BLAST Fest is a pop-up festival platform that fuses the creative power of science, Black arts and culture, as a force for change. BLAST Fest ‘pops-up’ at Caribbean Carnivals, museums, community venues and other cultural events to engage the public with ‘STEAM’ in culturally responsive ways. It exists to connect grassroots communities and cultural innovators with new partners and opportunities beyond their existing landscape – generating new knowledge and ideas for community learning, capability development and collective change. Its objectives are; culturally responsive science engagement, by design; expanding the existing STEM ecosystem, making it more inclusive, equitable and diverse; and positioning and supporting community-led science engagement and cultural power as a vehicle for partnerships, co-creation and future building work. 

“Our mission is to build science capital In Black communities, at scale; and advance equity and justice within and through STEM, using community organising, cultural strategy and a collective impact approach.”