It’s Detty December and you know
what that means…..Africa is activated. Parties, concerts and cultural events,
and are taking over Accra and Lagos with parties like the Detty December Fest
and AfroFurture. Delta Airlines recently resumed non-stop flights from Atlanta
to Accra making it easier to take part in this year’s festivities. Ghana also announced
free visas for the Diaspora Summit happening December 18th -20th.
The event begins with a business networking mixer then two full days of panels,
discussions and events. For more information go to the DiasporaSummitGhana.org.
There is also something for soccer
or football fans with South Africa’s national team Bafana Bafana will host the
Black Galaxies of Ghana for a pre-Afcon friendly on December 16th,
2025 at Dobsonville Stadium, Soweto at 4:00 pm SA time.
Then on December 21st,
The Continent will descend on Morrocco for Afcon or the African Cup of Nations.
The tournament begins on December 21st and goes until January 18th
2026. All 24 clubs of African Cup of Nations qualified for Afcon 2025 including
Morocco, defending champions Côte d'Ivoire, along Nigeria,
Senegal, Egypt, Algeria, Cameroon, Tunisia, South Africa, and DR Congo, plus
others like Angola, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Zambia.Venues for the tournament
include Al Medina stadium, Olympic Stadium, Mouhlay Hassan Stadium, Grand Stade de Fes Mahomed V Stadium,
Grand Stade de Marrakech, Adrar Stadium, and Prince Moulay Abdellah and the
largest Grande Stade de Tanger with a capacity of 75,000. for tickets to Afcon go tostubhub.com. You can watch AFCON on BeIN Sports and stream the event on beIN SPORTS Connect, FuboTV, Fanatiz.
Morocco officially waived
all e-visa fees for football fans travelling to the AFCON 2025 tournament.
Supporters can now apply for both their electronic visa and
mandatory Fan ID through the official Yalla App. Visas for Egyptians will also
be free.
The Confederation of
African Football (CAF) has reportedly appointed acclaimed Moroccan producer
RedOne to create the official anthem for the AFCON 2025 opening ceremony.The highly anticipated track,
produced in three languages and brings together GIMS, Burna Boy, and Morocco’s
own Dystinct, marking the most ambitious musical production in the tournament’s
history.
French speaking fans can
also head over to La Galerie Dior in Paris for the unprecedented double exhibition showcasing Azzedine Alaïa, collector
and admirer of Christian Dior.Dior holds a special place in Alaïa’s secret
collection of over 600 pieces, with more than a hundred unveiled for the first
time. The exhibition runs through May 3rd, 2026. For more information
go to galerierdior.com.
After visiting the
Azzedine Alaia exhibition head over to the Palais Garnier turns 150 at The
Opera Library Museum of The Paris National Opera. The costume exhibition features
pieces from 1950 – present day and also includes manuscripts, paintings, archives,
photos and more. The exhibition runs through February 15, 2026 and tickets
include and night at the Paris Opera. To learn more go to operadeparis.fr.
The skies will light up with the Geminid meteor shower on December 13th-14th with 120-150 meteors per hour as earth passes through debris from asteroid 3200 Phaethon. The event will create bright streaks across the sky from Constellation Gemini and will be most clear after midnight facing northeast. The planet Jupiter will also be adding its sparkle to the night sky. So get out of the city, wear a big coat, bring a blanket, hot cocoa and look up. For more information go to Earthsky.org.
On December 14th
Paris is opening the world’s largest ice-skating rink inside the Grand Palais. The
rink features a 1/10th scale of the Eiffel Tower in the center of the
rink. The Grand Palais des Glaces will transform into a festive winter village
complete with crêpes, raclette, oysters, and gourmet hot chocolate by chef
Yannick Alléno. At night, the rink transforms into an ice dance floor from 8pm
to 2am with DJs, disco balls and light shows. The season runs through January 7.
For more information go to grandpalais.fr. From Paris head over to London
for BLKNWS: Terms & Conditions, the debut feature from filmmaker Kahlil Joseph.
Joseph is the director of the companion film to Beyonce’s Lemonade and worked
on Kendrick Lamar’s Good Kid, M.A.A.D City. The film integrates Black history,
storytelling, archival footage and iconic moments from the internet to recount
the news cycle through an unapologetic Black lens. The film is showing at the
Barbican Centre on Sunday 14th Dec - 5:45pm, Sunday 21st Dec -
5:00pm, and Sunday 28th Dec - 5:00pm. For more information and to
purchase tickets in Chicago, Atlanta, New York and L.A. go to @richspiritstudio.
Christmas in New York is
and has always been legendary and this year is no different. On December 14th
from 12 - 6pm Saks Fifth Avenue is
turning 48th St. to 55th into a walkable wonderland. The 2025
Holiday Open Streets includes bespoke brand experiences from Canada Goose,
Longchamp Paris, Puma, Victoria Secret. Bergdorf Goodman, David Yurman,
Lacoste and more. Stroll the streets and enjoy live entertainment, food, holiday
lights and décor and brand activations. For more information go to @fifthavenue.
The same evening The Museum of Modern Art opens Ideas of Africa: Portraiture and Political
Imagination. The exhibition features artists such as Seydou Keïta,
Malick Sidibé, Sanlé Sory, Jean Depara, and follows their legacy through
diasporic photography by photographers like James Barnor and Kwame Brathwaite.
Using portraiture as a cultural signifier, the exhibit explores how portraits
define identity while creating diasporic unity. The show runs through July 2026
for more information go to moma.org.
Head over to AMPM Gallery in Brooklyn for Homebound an exhibition honoring Puerto Rican street
art, graffiti, photography, and music. The show celebrates the visual traditions
that have shaped Boricua culture from the small island of Puerto Rico to the trains
and streets of NYC. The exhibition is co curated by the AMPPM Gallery and
nyc.buddha. For more information go to AMPM
Gallery.
From there you can take the train to 33rd and
Broadway in Greeley Square and ride the first double-decker carousel to grace
New York City streets. Just a few feet away from Harold Square and Macy’s shops,
guests can make a night of window shopping. The carousel is wrapped in lights and runs
daily through January 6th from
10am-10pm. Rides are only $7 and are available online at 34thstreet.org.
