Saturday, July 26th · New York City · Two Stages · Twelve Hours · One Mission
We’re excited to announce that Unity Fest 2025 is officially happening on Saturday, July 26th, at the Stone Circle Theater in New York City from 11 AM to 11 PM. There will be two stages, twelve hours of music, poetry, comedy, community vendors, and an ever-growing orbit of artists and allies determined to create a world where every being is safe and free.
How It Started:
The idea for Unity Fest was born in late 2022, just after the Club Q shooting in Colorado. I had just returned to New York after playing at Femme Fatale Fest, a largely queer festival put together in Colorado by The Ragetones (who are playing Unity Fest this year). This made the shooting feel especially close to home. I was becoming increasingly tired of hearing conversations about gun violence without taking any sort of material or concrete action.
As people, we have power. As musicians, artists, and creators, we have a unique kind of power to be heard, to influence, and to create impact. So I called in the community I’d cultivated in New York City, and within the span of seven weeks, Unity Fest just sort of created itself.
All funds raised at the first Unity Fest were donated to the families of the victims of the Club Q shooting. The mission was then and still is to improve the lives of marginalized beings through music, art, and community. And when I refer to “community”, I am specifically referring to the art of bringing people together in ways that are predicated not on transactionality, but on symbiosis and love.
I thought that the first festival might be somber. Instead, it became a celebration of play and transformation.
A 28 Month Love Letter to Grassroots Magic
Although we’re now on year 4 of Unity Fest, this month marks only 28 months since the first one. Unity Fest is so fun and fulfilling for me that I couldn’t wait long enough to put entire calendar years between fests. Word-of-mouth support has been growing at a pace that inspired me to keep going, and in the first 17 months alone, we increased grassroots donations by 82%. This is a direct reflection of a drastic growth in positive energy. It’s a reflection of friends showing up, strangers becoming friends, and the universe rearranging itself in real time.
This Year: Bigger and Brighter than Ever
We’re kicking off fundraising with a pre-Unity Fest gala at Baby Grand in New York City’s Lower East Side on Friday, June 28th, from 9 PM to 11 PM, where we’ll preview a bit of what’s to come at Unity Fest, raise venue funds so that 100% of day-of proceeds can go to the ACLU, and keep building momentum together.
If you can’t make it to our pre-party, here are some other ways that you can help our mission:
Donate to our GoFundMe to help us secure venue costs in advance
Spread the word by posting, sharing, and tagging your friends.
Show up in solidarity, in person, and/or in spirit.
Believe with us in the idea that music, art, and love can mend the world.
The only difference between idealism and inevitability is the reality we choose to create. Thank you for creating a more peaceful, expressive, and harmonious reality with me!
With love and enthusiasm for a brighter world,
K.C. Raniero (they/she) – Musician, Activist, and Founder of UnityFest & Atlantis
All roads lead to Atlantis.
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