Stadium
• September 27: New Orleans, LA @ Caesars Superdome

Where can you get tickets?

Tickets for the North American leg of the tour will be available through Ticketmaster's Verified Fan program. Tickets will go on sale Monday, Feb 6, with an exclusive presale to BeyHive members, according to a Live Nation press release.

Verified Fan registration is now open. Once you register, you'll be placed in a lottery system that determines which fans get invited to purchase tickets. Registration alone doesn't guarantee tickets. If you're selected, you'll get an access code the day before tickets go on sale. Everyone else will be placed on a waitlist. According to Live Nation, this process is intended to help Ticketmaster weed out the resellers and verify your account so that actual fans get priority to buy tickets.

Citi cardmembers will have a special Citi Presale after the Verified Fan process. Get more details here . Verizon will also offer an exclusive presale through their customer loyalty program Verizon Up .

Will Beyoncé be using Ticketmaster like Taylor Swift to sell tickets?

Yes, but given what happened with Taylor Swift's Eras tour (and the fact it led to Congressional hearings about Ticketmaster ’s practices), it seems very likely both Beyoncé and Ticketmaster would want to avoid repeating that mess. That most likely explains the usage of the Verified Fan system.

Where will Beyoncé be playing?

The Renaissance World Tour will hit 40 cities in North America and across Europe. Stops include Paris, London, Amsterdam, Toronto, Chicago, East Rutherford, Atlanta, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Houston, and many more.

What has Beyoncé said about the Renaissance World Tour?

She just announced it was happening with a post on February 1. Her website didn't immediately contain any more details. But during the Wearable Art Gala in October 2022, she appeared to confirm it would start this summer, as a backstage tour with her mother Tina Lawson was up for auction at the event.

Will Beyoncé be performing at the Grammys (on February 5) and sharing more tour details there?

Not clear yet, but she is the most nominated artist at the ceremony . On January 21, Variety reported that “ talks with show producers are ongoing for a possible onstage appearance ” by Beyoncé.

What can we expect from the tour on stage?

Beyoncé hasn't shared that yet either, but given the artistry she put into her recent Dubai show , it's fair to say we can expect no less than excellence, elaborate costumes, and an incredible experience.

This post will be updated the moment more detail is released.

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NEWS... BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT

Beyonce ‘hopes to bring Renaissance tour to Ghana’ for rare Africa show as she’s predicted to ‘earn $500,000,000’ from performances

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Beyonce fans in Africa may not miss out on the Renaissance world tour entirely, as it’s claimed she’s in talks to bring the anticipated show to Ghana. 

The music world is reeling in excitement after it was announced that the Break My Soul singer will finally perform her Renaissance album live this summer with dates confirmed for Europe and North America.

It comes more than a week after Beyonce, 41, performed an exclusive show in Dubai but left fans lingering as she didn’t perform any new tracks from the dance-infused album. 

So far, the Renaissance tour will include cities such as London , Cardiff, Stockholm, Toronto, Las Vegas, Miami and Houston. 

But what about Africa? 

It’s long-been a sticking point for Beyonce’s fans across the continent that she rarely tours there, with her tour legs typically consisting of the Americas, Europe and Oceania. 

There was renewed hope that the Brown Skin Girl singer would travel to the motherland when she released 2019’s The Lion King: The Gift soundtrack, which drew inspiration from Africa and featured a host of Afrobeats and dancehall artists.

Although to note, she did perform in South Africa in 2018 at the Global Citizen Festival where she was joined by husband Jay Z on-stage.

Well, it could finally be Africa’s time as a source has told Metro.co.uk that Beyonce is exploring whether it would be possible for her to bring Renaissance to the continent, specifically Ghana. 

‘These dates only form part of the experience and there are talks to see if a more family friendly version of her show can be taken to Ghana,’ the insider said, explaining that the shows in Europe and North America will feature ‘mildly explicit’ content in light of some of the lyrics on the Renaissance album. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CoHxOQhrTHX/?hl=en-gb

They continued: ‘Live Nation is eager for all of its acts to perform in new markets and would like Bey to spearhead it if they can find the right venue and partners on the ground. She is working closely with Ay Hollywood on choreography and has spent the last year producing the live arrangements for the show.’ 

Ay Hollywood has worked on choreography with Beyonce in the past, as well as a slew of other A-list talent such as Rihanna, Jennifer Lopez, Megan Thee Stallion and Ciara, so expect the tour to be nothing short of epic. 

The source added: ‘Live Nation is especially happy because it projects that she’ll earn north of $500million (£406million).’ 

If Beyonce does head over to Ghana later this year, she’ll likely be in good company as she collaborated with Ghanaian artist Shatta Wale on the popular track Already from The Lion King album. 

For complete ticketing and additional information visit beyonce.livenation.com and tour.beyonce.com.

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MORE : Beyonce finally confirms Renaissance world tour after months of teasing

MORE : Beyoncé and Jay Z return to reality as they land in LA on private jet following singer’s dazzling, yet controversial, performance in Dubai

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Beyonce Announces 2023 Renaissance World Tour

The 41-show global outing kicks off in Stockholm in May.

By Carl Lamarre

Carl Lamarre

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The announcement photo may look familiar to fans, as she donned the same glittery attire on the cover of her seventh studio album. Bey also added “Renaissance World Tour” on her Instagram bio, further accenting the news. Last week, Beyonce performed a full concert for the first time in four years at a luxury resort in Dubai in front of influencers and journalists. The 19-song set included a collaboration with her oldest daughter Blue Ivy as the two performed “Brown Skin Girl,” which earned them a Grammy two years ago for best music video.

Crowned a triumphant win by music lovers, Renaissance stormed to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 last year and rattled off two Hot 100 top 10 hits, including her chart-topper “Break My Soul.” The dance-centric album also notched nine Grammy nominations, the most for any nominee for this year’s ceremony. Bey is looking to rack up more trophy wins, as she currently sits at a staggering 28 wins. Nominated for album of the year, song, and record of the year, Bey is facing some stout competition , especially in the former. The R&B juggernaut will tango against Adele, Harry Styles, Kendrick Lamar, Bad Bunny, and more for album of the year. A win in this category would serve as Beyonce’s first. The 65th Grammy Awards will occur Sunday night in Los Angeles at 8 pm EST.

Check out Beyonce’s Instagram post and 2023 Renaissance dates below.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Beyoncé (@beyonce)

2023 Renaissance European dates :

May 10 — Stockholm, SE @ Friends Arena

May 14 — Brussels, BE @ King Baudouin Stadium

May 17 — Cardiff, UK @ Cardiff Principality Stadium

May 20 — Edinburgh, UK @ BT Murrayfield Stadium

May 23 — Sunderland, UK @ Stadium of Light

May 26 — Paris, FR @ Stade de France

May 29 — London, UK @ Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

May 30 — London, UK @ Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

June 8 — Barcelona, ES @ Olympic Stadium

June 11 — Marseille, FR @ Orange Velodrome

June 15 — Cologne, DE @ Rhein Energie Stadion

June 17 — Amsterdam, NL @ Johan Cruijff Arena

June 21 — Hamburg, DE @ Volksparkstadion

June 24 — Frankfurt, DE @ Deutsche Bank Park

June 27 — Warsaw, PL @ PGE Narodowy

2023 Renaissance North American dates :

July 8 — Toronto, CA @ Rogers Centre

July 12 — Philadelphia, PA @ Lincoln Financial Field

July 15 — Nashville, TN @ Nissan Stadium

July 17 — Louisville, KY @ Cardinal Stadium

July 20 — Minneapolis, MN @ Huntington Bank Stadium

July 22 — Chicago, IL @ Soldier Field

July 26 — Detroit, MI @ Ford Field

July 29 — East Rutherford, NJ @ Metlife Stadium

August 1 — Boston, MA @ Gillete Stadium

August 3 — Pittsburgh, PA @ Heinz Field

August 5 — Washington, DC @ Fedex Field

August 9 — Charlotte, NC @ Bank Of America Stadium

August 11 — Atlanta, GA @ Mercedes Benz Stadium

August 16 — Tampa, FL @ Raymond James Stadium

August 18 — Miami, FL @ Hard Rock Stadium

August 21 — St. Louis, MI @ Dome at America’s Center

August 26 — Las Vegas, NV @ Allegiant Stadium

August 30 — San Francisco, CA @ Levi’s Stadium

Sept. 2 — Inglewood, CA @ Sofi Stadium

Sept. 11 — Vancouver, BC @ BC Place

Sept. 13 — Seattle, WA @ Lumen Field

Sept. 18 — Kansas City, KS @ Arrowhead Stadium

Sept. 21 — Dallas, TX @ AT&T Stadium

Sept. 23 — Houston, TX @ NRG Stadium

Sept. 27 — New Orleans, LA @ Caesars Superdome

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Beyonce announces Renaissance world tour, Ghana a possible destination: report

Beyonce has disclosed that her long-awaited Renaissance World Tour 2023 will begin on May 10 at Stockholm’s Friends Arena. It will then be in stadiums in Europe and UK over spring and summer.

The tour will continue across North America with shows in Toronto, Chicago, East Rutherford, Atlanta, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Houston, and more. There are reports that the singer is also looking at taking the show to the West African country of Ghana .

“These dates only form part of the experience and there are talks to see if a more family friendly version of her show can be taken to Ghana,” an insider told metro.co.uk.

“Live Nation is eager for all of its acts to perform in new markets and would like Bey to spearhead it if they can find the right venue and partners on the ground. She is working closely with Ay Hollywood on choreography and has spent the last year producing the live arrangements for the show,” the source continued.

The 43-date world tour is in support of her 2022 Renaissance album. The tour will be her first solo tour in more than six years.

The last time Beyonce performed in Africa was in 2018 in South Africa at the Global Citizen Festival. Her fans in Africa would be thrilled to have her once more on the continent if her tour makes a stop in Ghana. The singer recently featured Ghanaian musician Shatta Wale on her 2019 album The Lion King: The Gift. 

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• Friday - May 31, 2024 - 12:47 AM

Beyoncé’s world tour. Why she shouldn’t ignore Africa

By James Chikomborero Paradza

Doctor of Music Candidate, University of Pretoria

Beyoncé  announced her highly anticipated  Renaissance World Tour  on the first day of  Black History Month  – an annual observance in the US that honours the African diaspora. Social media erupted and ticketing websites  crashed briefly  as fans worldwide rushed to secure tickets. Following her  record-setting  32nd win at the 2023 Grammy Awards for her album  Renaissance , the US singer-songwriter’s tour is the most  sought-after  musical event of the year. It will run from May to September 2023, with performances so far scheduled only across Europe and North America.

African fans were disappointed, but no doubt not surprised – Africa is almost always  excluded  from major world tours organised by global record labels. To be clear, it’s not just Beyoncé.

Still, this particular exclusion is compounded by Queen Bey’s love of the continent – especially of former South African president  Nelson Mandela  – and the influence she’s drawn from it in her work. Of course, hope remains for her African fandom that destinations could still be added to the tour.

As a popular music scholar, I’m interested in how Beyoncé addresses social issues in her music – and how this is  perceived  by listeners in Africa. I argue that African destinations should be included – and not just because Beyoncé incorporates African elements in her music. But because of how large and  fervent  her fanbase is in Africa and how her social awareness messages resonate with these fans.

Snubbing Africa

In a  capitalist commercial music industry , stadium world tours significantly affect an artist’s revenue and exposure. Almost without fail, African countries are erased as possible destinations, leaving many fans asking why.

While we may never know the answer – unless record labels blatantly state their perspectives – many are left to wonder if big name artists and their management teams think that Africa does not have adequate infrastructure to accommodate their grandiose sets. Or if they believe that stadiums will not fill up with patrons such as those across the global north do.

One of the ways that we can start to make sense of Africa’s exclusion is by applying an  intersectional  lens to western popular culture. (This is a framework to understand the distribution of power – social, economic, political and cultural – in society, how it is maintained, and why certain groups of people are marginalised.) By thinking particularly about the relationships between class and geographic location, western popular culture can be viewed as a product of a capitalist society that prioritises the generation of profit. Capitalist record labels put making money first.

In popular culture, Africa has traditionally been cast as a backward continent plagued by famine, poverty and war. This shapes how the continent is viewed when assessing its capabilities to generate profits. The management teams and record labels of global pop musicians could see Africa as a high-risk, low-reward destination. They would rather travel to destinations where profitability is guaranteed based on  infrastructure and previous experiences .

However, some major artists have had successful tour performances in Africa, such as  Ed Sheeran  in 2018 and  Lady Gaga  in 2012. Even though both performed only in South Africa, they did not wholly snub the continent. And their South African dates were commercial successes.

Beyoncé and Africa

What further confounds many African fans is that it seems such a natural fit for Beyoncé to revisit the continent. Her love for Africa is evident. Her visual album,  Black Is King , is a  testament  to this. She explores and celebrates her African heritage through it. At the same time it highlights the diverse tapestry of culture and tradition on the continent and across the diaspora. Various musical, visual, language and wardrobe elements from Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and South Africa are fused in it.

Beyoncé may never have brought a world tour to Africa, but she is one of the few major global pop musicians to perform here. In 2003 she appeared at the  46664 Concert  in Cape Town. Hosted by Mandela, the concert aimed to spread awareness of HIV/AIDS in the country. In 2018 she headlined the  Global Citizen: Mandela 100 Festival  in Johannesburg together with her husband Jay-Z. Interestingly, most tickets for the performance were  earned  through acts of social activism, so we will never know if it was a commercial success. But the stadium was filled to capacity.

It’s probably not a coincidence that Beyoncé’s two African performances were at events connected to Mandela. In 2018 she  expressed  her adoration for the late president, highlighting his lessons of forgiveness. These lessons she portrayed through her desire to break generational curses in her seminal Black feminist visual album  Lemonade .

Both concerts raised awareness of growing inequalities across South Africa and the continent. Beyoncé has advocated for social justice and calls attention to power relations that marginalise people based on elements such as race, gender and class.

Why she should return

Undoubtedly, Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour tickets would sell out as fast in any African city as a city in the global north. (Sheeran sold  230,000 tickets  for his stops in Johannesburg and Cape Town.)

In addition to her musical and dancing talents, Beyoncé addresses social issues in a way that many people can understand. She reminds people who have been marginalised that they are  greater  than the dominating forces have led them to believe. She encourages  self-care  and  self-love  within a capitalist society that values productivity over the individual.

Moreover, her love for Africa has  recast  the continent’s image within popular culture, bringing various African art forms to the forefront of media and music. And finally, Beyoncé has the power to trigger a music industry renaissance and reform the west’s perceptions about touring in Africa.

About the author

James Chikomborero Paradza is Doctor of Music Candidate, University of Pretoria

This article was originally published on The Conversation. To read the original, click here

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Will Beyoncé’s World Tour Include Africa? Global Concerts Keep Snubbing The Motherland

Beyoncé has the power to trigger a music industry renaissance and reform the west’s perceptions about touring in africa., share the post, share this link via, or copy link.

Beyoncé performs on stage headlining the Grand Reveal of Dubai’s newest luxury hotel, Atlantis The Royal, on January 21, 2023, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. | Source: Kevin Mazur / Getty

B eyoncé announced her highly anticipated Renaissance World Tour on the first day of Black History Month – an annual observance in the US that honors the African diaspora. Social media erupted and ticketing websites crashed briefly as fans worldwide rushed to secure tickets. Following her record-setting 32nd win at the 2023 Grammy Awards for her album Renaissance , the US singer-songwriter’s tour is the most sought-after musical event of the year. It will run from May to September 2023, with performances so far scheduled only across Europe and North America.

African fans were disappointed, but no doubt not surprised – Africa is almost always excluded from major world tours organized by global record labels. To be clear, it’s not just Beyoncé.

Still, this particular exclusion is compounded by Queen Bey’s love of the continent – especially of former South African president Nelson Mandela – and the influence she’s drawn from it in her work. Of course, hope remains for her African fandom that destinations could still be added to the tour.

As a popular music scholar, I’m interested in how Beyoncé addresses social issues in her music – and how this is perceived by listeners in Africa. I argue that African destinations should be included – and not just because Beyoncé incorporates African elements in her music. But because of how large and fervent her fanbase is in Africa and how her social awareness messages resonate with these fans.

Snubbing Africa

In a capitalist commercial music industry , stadium world tours significantly affect an artist’s revenue and exposure. Almost without fail, African countries are erased as possible destinations, leaving many fans asking why.

While we may never know the answer – unless record labels blatantly state their perspectives – many are left to wonder if big name artists and their management teams think that Africa does not have adequate infrastructure to accommodate their grandiose sets. Or if they believe that stadiums will not fill up with patrons such as those across the global north do.

One of the ways that we can start to make sense of Africa’s exclusion is by applying an intersectional lens to western popular culture. (This is a framework to understand the distribution of power – social, economic, political and cultural – in society, how it is maintained, and why certain groups of people are marginalized.) By thinking particularly about the relationships between class and geographic location, western popular culture can be viewed as a product of a capitalist society that prioritizes the generation of profit. Capitalist record labels put making money first.

In popular culture, Africa has traditionally been cast as a backward continent plagued by famine, poverty and war. This shapes how the continent is viewed when assessing its capabilities to generate profits. The management teams and record labels of global pop musicians could see Africa as a high-risk, low-reward destination. They would rather travel to destinations where profitability is guaranteed based on infrastructure and previous experiences .

However, some major artists have had successful tour performances in Africa, such as Ed Sheeran in 2018 and Lady Gaga in 2012. Even though both performed only in South Africa, they did not wholly snub the continent. And their South African dates were commercial successes.

Beyoncé and Africa

What further confounds many African fans is that it seems such a natural fit for Beyoncé to revisit the continent. Her love for Africa is evident. Her visual album, Black Is King , is a testament to this. She explores and celebrates her African heritage through it. At the same time it highlights the diverse tapestry of culture and tradition on the continent and across the diaspora. Various musical, visual, language and wardrobe elements from Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and South Africa are fused in it.

Beyoncé may never have brought a world tour to Africa, but she is one of the few major global pop musicians to perform here. In 2003 she appeared at the 46664 Concert in Cape Town. Hosted by Mandela, the concert aimed to spread awareness of HIV/AIDS in the country. In 2018 she headlined the Global Citizen: Mandela 100 Festival in Johannesburg together with her husband Jay-Z. Interestingly, most tickets for the performance were earned through acts of social activism, so we will never know if it was a commercial success. But the stadium was filled to capacity.

It’s probably not a coincidence that Beyoncé’s two African performances were at events connected to Mandela. In 2018 she expressed her adoration for the late president, highlighting his lessons of forgiveness. These lessons she portrayed through her desire to break generational curses in her seminal Black feminist visual album Lemonade .

Both concerts raised awareness of growing inequalities across South Africa and the continent. Beyoncé has advocated for social justice and calls attention to power relations that marginalize people based on elements such as race, gender and class.

Why she should return

Undoubtedly, Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour tickets would sell out as fast in any African city as a city in the global north. (Sheeran sold 230,000 tickets for his stops in Johannesburg and Cape Town.)

In addition to her musical and dancing talents, Beyoncé addresses social issues in a way that many people can understand. She reminds people who have been marginalized that they are greater than the dominating forces have led them to believe. She encourages self-care and self-love within a capitalist society that values productivity over the individual.

Moreover, her love for Africa has recast the continent’s image within popular culture, bringing various African art forms to the forefront of media and music. And finally, Beyoncé has the power to trigger a music industry renaissance and reform the west’s perceptions about touring in Africa.

James Chikomborero Paradza , Doctor of Music Candidate, University of Pretoria

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article .

‘Wouldn’t That Be Killer?’: Dolly Parton Wants Beyoncé To Cover Her 1974 Hit ‘Jolene’

Beyoncé & Jay-Z Use Their New Tiffany & Co. Partnership To Create A $2 Million Scholarship For HBCUs

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Beyoncé's 2025 Tour: South Africa Spotlight

Firstly, the flutter in top heralders remains alive at virtually setting Mzansi stages on fire with foreign music sensations such as Kendrick Lamar, Deborah Cox, Tamia, Khalid, Westlife, and Maroon 5. "Ngihamba nawe kancane," as Bayandi sang, is what sets these sensations above the rest of the pretenders. The rumor mill is in overdrive over a tour schedule doing the rounds on X (formerly known as Twitter) which places Beyoncé's show in Johannesb…

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RENAISSANCE: A FILM BY BEYONCE ( 18 L)

14 Dec 2023 20:30

Directed: Beyonce. Starring: Beyonce, Blue Ivy Carter. EXPERIENCE BEYONCE’S WORLD TOUR ON SCREEN Beyonce’s extraordinary Renaissance World Tour created a sanctuary for freedom, and a shared joy, for more than 2.7 million fans. Now you can experience the pop superstar on the big screen as she performs her hit songs in concert, and discusses the creative process behind her phenomenally successful world tour.

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Beyoncé is releasing a Renaissance tour concert film. Here's everything we know so far, including where you can see it.

• Beyonce's Renaissance World Tour is coming to the big screen.

• On Sunday, she released the first trailer for her concert film, "Renaissance: A Film by Beyonc."
• It's set to release in North America on December 1 and tickets are already on sale. 

Recommended articles

On Sunday night, the "Break My Soul" singer released the first trailer for her concert film, "Renaissance: A Film by Beyonce."

"When I am performing, I am nothing but free," Bey says in the trailer over a series of clips from her record-breaking tour.

"My goal for this tour was to create a place where everyone is free, and no one is judged," she adds.

Produced by her company Parkwood Entertainment, the official description for the movie reads: "It is about Beyonc's intention, hard work, involvement in every aspect of the production, her creative mind and purpose to create her legacy, and master her craft."

"Beyonc's outstanding performance during Renaissance World Tour created a sanctuary for freedom, acceptance, and shared joy," the description continues. "Now, millions of moviegoers will get caught up in the Joy Parade, the monumental dance party that celebrates everyone's right to be themselves, close to home."

Will 'Renaissance: A Film by Beyonc' be released globally?

The movie will open in the United States, Canada, and Mexico from December 1, with additional global cities to be announced at a later date, said Parkwood.

Tickets in the US for screenings are on sale now and prices start at $22 plus tax.

"Renaissance: A Film by Beyonce" is being distributed exclusively by AMC Entertainment, the largest theater chain in the world.

Taylor Swift is using the same company to distribute her own concert movie, "Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour," which releases in theaters on October 13.

According to Variety, in August, Swift struck a deal with AMC to self-finance the movie but receive over 50% of box office grosses.

Variety reported Saturday that Beyonce agreed the same deal with AMC in mid-September.

Beyonc began her Renaissance World Tour in May in Stockholm, Sweden, and has since hit major cities all around the globe, including London, Paris, and Chicago.

The tour concluded in Kansas City, Missouri, on Sunday, where, according to The Hollywood Reporter, the singer debuted the trailer for her concert movie.

According to Billboard , the Renaissance World Tour has grossed over $461 million, making it the highest-grossing tour of all time by a woman, per Billboard's tracking.

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South Africa included in leaked list of Beyoncé’s alleged 2025 tour

South Africa has appeared on a leaked list of countries that global star Beyoncé could visit allegedly as part of her world tour next year.

Beyoncé is rumoured to be scheduled to perform in Johannesburg on 10 April 2025, according to a leaked tour schedule circulating on social media.

FAKE NEWS? IS BEYONCÉ COMING TO SOUTH AFRICA?

In recent months, South Africa has had its fair share of international musicians including Kendrick Lamar, Deborah Cox, Tamia, Khalid, Westlife, Maroon 5, and more. 

Social media users recently went into a frenzy after they saw a tour schedule circulating on social media claiming that Beyoncé is coming to Mzansi.

According to the post shared by user @MwahafarN on X (the social media platform previously known as Twitter), the American superstar will be coming to South Africa next year. She will allegedly be performing at the FNB Stadium on 10 April 2025.

Some of Beyonce’s die-hard fans on social media were not easily convinced by the poster and have since taken to the comment section to say that the tour schedule is fake .

LATEST NEWS: MORE ABOUT THE AMERICAN SINGER

In another story, according to Africa News , Beyoncé’s new single Texas Hold ‘Em reached No. 1 on the country airplay. The 42-year-old megastar is said to have released the country song on 11 February during the Super Bowl.

She has since become the first black woman to clinch the top spot on the Hot Country Songs chart with her new single, Hello reported.

According to the publication, the multi-award-winning singer is set to release her upcoming album titled Act II  in March. The Queen of country music Dolly Parton (78) has praised her on her new venture.

“I’m a big fan of Beyoncé and very excited that she’s done a country album. So congratulations on your Billboard Hot Country number one single. Can’t wait to hear the full album,” the Jolene hitmaker wrote on her Instagram feed.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Dolly Parton (@dollyparton)

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Beyoncé’s Alleged South African Tour Dates Spark a Buzz Online, Fans Think It’s a Scam

• Beyoncé is rumoured to be scheduled to perform in Johannesburg on 10 April 2025, according to a flyer circulating on social media
• Mzansi is excited but sceptical, as many are concerned about the authenticity of the viral post
• Fans recall previous concerts and express anticipation, some jokingly offering to sell body parts for tickets

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Hold your horses, Mzansi, God has finally answered your prayers. There is a flyer making the rounds on social media claiming that Beyoncé will be coming to Johannesburg for a show.

Beyoncé allegedly coming to SA

South Africa has had its fair share of international stars in recent years, from Boyz II Men, Westlife, Maroon 5 and Joe Thomas, who is also scheduled to come back in April. Social media users could not believe their eyes when a poster claiming that Beyoncé was coming to SA circulated on social media.

SA woman in Korea, unpacks, goods she bought in Mzansi in a TikTok video

Per the post shared by @motlatsi_n on X, formerly known as Twitter , the larger-than-life singer will be coming to South Africa next year. Bey is allegedly performing at the FNB Stadium on 10 April 2025. The post read:

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"We’re within"

Mzansi reacts to Beyoncé's alleged show

Social media users seem amped that Beyoncé is finally coming to South Africa after snubbing them the last time . Many also questioned the authenticity of the post, because they're scared of being scammed.

@444Dineo said:

"Y'all, please don't embarrass Mother. We need the stadium packed!"

@Tumee_3006 commented:

"I’m selling body parts tsaka."

@ujudas_iscariot added:

"Yall didn’t learn from what happened at FNB the last time she was here clearly."

@weSkhangeni noted:

"Mxm she shouldn't have told us this early in advance. I can already hear thieves planning another mugging and rehearsals. Her show would've sold out even if she told us in December."

R0.00 bank account blues: TikTok meme has South Africans complaining about the Monday before payday

@Moon_Godesss asked:

"Are these real tour dates?"

Joe Thomas’ upcoming SA tour sparks mixed reactions

In more entertainment news, Briefly News reported that legendary singer and songwriter Joe Thomas is making his way to Mzansi again and fans have shared mixed reactions to the news. Some said they can't wait to be serenaded by his voice, others feel like he wants to resurrect his washed-up career .

Legendary singer and songwriter Joe Thomas is making his way to Mzansi again and fans have shared mixed reactions to the news.

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Source: Briefly News

Privie Kandi (Entertainment Editor) Privilege Kandi is an entertainment news editor (joined Briefly in 2022). A Journalism and Mass Communication graduate from the Christian College of Southern Africa (2016), she has been in the arts and entertainment industry for six years. Privie has worked for the Zimbabwe International Film and Festival Trust as a communications officer and a writer and TV producer for lifestyle and entertainment channel CME TV. She passed a set of trainings by Google News Initiative. You can reach her at [email protected].

Beyoncé's Renaissance Tour costumes as books: What to read with Beyoncé on the brain

Purchases you make through our links may earn us and our publishing partners a commission.

Beyoncé’s epic Renaissance World Tour is here, and we're smitten.

In a review of Beyoncé's American tour opener in Philadelphia, USA TODAY's music critic Melissa Ruggieri wrote, "Beyoncé is an unstoppable force of precise movement and vocal dynamics, a superstar who, two months shy of turning 42 and in the where-did-the-time-go third decade of her career, has raised – and cleared – her own ambitious bar yet again."

One crucial ingredient to the tour's impact? The costumes. During her three-hour set, Beyoncé’s wardrobe is striking, full of gorgeous, custom-made piece by top designers. Her looks are so instantly iconic, we had to pair them with equally striking book covers that match the vibe.

Here's what to read when you've got Beyoncé on the brain.

Check out: USA TODAY's weekly Best-selling Booklist

See photos: Beyoncé's eye-popping outfits on the Renaissance World Tour

'All of Our Demise,' by Amanda Foody and C.L. Herman

This show-stopping Loewe catsuit reminds us so much of the cover of “All of Our Demise,” the second in the “All of Us Villains” duology (and check out the red nails on the catsuit). This YA fantasy series is like if "The Hunger Games" had dark magic with some very rich, pretentious kids fighting against each other for their family’s right to control all the magic in their city. If you like morally gray characters and messy teen romances, you have to check this series out.

• "All of Our Demise" at Amazon for $10
• "All of Our Demise" at Bookshop for $18

'All Systems Red,' by Martha Wells

We love the futuristic metallics on this tour and how they embody some of our favorite science fiction covers. This bodysuit pairs perfectly with “All Systems Red,” the first of Wells’ novellas in her Murderbot Diaries series, which follows a self-aware security android given to a planetary exploration team in a corporate-dominated future. This series has swept the science fiction scene and its seventh installment, “System Collapse,” comes out Nov. 14. 

• "All Systems Red" at Amazon for $17
• "All Systems Red" at Bookshop for $15

Beyoncé Renaissance tour 2023 set list: Full list of all songs in her nearly 3-hour show

'Silver Nitrate,' by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

This custom Off-White red suit is such a powerful statement piece and grabs your attention, just like the cover for Moreno-Garcia’s latest release, “Silver Nitrate.” The author of the bestselling book “Mexican Gothic” writes some of our favorite modern genre-benders. “Silver Nitrate,” set in Mexico City in the 1990s, is a dark thriller/horror following a sound editor and a faded soap opera star unraveling a decades-old curse on a lost film.

• "Silver Nitrate" at Amazon for $23
• "Silver Nitrate" at Bookshop for $26

'The Fragile Threads of Power,' by V.E. Schwab

This stunning custom dress by Roksanda has a floating skirt with matching gloves for an ethereal yet structured look, and it could not be a better fit for “The Fragile Threads of Power.” Schwab returns to the world of “A Darker Shade of Magic” with familiar friends and new enemies in a tale of alternate Londons in a magical feud with one another. We are obsessed with the original Shades of Magic trilogy and can’t wait to go back to Schwab’s London when the book releases Sept. 26. 

• "The Fragile Threads of Power" at Amazon for $27
• "The Fragile Threads of Power" at Bookshop for $28

'Beholder,' by Ryan La Sala

This holographic mini-dress by David Koma is such an eye-catching look, as is the cover of La Sala's "Beholder." This upcoming YA horror is about aesthetics and supernatural conspiracy, following a teen art handler who can rewind the reflections in any mirror, allowing him to look into its recent past. This book is a wild ride that incorporating several genres, and we know it's going to be a hit when it comes out Oct. 3.

• "Beholder" at Amazon for $19
• "Beholder" at Bookshop for $18

'Forging a Nightmare,' by Patricia A. Jackson

This Del Core ensemble with a matching cape and boots atop a crystal horse is one of Beyoncé’s most dramatic looks of the Renaissance tour and it pairs perfectly with the epic cover of Jackson’s “Forging a Nightmare.” This is an adult urban fantasy mystery following an FBI detective who must solve a series of murders in New York City, and it puts a new spin on the four horsemen of the apocalypse –– what a ride!

• "Forging a Nightmare" at Amazon for $11
• "Forging a Nightmare" at Bookshop for $15

'The Bees,' by Laline Paull

Donning a custom, standout bee costume by Mugler, Beyoncé pays homage to her fandom, the Beyhive. So naturally, we had to pair this look with Paull’s “The Bees,” a fantasy dystopia about the court politics and inner workings of a bee hive told from the perspective of a lowly sanitation bee. Pitched as “The Handmaid’s Tale” meets “The Hunger Games,” this book has gorgeous prose and compelling drama. If you’re in the hive, this book is worth the buzz. 

• "The Bees" at Amazon for $15
• "The Bees" at Bookshop for $16

‘Urgency and Realness': Inside the Human Rights Campaign's Beyoncé-Inspired ‘Renaissance' Syllabus

It may be Cowboy Carter week, but the silvery disco ball strobe lights of Renaissance - the first act of Beyoncé 's presently unfolding trilogy - continue to illuminate the world. On Monday (March 26), the Human Rights Campaign debuted Renaissance: A Queer Syllabus , a sprawling collection of academic articles, essays, films and other pieces of media rooted in Black queer and feminist studies and directly inspired by each track on Queen Bey's Billboard 200-topping dance album.

Curated by Justin Calhoun, Leslie Hall and Chauna Lawson of the HRC's HBCU program, the syllabus will serve as an educational resource designed to honor, analyze and celebrate the joy, resilience, innovation and legacy of the Black queer community. The syllabus will be shared with nearly 30 historically Black colleges and universities, including Howard University, North Carolina A&T University, Prairie View A&M University and Shaw University.

Released in the summer of 2022, Renaissance was and continues to be a bonafide cultural phenomenon. A lovingly researched ode to the Black queer roots of dance music filtered through her intensely personal relationship with her late Uncle Johnny, the album captivated fans around the world and shined a much-needed light on the unsung movers and shakers of Black queer art and culture. The album won four Grammys - including a historic win for best dance/electronic album - housed a pair of Billboard Hot 100 top 10 hits in "Break My Soul" (No. 1) and "Cuff It" (No. 6) and spawned a record-breaking stadium tour and accompanying box office-topping documentary concert film.

From the economic impact of Beyoncé's silver fashion aesthetic to career boosts given to Black queer icons such as Kevin Aviance, Ts Madison and Honey Dijon, Renaissance proved itself to be much more than a standard LP. The HRC understood that there was a chance to make a real impact across education and activism through the lens of the record.

"There are ways that we can embed the impact of her lyrics into real life. It was serendipitous for this to happen," said Hall, director of the HRC's HBCU Program. "All the anti-DEI [diversity, equity and inclusion] laws were being introduced in the same states that she was doing concerts in. So, what would it look like for us to put our best thinking together to put articles, books, and movies to all of the songs on her album?"

On May 15, 2023 - just three shows into the Renaissance World Tour - Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill banning DEI initiatives in public colleges. A month later (June 14, 2023), the governor of Beyoncé's home state of Texas, Greg Abbott, signed a bill prohibiting DEI offices and the hiring of DEI staff at public higher education institutions.

The juxtaposition of rising anti-queer sentiments and Beyoncé's Renaissance era anchors the syllabus' arrangement. The syllabus begins with a brief statement summarizing and reiterating the HRC's June 2023 LGBTQ+ State of Emergency statement, which they declared "for the first time following an unprecedented and dangerous spike in anti-LGBTQ+ legislative assaults sweeping state houses." The final pages of the syllabus contain both a reprint of Beyoncé's statement in memory of O'Shea Sibley - a young Black queer man who was murdered in Brooklyn back in July 2023 for simply voguing to Renaissance --and an additional statement from the HRC denouncing hate crimes.

"I think when you preface something [with] a state of emergency, you get the lay of the land and how important [the] syllabus is," said Calhoun, an HBCU program manager at HRC. "It brings a sense of urgency and realness to what's actually happening to queer youth, especially black Queer Youth."

Calhoun - alongside Hall and Lawson - began work on the syllabus in October 2023, dividing the album's 16-song tracklist into different themes and building hubs of additional secondary resources that expound on said themes. Despite Calhoun's initial concerns that breaking up the tracklist would "lose the flow" of the album - Renaissance is intentionally mixed and sequenced to emulate a seamless DJ set - he ultimately agreed that the approach helped the syllabus feel more like a lesson plan.

Six themes anchor the syllabus, ranging from "intersectionality and inclusivity" to "social justice and activism." Fan favorite tracks like "Alien Superstar" and "Thique" rope in the origins of the body positivity moment and iconic speeches from Barbara Ann Teer (including the one sampled on "Superstar") under the umbrella of "empowerment and self-acceptance." "Energy," the song behind the infamous "mute challenge," gets new readings by interloping essays from bell hooks and Patricia Hill Collins. Even less-famed tracks like "Move" (with Grace Jones & Tems) - which is paired with fascinating readings on the effects of colonialism on pre-colonial Africa and African perspectives on trans identity - get in on the scholarly fun.

Naturally, "Heated," a song that had an intense, immediate impact on Renaissance listeners with deep ties to the ballroom scene, served as the crux of the syllabus, according to Calhoun. "It was the model child for how a section of the syllabus should look," he explains. "There was so much to unpack in ‘Heated.' You have Beyoncé's Uncle Johnny, a Black gay man [living] during the AIDS epidemic - that lead to us [compiling different resources] about how we lost a generation of black gay men who were visionaries and people who paved the culture."

The syllabus is a thorough resource, one that continues the HRC's connection with Beyoncé's Renaissance era. On Aug. 27, 2023, the HRC, with support from Beyoncé's BeyGOOD Foundation, mounted the Equality Ball in Las Vegas, NV – an event that doubled as actual ball complete with a "Bring It Like Beyoncé" category and an educational resource pushing voter registration and sexual health awareness.

Although Parkwood Entertainment, Beyoncé's production company, did not authorize or give "direct sign off" on the syllabus ( Billboard reached out to representatives at Parkwood for comment), creating the resource was "a seamless process," according to Calhoun. "We knew amongst the team which authors and which folks to go to for certain things, I don't think any of us did many Google searches," said Hall. "We knew where to go to connect the right [resources] to one of her songs [and] build a course out of it. It is really a testament to well-read, well-learned people. I feel obligated to say that because we don't talk about ourselves like that. We're smart. It would take folks with Howard degrees to put something like this together."

From Pauli Murray and C. Riley Snorton to Audre Lorde and Sonya Renee Taylor, HRC's new syllabus continues Renaissance' s mission of highlighting, amplifying and re-centering Black and queer voices. Of course, this syllabus is far from the first piece of Beyoncé-inspired coursework in higher education. Following the release of the Grammy winner's culture-shifting album Lemonade in 2016, a slew of Beyoncé-themed classes debuted across higher education institutions - including the University of Copenhagen, Rutgers University, Arizona State University and the University of Texas at San Antonio.

For Hall, the rise of courses tackling social constructs through the lens of pop culture is only a good thing. "We're in a powder keg right now, and it's gonna pop around election time," he says. "We have to get information to folks in younger generations. We need them to be connected to what's really happening and a way to do that is through music and culture."

Nonetheless, Hall and his colleagues aren't oblivious to the fact that Renaissance exists in an intrinsically capitalistic context. "[It's] something I grapple with so much," notes Calhoun. "I had a teacher who once said that capitalism is the current structure and we have to live under it. This is how life operates. What is Beyoncé going to do to stop a capitalist structure? I just don't feel like we're at a point in the movement where we know what we want [people like her] to do."

While there may be no current plans for a Cowboy Carter syllabus - "being from the Mississippi Delta, that would be dope, but it depends on Beyoncé," quipped Calhoun - the HRC's Renaissance syllabus is the ultimate proof that the Renaissance is, in fact, not over.

"We've made a course that adds to scholarship about Black queer futures and specifically ballroom and uplifting history that's not as popular in academia," says Calhoun. "It really adds to the academic cannon of Black queer scholarship in a way we haven't seen before."

More from Billboard

• ‘Are You Really Coming to Help Us?': How the Beyoncé-Sponsored Equality Ball Prioritized Black Queer Resistance 

‘They Stay Plotting on This Lady’: AMC Theatres CEO Admits to Showing Taylor Swift Favoritism Over Beyoncé, Almost Sabotaging ‘Renaissance’ Film Rollout and Fans Are Furious

Beyoncé ’s fans are furiously buzzing over the singer being betrayed in a monumental business deal.

Outrage over the missing “Renaissance” visuals was renewed following Variety’s exclusive conversation with AMC Theatres CEO Adam Aron about leadership and efforts to get the entertainment company on fiscally stable ground.

Aron’s plans to further help his nearly 900 theaters bounce back from the pandemic and combat decreased ticket sales amid Hollywood studios’ decline in theatrical film releases were the tip of the iceberg. It’s his candor when discussing how two major concert films that filled seats in 2023 were profit infusions that sparked a flurry of reactions on social media.

Last year, both Beyoncé and Taylor Swift proved that millions of fans were willing to spend top dollar to attend their shows that spanned continents — the “Break My Soul” singer with her “Renaissance World Tour,” and Swift with “The Eras Tour.”

To the delight of many, both artists gave their supporters an opportunity to relive the magic of their productions, along with behind-the-scenes clips and the artists’ insights, when they brokered deals with AMC to distribute their concert films, respectively.

Neither Taylor Swift nor Beyoncé’s concert films are eligible for the Oscars under the current guidelines, Variety reports. pic.twitter.com/BJwHuPoPqa — Pop Base (@PopBase) October 9, 2023

Aron admitted to the entertainment magazine that the company was sworn to secrecy by both camps to not derail plans for the movies’ rollouts. He respected Swift’s boundaries, but his loyalty waned for the 32-time Grammy Award winner.

Theater owners, too, feel slighted by the arrangements with Swift and Beyoncé. AMC was the only chain to know about the existence of those films in advance, so it could put tickets on sale first. 

“We couldn’t blow Taylor’s secret,” said the businessman, who noted that theater owners were miffed that AMC was given first dibs at posting tickets for country-turned-pop performer. “And those theater chains who groused to you? They grossed $100 million in ticket sales. It’s not like they sold diddly,” he added.

The “Cruel Summer” vocalist’s film was released on Oct. 13, 2023, two months before “Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé.”  

Ok, we can compare talent now Beyoncé VS Taylor Swift (Here the numbers won’t help you) https://t.co/9E3JqoihIn pic.twitter.com/kYSVS6cahR — 👑Supreme Queen Bey👑 (@QueenBeyoncesp) December 9, 2023

As reported by Variety, “To soothe bruised feelings, before Beyoncé’s film went on sale, AMC gave its competition a super-secret heads-up: Don’t tell anyone, but be ready to put tickets on sale.”

Aron said that the decision to tip off theaters nearly foiled the entire project. He disclosed that “at least half a dozen movie circuits leaked the news” and that “Beyoncé was seriously thinking about not doing the movie at all because the secret was blown. So, they didn’t keep their word.” 

To date, the concert film is the only visual released in support of the “Renaissance” album. It brought in just over $44 million at the box office, a staggering contrast to her 34-year-old contemporary’s $276 million. The BeyHive believes it is all by design.

What happened with Kelly Rowland at Cannes and Beyoncé with what was revealed about her deal with AMC, further proves that no matter how rich, and famous you become as a black woman, it still doesn’t shield you from racism and the systems in place to keep you under! pic.twitter.com/DnI8xlejlf — I Choose Violence (@ourhermitage) May 24, 2024

“They stay plotting on this lady,” wrote one person as Aron’s admission of revealing Beyoncé’s movie prematurely. Someone else said , “Umm it’s actually weird that he could keep #hers a secret but had to give his competitors a heads-up about the renaissance film? there’s no way he thought they wouldn’t leak something like that, he’s such a loser.”

A third post about the situation read , “Sounds like Taylor’s team heard about Bey’s film and then rushed her film to try to beat her to the punch Like a lot of us said is what happened….” And another sentiment echoed by countless others suggested , “so we are never getting the visuals after those leaks omg.”

Another X user hypothesized that the global superstar would never give the theater chain another opportunity to turn a profit off of her artistry. “I don’t expect Beyoncé to ever work with AMC theaters ever again. That was very unprofessional and absolute trash,” they wrote .

The warring fan bases have long pitted the women against each other — a fire Shannon Sharpe further fueled when he said the 42-year-old was not as influential as Swift. However, Beyoncé and Swift supported each other by attending their respective film releases.

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‘If It Was Bey… The Hatred Would Be at The Max’: Beyoncé Fans Slam Hypocrites for Not Calling Out Taylor Swift’s Demonic Visuals In Paris Show Like They Did Over ‘Renaissance’

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Live Nation’s Arthur Fogel is No. 1 on Billboard Canada's Power Players 2024 List

Live nation's ceo of global touring is the secret weapon behind some of the biggest tours of the past year from beyoncé, madonna and u2..

Arthur Fogel photographed in Los Angeles.

Live Nation's Arthur Fogel tops Billboard Canada's 2024 Power Players list, which will be out this Wednesday (May 29). The concert promotion company had an inarguably successful – and controversial – year, including some of the biggest global music events of the year.

The industry icon behind many of the biggest world tours of the last year started out at a punk venue in Toronto.

Beyoncé’s Renaissance Tour topped Billboard’s 2023 Boxscore list as the highest-grossing tour of the year and one of the biggest of all time . U2’s opening residency at The Sphere in Las Vegas redefined big-stage sound-and-vision spectacle and became the fastest-grossing residency in Boxscore history . And Madonna culminated her career-spanning Celebration Tour with a massive, record-setting concert on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, attended by more than 1.6 million people.

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Arthur Fogel was instrumental in all of them.

Arthur Fogel is the CEO of Global Touring at Live Nation. He’s stationed at the company’s Los Angeles headquarters, but he’s one of several high-powered Canadian executives in their boardroom. Michael Rapino, Live Nation’s President and CEO, is also from Canada. And, Fogel notices, like they are on big stages, Canadians are overrepresented in some of the most important positions in the music industry.

“I don't think the Canadian industry gets enough credit on any number of levels. If you look at the artists that have come out of Canada over a number of years and generations, it’s pretty incredible how much talent that has come out of a country this size,” Fogel says. “The same holds true for the business side.”

Fogel has a theory why, and it goes back to his days in the Toronto punk and new wave scene.

Originally from Ottawa, Fogel came to Toronto as a musician and got a job as a manager at a downtown club called The Edge – now remembered as one of the most influential new wave venues of the late-‘70s and early-’80s. There, he met an up-and-coming band of local art students called Martha and the Muffins and became their tour manager. When the band scored an international hit with “Echo Beach” (now also the name of a Live Nation-owned venue in Toronto), they had to think beyond their national borders.

Because of Canada’s relative size and proximity to the U.S., Fogel thinks that’s a natural skill for an artist or promoter to learn.

“Canada is a relatively small segment of the business,” he says. “If you really want to develop your career, whether it's on the business side or the artist’s side, you have to figure out how to internationalize or globalize your talent. I think that’s a unique quality within Canada that's helped generate a disproportionate amount of exported talent.”

The Edge led him to Concert Promotions International [CPI], which was sold to SFX Entertainment, which was in turn sold to Clear Channel and eventually spun off as Live Nation. Fogel was one of the promoter’s day-one architects, which officially launched in 2005 and now considers itself the largest live entertainment company in the world.

Fogel’s most influential innovation was expanding the domain of concert promotion from local fiefdoms to partnering with artists for their entire tours. That started with the Rolling Stones’ 1989 Steel Wheels tour, for which Fogel negotiated to buy all of the tour dates. Now, thinking globally is standard practice for Live Nation and other global promoters like AEG (who partnered with Taylor Swift on her Eras Tour, another blockbuster live event of the year). That’s largely thanks to him.

When Fogel first started, concerts were seen as secondary – a promotional tool for artists to sell records. Now, in many ways, it’s the opposite.

“We were at the bottom of the food chain,” he remembers. “There’s no question the food chain has flipped.”

Nowadays, it’s undeniable that Live Nation is powerful. Many in the music business have complained it’s too powerful. The company’s hold on the market has made it controversial – with consumers facing skyrocketing ticket prices, with rival promoters unable to compete, and, most crucially, with the American legal system.

Shortly after Billboard Canada ’s interview with Fogel, the U.S. Department of Justice officially filed a long-simmering antitrust lawsuit , accusing Live Nation of anticompetitive business practices and demanding that it and Ticketmaster – the ticketing market leader Live Nationmerged with in 2010 – be forced to break up.

Though he doesn’t comment directly on the court case, the usually soft-spoken exec does have some responses to anyone criticizing him for his influence. He attributes his own success to his own hard work and the relationships he’s developed over the years.

“It isn’t about scale or size or any of that because you can be big and not very good at what you do and it won't sustain,” he says. “When you look at a company like Live Nation, it's really a collection of individuals who have their own relationships with artists and managers. I mean, I was doing this before there was a Live Nation. At the end of the day, if you deliver and you do it well, it will lead to the next success.”

Prizing creativity and treating the live concert as an art form in and of itself has made him a favourite of stars from Lady Gaga to David Bowie, who have spoken glowingly of him over the years in the press and in Who the F**K is Arthur Fogel? , the documentary about him that came out in 2013.

With Fogel coming in as Billboard Canada ’s No. 1 Power Player of the Year, he took some time to talk about his impressive career and his banner year.

You’re one of a handful of Canadians who’ve become very powerful in the music industry, not just in Canada but in America and globally. Your big innovation at Live Nation has been changing that view of concert promotion from booking your local market to thinking globally. Would you say being Canadian helped develop that strategy?

In some measure, yes. In the early days of conceiving and strategizing about a global concert promotion strategy, it became obvious quickly that the foundation would be going out into the world and figuring out how to execute. There was a time when it was all flowing one way, basically from the United States out into the world and to some degree, the U.K. What has really opened up the music business, and certainly the concert business, is multiple genres coming the other way. Latin artists have exploded, Kpop, Afrobeat. It’s created a whole new subset of fans. That’s fantastic for the growth of our business.

Has it also created a bigger concert market outside of North America?

Ultimately the best scenario [is] when the globalization of talent is flowing both ways. Certainly, in the early days of global touring, if there were 15 to 20 countries on an itinerary that was the norm. Now [you’re looking at], I don't know, 60 or 70: Central America, Latin America, Southeast Asia, Middle East, India, South Africa. It was always U.S. and Canada, UK and Western Europe, Japan and Australia, those were the tentpoles of the live business. Now, the world has opened up dramatically. There's more to come, but it's come such a long way. It's quite incredible.

There’s evidence of that in the recent Madonna Celebration Tour concert in Brazil, which was her biggest ever concert with over 1.6 million people. How did that come together?

Years ago, when I worked for Michael Cohl [at Canadian company Concert Productions International], the Rolling Stones played Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro. The local promoter Luis Niemeyer actually did that show and I've stayed in touch with him on and off [since then]. He approached me early last fall with the idea to do it again. The discussions about how to pull it off played out [during] the early part of this year and it wasn't until the middle of March that everything came together. Certainly not a lot of time to pull off an event of this magnitude, but all credit to Niemeyer, to the city of Rio. They had a logistical plan, and that plan was executed extremely well. It was incredible. It was one of those once-in-a-lifetime events.

You also did the Beyoncé Renaissance tour. When she played Rogers Centre last summer, fans travelled to Toronto from all over the continent. They were planning their outfits, there was a mini economy of Beyoncé parties at bars around town. It feels like there’s been a shift for a lot of music fans from going to a lot of shows per year to picking a few and treating them each as a special event.

It's an interesting thing because the level of production, show and spectacle that an artist like Beyoncé creates on tour – those things cost so much money to create, to manufacture, to tour, to travel, to take to different cities and countries. So, on the one hand, there's this expectation that those artists will deliver a spectacle. On the other hand, sometimes people think it costs too much to go and see that spectacle. But it's all economics.

I think sometimes people have this notion that ticket prices are just sort of pulled out of the air. The notion that it's somehow just a bunch of profiteering for the sake of it is something that the average person wouldn't understand, because that's not their world. I’ve always been a big proponent of the live show. Performing live is its own art form. Anybody can go and play their songs and sometimes that's fine, but the performers that have always attracted me over the years are those that take that art form and really elevate it.

Who are some of those artists that elevate live performance as an art form who have inspired you?

For the artists I work with, U2 have always done that. They've always been cutting-edge. Back when I worked with David Bowie, his artistic vision always played a big part of his live shows. Certainly Beyoncé. Madonna is always creating such an amazing visual experience, production, experience around her tours. To me, that's the essence of the business and that is what helps propel longevity in an artist's career. After the show, [people are saying] “oh my god, that was amazing.” They tell their friends they have to go see it next time. It'll captivate their imagination and satisfy their relationship with that artist. To me, that's the essence of performing live.

When you’re talking about the logistics that go into a major event that someone buying a ticket might not see, what are the challenges going on behind the scenes to get those shows to the stage?

You lay out a tour that satisfies what the artist is looking to do and the number of shows they're prepared to play, and the amount of time they want to devote to a touring period. Then you have to create your budget for that itinerary. It starts with: what is the show? That gets built out with the artist and designers and creators. From there, what do you need to operate that show? What crew, what trucking, what bussing, what planes? Then there’s salaries and artist fees, insurance and security and on and on and on.

You get to a point where it's going to cost you X to create the show and get it to the first date. Then you have an operating cost on a weekly basis to move that thing around from city to city. You have to rent the building and security, advertising. And by the way, everybody deserves the right to make some money along the way, so that’s in the mix as well. You get to a point where it dictates what you need to charge in order for it all to work. I think sometimes in people's minds, it's the opposite. There's a ticket price and then it just happens.

You're mainly dealing with the top-tier artists who are playing these giant shows, but Live Nation also puts on smaller theatre and club events…

Thousands of them. Thousands of them. And not just Live Nation. There’s a whole volume of the concert business that isn't that top tier. It’s just the top tier that gets most of the attention. Taylor Swift is getting an inordinate amount of attention, as she should, because her tour is so successful. But there's thousands and thousands of shows with developing artists and traditional touring artists that are very much a part of the business.

One of the line items you mentioned is the cost of renting the venue. Over the past decade or so, Live Nation, especially here in Toronto and some other Canadian markets, has shifted from renting the venues to owning and operating them. There’s been some pushback from other promoters that it’s becoming harder to compete. Do you see that criticism, and does that perception affect how you operate?

[In terms of criticism], I see it everywhere in life. You know, people complain that there are certain sports teams that win too much. I think that, ultimately, success opens [you] up to lots of things. There's always people who want to take shots at the successful. I can only tell you from my perspective, at the end of the day, I do what I do, and I do it very well. And I don't mean that in an arrogant way. I just mean it in a sustaining way. I wouldn't still be achieving success if I didn't deliver for the artists. In my view, the artists that work with me and trust me to work on their behalf are doing so because I've spent my whole career figuring out the global reality of touring.

Looking back at those career accomplishments, where does the last year fit in for you?

For me, it was an incredible year. When I think about it, the last year was insane. [Beyoncé, Madonna and U2 at the Sphere] were three amazing milestones, and I get to tag along. To do all of those within a year was incredibly challenging and stressful, but each of them in their own way were greatly successful, greatly satisfying and each made their own statement. I wouldn't be able to do what I do, particularly in a year like last year, if it wasn't for a great team that are committed to being as good as they can be and delivering for fans and artists. And in the end, that’s what we're doing.

Luminate Data Market Watch Facts & Figures: Week Ending May 23, 2024

Billboard canada 2024 power players list revealed, media beat: canadian media warns australia of meta news ban (column), the billboard canada fyi bulletin: warner music canada makes deals with loophole records and carver music group, latest news, billboard canada fyi, a weekly briefing on what matters in the music industry, here is this week's luminate data market watch report which features canadian music stats for the current week and year-to-date comparisons to last year..

Here is this week's Luminate Data Market Watch report which features Canadian music stats for the current week and YTD with comparisons to last year. This chart is published every Tuesday. The abbreviation "TEA" is a term used to describe the sale of music downloads or singles. A track equivalent album is equal to 10 tracks, or 10 songs.

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The 37 best things to do in D.C. this weekend and next week

Celebrate Pride Month at festivals, parades and parties, or check out outdoor movies, concerts and dance parties.

Pride Month arrives with parades, festivals, block parties, concerts, beers and even a yappy hour. The Fiesta Asia street festival, which was rained out in mid-May, gets a second chance on Pennsylvania Avenue. There are a wide variety of events happening this weekend: opera outdoors at the Lincoln Memorial, movies outdoors at the Kennedy Center and people in sundresses outdoors in Columbia Heights to mark Wonderland’s 20th annual Sundress Fest. Dance parties celebrate Beyoncé, Stevie Wonder and Lana Del Rey. Sample barbecue from top pitmasters, or try dishes from a restaurant that hasn’t even opened yet.

Thursday, May 30

CJM After Sunset: Deli Nights at the Capital Jewish Museum

Pickleback shots will be on hand during an after-hours party celebrating the Capital Jewish Museum’s exhibit “‘I’ll Have What She’s Having’: The Jewish Deli.” Tour the exhibition to learn about the history behind your favorite deli dishes before making your own pickling seasoning. Refreshments include soup shooters from Prescription Chicken and black and white cookies to take home from Call Your Mother, as well as a cash bar with even more food available for purchase. Watch out for gallery talks during the evening: Ted Merwin, author of “Pastrami on Rye: An Overstuffed History of the Jewish Deli,” discusses the history of cured meats and the deli as a gathering space, while Michaele Weissman, who wrote “The Rye Bread Marriage,” and “Industry Night” podcaster Nycci Nellis also share their knowledge. At 2 p.m., Nellis is recording her food-focused podcast on-site at the museum, and you can listen in free as she chats with Weissman and the team behind Beresovsky’s Deli, the recently opened Jewish deli in Navy Yard. 6 to 9 p.m. $15; 21 and older only.

Pints for a Purpose at Bluejacket

To mark Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, D.C. breweries Bluejacket and Lost Generation collaborated on a saison called Briefly Gorgeous, which gets its citrusy sweetness from yuzu and Buddha’s hand, and a tingle in the finish from a mix of red and green peppercorns. The Navy Yard brewpub hosts a fundraiser for the social justice group Chefs Stopping AAPI Hate featuring dishes from Moon Rabbit chef Kevin Tien (hot honey curry fish and chips) and Any Day Now chef Tim Ma (mapo tofu poutine). Proceeds from the food and Briefly Gorgeous will be donated to Chefs Stopping AAPI Hate. 5 p.m. Free .

Friday, May 31

Showtime’s 11th anniversary

Great music, cheap drinks, a space regulars want to come back to — that’s the formula at Showtime, and it’s why the one-room Bloomingdale bar is celebrating its 11th year in business this weekend. Join the crowds for a stellar selection of DJs, including Baby Alcatraz and Boy Howdy, dropping dusty soul, R&B and rock records, while grabbing beer-and-a-shot combos. (And hey, did you know Washington Post readers nominated Showtime as one of the best dive bars in the D.C. area ? Take a look at the list and vote for your favorite.) 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. Free .

‘Jurassic Park’ at the Kennedy Center

The Kennedy Center’s Extraordinary Cinema series is back for another summer, with movies shown outdoors on the Reach’s video wall. Arrive early to find a spot in the grass for “Jurassic Park.” Picnics, blankets and low chairs are welcome. Films begin around 8:30 p.m. Free; no registration required .

Lana Del Rey dance party at DC9

The songwriter might be known for her glitzy melancholia, but that doesn’t mean fans don’t get down to it. Dance to hits like “Summertime Sadness” and “West Coast,” plus songs off her Grammy-nominated 2023 album “Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd,” at DC9’s “Lust for Lana” night. Coquette attire is encouraged. 8 p.m. $15-$20.

Wonder-Full at the Black Cat

DJ Spinna is an icon in underground hip-hop and deep house, spinning in clubs around the world. Beyond his remixes and rare tracks, he is best known for Wonder-Full, a traveling dance party celebrating the genius of Stevie Wonder, from the days of Little Stevie Wonder through “Songs in the Key of Life,” “Hotter Than July” and “Jungle Fever.” For fans of funk and soul, it doesn’t get better than this — and you won’t be able to stop singing along. 9 p.m. $25-$30 .

Massie at Pie Shop

On the cover of its last EP, Massie went for the flesh: a close-up portrait of a bloody smile, the band’s name spelled out in braces. The female-fronted pop-punk trio grins and bears it on the project, and will release a new single alongside Baltimore alt-rockers Dosser (not to be confused with their sonic cousins in D.C.’s Tosser). 8 p.m. $15 .

Saturday, June 1

Annapolis Pride Parade and Festival

Annapolis Pride’s annual parade starts at the City Dock at noon, with floats, bands and Grand Marshal Christian Siriano proceeding up Main Street, heading for Maryland Hall and the Bates Athletic Complex. The post-parade festival includes multiple stages of entertainment, vendors, bars and a kid zone. Noon to 5 p.m. Free .

Arlington Pride Kick-Off Block Party

Arlington Pride’s month-long celebration begins Saturday at the Water Park in National Landing with a block party hosted by Miss Arlington Pride Amara Lee Dùpree. The day features live entertainment, karaoke, vendors and outdoor games. Upcoming events for your calendar include a “Cowboy Carter”-themed Ho-Down Party at Clarendon Ballroom (June 15) and the third Arlington Pride Festival in Long Bridge Park (June 29). 4:30 to 9:30 p.m. Free .

Alexandria Pride Fair

The seventh Alexandria Pride fills Old Town’s Market Square with DJs, live music, dance workshops, a mobile art lab, food trucks, and tents with vendors offering advice and health services on Saturday afternoon. Drag story hour takes place inside City Hall. 3 to 6 p.m. Free .

Mosaic Pride Celebration

Pride comes to Fairfax’s Mosaic District on Saturday with a Mosaic Pride parade through the neighborhood, family story time with drag queen Tara Hoot, a DJ and drag performances, an aerialist, and dancing to a cover band. 3 to 9 p.m. Free .

Fairfax City Pride

The city of Fairfax and George Mason University team up to open Fairfax Pride Month at the Old Town Hall on Saturday, featuring the Mosaic Harmony community choir, family activities such as face painting and crafts, and a vendor fair. ( 5 to 7 p.m. Free .) Coyote Grille, located a block down Main Street, hosts a drag show with the Palace. ( 9 p.m. $10-$15 .)

Fiesta Asia street fair

The annual Fiesta Asia shuts down Pennsylvania Avenue between Third and Sixth streets NW to showcase more than 20 Asian cultures in honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Look for live music and dance performances representing multiple countries, a parade, a karaoke stage, a cosplay contest, martial arts demonstrations, hands-on games and crafts for kids, a large vendor area, and a “food alley” featuring local and New York City restaurants that is apparently 50 percent larger than last year’s. 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Free .

New Kitchens on the Block at Mess Hall

At this long-running D.C. food festival, the restaurants serving up bites are so cutting-edge, they haven’t even opened yet. The 10th edition of New Kitchens on the Block at Mess Hall continues to introduce diners to what’s next on the scene, with a mix of new projects from stalwart Washington chefs. This June, try food from eight upcoming restaurants, including Moon Rabbit chef Kevin Tien and pastry chef Susan Bae’s still-unnamed Vietnamese bakery, Lucky Buns’ burger master Alex McCoy’s West Coast-style Monstera Burrito, and Maketto owner Erik Bruner-Yang’s upcoming H Street bar Providencia. VIP tickets include access to a private after-party at Right Proper’s nearby Brookland brewery. Noon to 2 p.m. for Round 1 or 3 to 5 p.m. for Round 2. $119-$159 .

Festival Argentino at Kenmore Middle School

This 37-year-old festival, whose sponsors include Arlington County and the Embassy of Argentina, celebrates Argentine culture through tango, food, music and soccer. Throughout the day, the stage is filled with tango, ballet and folk dancers; rock, folk and tango bands, including the award-winning Argentine group Los Alonsitos; vendors selling traditional crafts; and stands with asado and other foods. D.C. United legend Marco Etcheverry will be honored with a special ceremony. 3:30 to 10:30 p.m. $15-$35; free for children 3 and younger .

Opera Italiana Is in the Air at the Lincoln Memorial

Opera Italiana Is in the Air began in 2017 as a free outdoor concert in New York’s Central Park — a way to take opera out of expensive concert halls and introduce it to younger, more diverse crowds. It arrived in D.C. in 2022, and founder Alvise Casellati returns again this year to conduct musicians in front of the Lincoln Memorial, under the patronage of the Embassy of Italy. The program is heavy on Puccini, to mark 100 years since the death of the Italian composer, and soprano Ewa Plonka, who recently sang the title role in the Washington National Opera’s production of “Turandot,” is a featured performer. 6 to 7:30 p.m. Free .

Champions League Final viewing parties

Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund face off Saturday at 3 p.m. for the right to call themselves the best soccer team in Europe. The Madridistas are watching at Elephant and Castle , while Across the Pond is the home of D.C.’s official Dortmund fan group . There are plenty of other options, too: Wunder Garten is teaming up with rec league District Sports for a viewing party at the NoMa beer garden, where sales of Atlas beers benefit the soccer nonprofit Open Goal Project . Franklin Hall is poised for a doubleheader: After the Champions League, it’s showing the U.S. women’s national team play South Korea at 5 p.m. Soccer specials include $4 pints of Narragansett and $5 shooters. Whitlow’s has been showing Champions League knockout rounds, and the streak continues with discounted buckets of Heineken ($20-$25) and bar snacks ($6-$12) during the final. The Midlands is showing the match with sounds indoors and on the patio while offering $5 drinks. The Brig might be home to Dortmund’s Klassiker rivals Bayern Munich, but it’s opening for the match with sound. Reminder: Wherever you are heading, get there early.

Day of Archaeology Festival at Dumbarton House

For the first time, D.C. is celebrating Archaeology Month this June. The start of the month brings together archaeologists from Washington, Maryland and Virginia to talk about local history and heritage. The day, organized by nonprofit Archaeology in the Community, includes activities for kids, artifact displays, music and crafts. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Free.

Mr. Leesburg Pageant at Crooked Run Fermentation

To be crowned Mr. Leesburg, contestants have to complete an interview with judges (including the reigning Miss Arlington and Miss Loudoun County), strut in their summer formalwear, show off their talent and, of course, model beachwear. The competition, launched by bartenders at Crooked Run’s Leesburg location in 2023, has a more serious goal: raising money for charity. In fact, the pageant awards the title of “Mr. Generosity” to the contestant who collects the most for LAWS, a charity assisting victims of domestic abuse and sexual assault. While there’s a wait list for competitors, watching the event is free and open to the public. Noon to 4 p.m. Free .

Takoma Trukgarten

Sample beers from the DMV and beyond at the pop-up beer and cider festival in the TPSS Co-op parking lot. Breweries will include Silver Branch, Third Hill, 7 Locks, Anxo Cider, Aslin, Nighthawk and Denizens, and food will be available from Soko Butcher, Cielo Rojo, Catalyst Hot Dogs and Motorkat (for purchase separately). While the cheaper ticket (“beer fan”) includes six tasting tickets and the second tier (“beer lover”) includes 12 tickets, both ticket types will get you a souvenir glass. Noon to 5 p.m. $30-$55.

Glover Park Day

The Northwest neighborhood’s community day features a lineup of local musicians (who’ll play jazz, funk, country and more) and shopping from area vendors. Make your own friendship bracelets, explore watercolor paintings, learn about henna designs and shop for handmade pottery while enjoying eats from restaurants like Angelico La Pizzeria and Glover Park Grill. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Free.

Sunday, June 2

Loudoun Pride

Loudoun Pride brings three stages of entertainment to Claude Moore Park on Sunday, including a family zone with magicians, music, bounce houses, yoga and animal ambassadors from the Blue Ridge Wildlife Center. Look for a “Dragstravaganza,” a vendor fair with more than 150 booths representing local businesses and organizations, a beer garden with local breweries and wineries, and a variety of food trucks and dessert stands. 1 to 7 p.m. $5 .

Totally Radical Pride beer release at Lost Generation

Eckington’s Lost Generation Brewing is collaborating with the Capital Pride Festival on an official beer for the first time. We haven’t tried Totally Radical yet, so we can’t tell you anything about what it tastes like, but we can tell you that the party is going to be a big one, with DJ Scorpio providing the soundtrack from 2 to 6 p.m., a drag performance with Ms. Capital Pride from 4 to 5 p.m. and Pride-themed trivia from 7 to 9 p.m. Additionally, all proceeds from Totally Radical go to Capital Pride. 2 to 9 p.m. Free .

Rockville Pride

Rockville Pride returns to Rockville Town Square on Sunday, with music and performances, a fair with vendors and information booths, and arts and crafts activities for children. 2 to 5 p.m. Free .

Wonderland Ballroom Sundress Fest

For two decades, the Wonderland Ballroom’s annual Sundress Fest has provided some of the most entertaining people-watching in D.C. while raising a good chunk of change for local charities. The format is simple: Everyone — men and women alike — wears a sundress to the Columbia Heights tavern, where the DJs get folks dancing beginning at 11 a.m., and a block of 11th Street is closed to traffic until 8 p.m. Don’t have a sundress? Try to find one on the racks provided by the bar, available for a donation to D.C. Central Kitchen, and take it out to the patio to work on your tan lines. Anyone wearing a sundress is eligible for all-day happy hour deals, as well as the coveted “best dressed” competition. After all, it’s all in good fun. 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Free .

The Biggest Beyoncé Block Party Ever at the Bullpen

Decorated Stetson hats and Levi’s jeans are de rigueur at the Bullpen on Sunday, where the Beyhive is gathering to celebrate “Cowboy Carter.” Billed as “The Biggest Beyoncé Block Party Ever,” the rodeo-themed event promises an all-Beyoncé soundtrack, games, drinks and food trucks. VIP tickets include access to the bar’s upper deck and optional bottle service. 2 to 8 p.m. $20-$40 .

Beltway BBQ Showdown at Show Place Arena

Did you know that Prince George’s County’s annual barbecue competition is the official state barbecue championship of Maryland? That means the winner of the 14th annual event earns a place at the Kansas City Barbeque Society’s championships. And while there are cooking demonstrations and vendors selling ribs, pulled pork and other smoky treats, there are plenty of other things to do in Upper Marlboro: live music from Black Alley and New Impressionz; a car, truck and bike show; line dancing lessons; family activities and a children’s area with a bounce house; and a market. Just don’t miss your chance to vote in the People’s Choice sauce contest. Noon to 6 p.m. $12; free for ages 5 and younger .

Cleveland Park Day

Historic Cleveland Park looks a little less sleepy on Cleveland Park Day. The Sam’s Park and Shop parking lot is given over to DJs, family activities (think face painting and snow cones) and a curry cook-off featuring Dolan, Indique, and other neighborhood restaurants. Look for a Grover Cleveland look-alike contest, a pet fashion show and a beer garden sponsored by Nanny O’Brien’s. The former service lane across from the Uptown — now a wide pedestrian-friendly strip known as the Cleveland Park Promenade — holds more than two dozen makers, potters, jewelers and other artists, as well as live music and dining pop-ups. The neighborhood library hosts a Kids Zone with a slime bar and free popcorn, and restaurants and bars along the strip offer discounted food and drinks. Noon to 5 p.m. Free .

The Rosé Party at District Winery

Cheers all afternoon with pink-hued wine at District Winery’s annual Rosé Party, where a crowd dressed in rosy colors takes over the Navy Yard outpost’s rooftop. The rosé is bottomless during the event, with a rosé tasting bar and rosé-based cocktails in addition to beer, wine and soda. A make-your-own cotton candy station continues the pink theme (savory snacks will be passed out, too). The party’s activities include a wine bottle painting craft, face painting and temporary tattoos, and a DJ on the dance floor. 2 to 5 p.m. $99 .

Tiki Pop-Up at Morris American Bar

When you think of tropical drinks, you might think of fruity, rum-soaked beverages. That’s not the case at Morris American Bar, which promises “specialty rum-free cocktails” as part of its day-long tiki party. A pig roast provides the complement to the drinks. 2 p.m. to midnight. Free .

Sari-Sari Pop-Up Market at Maketto

Local AAPI art and culture organization Samasama curated the 15 makers and vendors at this pop-up market at H Street’s Maketto, with hands-on craft making, live painting and cool tunes from Les the DJ. Noon to 5 p.m. Free .

Monday, June 3

‘Sounds Gay, I’m In’ at Serenata

Much-loved LGBTQ bar As You Are has been closed since April, when heavy rain caused structural damage to the Barracks Row building. While the landlord is working on repairs, As You Are’s owners have since said they don’t have a timeline for reopening . La Cosecha’s Serenata cocktail bar has stepped up to help, hosting As You Are’s bartenders for themed social events on Mondays throughout the summer. The first is a happy hour and dance party with DJ Mimi, with coming weeks bringing Queer Deaf Happy Hour (June 10) and Trans Happy Hour and Game Night (June 17). Watch social media for updates. 5 p.m. to midnight, Mondays through Aug. 26. Free .

Pride Yappy Hour at Shakers

Just in time for Pride, Shakers launches its first yappy hour, with dogs welcome on the welcoming back patio between 6 and 8 p.m. Humans don’t miss out on the fun, either, thanks to Shakers’ new happy hour menu, which includes $7 martinis, palomas, Aperol spritzes, wine and beer. 6 to 8 p.m. Free .

Tuesday, June 4

He Said Wine, She Said Beer. They Both Said Cheese! at Right Proper Brewing Shaw

Beer and wine sommeliers can agree on one thing: Cheese is the ultimate pairing for your beverage of choice. To celebrate National Cheese Day, Right Proper is agreeing to disagree. Cheesemonger Kestrel Carr picked three cheeses. Right Proper owner Leah Cheston picked a beer to go with each, and Michael Warner, the owner of the wine shop DCanter, selected a wine. At this friendly competition, you’ll be served the chosen cheeses with both beverages, and decide which you prefer. 6:30 p.m. $40 .

‘The Six Pack: On the Open Road in Search of WrestleMania’ at the Black Cat

Brad Balukjian’s first book, “The Wax Pack,” found the author on a 48-day, 11,000-mile road trip to find out what became of every player pictured in a package of 1986 baseball cards. His new book, “ The Six Pack ,” is even more ambitious: Balukjian sets out to track down Hulk Hogan, the Iron Sheik and others connected to the 1980s heyday of the World Wrestling Federation, seeing what happened to them when they left the ring, and examining professional wrestling’s role in American pop culture. This discussion is presented by Solid State Books. 7:30 p.m. $5; $30 with a copy of the book .

Wednesday, June 5

LightReel Film Festival at Angelika Pop-Up

The five-year-old LightReel Film Festival, hosted by the Foundation for the Augmentation of African Americans in Film at the Angelika Pop-Up at Union Market, focuses on BIPOC stories and includes the D.C. premiere of “Dandelion,” starring Kiki Layne, as its opening-night film on Thursday. Amid the screenings of feature films and short documentaries, there are conversations with industry figures, panel discussions on topics such as “faith in film” and a showcase of Howard University filmmakers. The festival also looks back, celebrating the 35th anniversary of Spike Lee’s “Do the Right Thing” with a screening (June 7) and discussion, and marks the 40th anniversary of “Purple Rain” with a free screening (Wednesday). Through June 8. Single films free-$30; multi-ticket passes $100-$325.

Spanish chocolate and wine tasting at the Chocolate House

Which cava pairs best with artisan truffles? Learn about sweets pairings with Spanish wines at the Adams Morgan fine chocolate distributor’s class, plus a talk on how chocolate is produced. 7 to 8:30 p.m. $55.

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La 'Beyoncé de Menorca' y su familia abandonan el chalet de más de 650.000 euros que tenían okupado

También han sido desalojados los otros tres chalets que estaban okupados en la lujosa urbanización y se van a instalar cámaras y otras medias de seguridad para que la situación no vuelva a repetirse

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Poco le han durado la piscina, las vistas al mar, los tres cuartos de baño y las cuatro habitaciones a María Iguazo, la famosa okupa conocida como 'la Beyoncé de Menorca' . Ella y su familia han desalojado el chalet de lujo que okuparon el pasado 19 de mayo ante la amenaza recibida por parte de la empresa propietaria de poner el asunto en manos de Desokupa .

La presión mediática a la que sin quererlo se expuso María al compartir un vídeo en las redes sociales presumiendo del chalet de más de 650.000 euros que había okupado en la urbanización Coves Noves ha acabado poniendo a la mujer en el punto de mira. "Hoy os voy a enseñar el chalet que me he abierto, un chalet nuevo. Tengo tres cuartos de baño, cuatro habitaciones, piscina, vistas al mar, alfombras y de todo. Lo va a estrenar mi coño, que me lo merezco" , decía en la publicación.

No lo disfrutará más. Este miércoles varios reporteros, entre ellos un miembro del equipo de 'Y ahora Sonsoles' de Antena 3, han sido testigos de como dos coches iban y venían cargando los enseres de la familia y desalojando el chalet, con el marido jardinero de María a la cabeza. Presumiblemente los traslados se hacían a la otra casa que la familia tiene okupada, lugar donde residen a diario ya que la villa era sólo su residencia okupada para los fines de semana.

Según ha informado 'Menorca - Es diari', también han sido desalojados los otros tres chalets que estaban okupados en la lujosa urbanización y se van a instalar cámaras y otras medias de seguridad para que la situación no vuelva a repetirse.

Nuevo problema para la 'okupa Beyoncé' de Menorca: el servicio de menores interviene tras las declaraciones sobre sus cinco hijos y sus infracciones de tráfico

• Redacción: EL MUNDO

La 'Beyoncé de Menorca' que okupó un chalet de más de 650.000 euros, detenida tras conducir su BMW sin carnet y dar positivo en cocaína

El caso de María es el mismo que el de muchos otros okupas que actúan con impunidad a la hora de apropiarse de viviendas, varias a la vez en algunos casos, y que no reciben castigo por ello. La mediatización del caso de 'la Beyoncé de Menorca' ha propiciado que la usurpación del chalet no se haya prolongado demasiado.

Tampoco ha ayudado a la okupa las cuatro sanciones de tráfico que le impusieron hace unos días por conducir su BMW de forma temeraria, sin carnet y dando positivo en cocaína mientras llevaba a tres de sus cinco hijos en el vehículo. Además, tras ser parada por la Policía, trato de dar una identidad falsa para evitar los cargos.

Este hecho provocó que el Servicio Insular de Familia del Consell de Menorca iniciara los protocolos normales en estos casos para comprobar si los cinco hijos de la pareja estaban viviendo en un ambiente seguro y apropiado para ellos.

Lo que parece claro es que la chulería con la que esta mujer presumía de sus fechorías en las redes sociales puede acabar costándole cara. Ya ha sido desalojada del chalet de lujo y las instituciones están revisando su núcleo familiar. Todo ello podría afectar, y mucho, a los más de 1.500 euros mensuales que María recibe del estado en forma de ingreso mínimo vital .

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