On Tuesday (April 26) it was announced that Michael Bivins of New Edition and Bell Biv DeVoe was appointed creative director of The Harlem Festival Of Culture (HFC). Rock The Bells reported earlier this month that a newly reimagined Harlem Festival of Culture will be coming to fruition in 2023. Like the original, the new festival is set to take place at Marcus Garvey Park and will feature multiple performances over multiple days. The 2023 festival is inspired by Amir “Questlove” Thompson’s Oscar winning documentary Summer of Soul (…Or When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised), which was based on footage from the legendary but forgotten festival.

According to BILLBOARD, Bivins will oversee ideation and strategy initiatives to build the brand long-term. Yvonne McNair , HFC co-founder and talent technical producer said in a statement:

"We are so excited to have someone like Michael Bivins on board as we start on this incredible journey. In addition to being a legendary artist and a brilliant businessman, Mike is a visionary and a creative force; his insight and experience will help us build out HFC as a cultural destination and a brand. Much like the original festival, artists’ voices will be a crucial part of the festival’s foundation and expansion as they will help us create a one-of-a-kind experience. We are also looking forward to fostering relationships with other artists and entertainers to be part of HFC. This is just the beginning.”

Bivins said to BILLBOARD: "With my understanding of what Yvonne does, and knowing how important the original Harlem Cultural Festival was to the community and to our culture, I knew I wanted to be part of it. Although I’m from Boston, I’ve always spent a lot of time there and have participated in the Entertainers Basketball Classic [EBC] at Rucker Park for years. My goal as creative director is to bring in that history and appreciation with an infusion of music and sports." In an exclusive announcement to BILLBOARD, Bivins says that he is involved with two upcoming documentaries, one focusing on New Editions recently wrapped Culture Tour and the other encompassing his life and career achievements, which include discovering the top selling vocal group Boyz II Men.