Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThe I Made Rock ’n’ Roll festival, an event that debuted in 2024 at downtown’s American Legion Mall, will not be presented in 2025 but is on course for a return in May 2026, organizers announced Tuesday.
Founded by cultural development firm GangGang, I Made Rock ’n’ Roll was designed as both a year-round initiative to elevate awareness of rock’s Black architects—musicians such as Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Fats Domino and Sister Rosetta Tharpe—and a multi-act festival.
The first edition of the festival featured performances by Janelle Monáe, Gary Clark Jr. and Robert Randolph as part of a six-artist bill on May 18, 2024. The I Made Rock ’n’ Roll festival, produced in partnership with Indianapolis-based concert company Forty5, attracted 3,500 attendees.
During Tuesday’s GangGang’s “State of the Culture” event at Kan-Kan Cinema, GangGang co-founder Alan Bacon said I Made Rock ’n’ Roll will focus on commemorating rock music’s Black heritage through special events and a concert series leading up to the 2026 edition of the festival.
A similar strategy unfolded in advance of the 2024 festival. GangGang presented concerts headlined by Victor Wooten and the Wooten Brothers, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram and Macy Gray at Broad Ripple’s Vogue venue. GangGang also hosted a free screening of 2023 documentary “Little Richard: I Am Everything” that featured in-person Q&A with director Lisa Cortés.
GangGang co-founder Mali Bacon told IBJ that the coming year will be devoted to educating audiences and raising money for the 2026 festival.
“GangGang isn’t here to make cool events; we’re here to tell the truth about America’s creative histories,” she said.
GangGang’s “State of the Culture” presentation included the publication of the nonprofit’s first annual report. GangGang has facilitated $8 million in investments to the creative economy since its founding in 2020, according to the report.
The organization’s signature event, the Butter fine art fair that showcases the works of Black visual artists, will return for its fifth edition on Labor Day weekend.
Please enable JavaScript to view this content.
Looking forward to its return in 2026. I thought they did a nice job with last year’s event, and the acts that came were outstanding.
Agree. We already had plans out of state but wished we could have attended. Pictures and video looked amazing!