Just mention the word Freaknik and images are conjured up of streets packed with cars, scantily clad women, and an Atlanta so jam-packed with people ready to party that you could barely move.
Well, Atlanta is abuzz with the return of Freaknik this Saturday as an all-day concert at Cellairis Lakewood Amphitheatre. But it won’t be your Mama’s Freaknik.
“The Freaknik of the 90’s is dead,” said Carlos Neal, promoter and organizer of Saturday’s Freaknik event.
Freaknik began in 1983 when college students hosted the first party in Atlanta University Center. It grew into an Atlanta institution, lasting until the the late 1990’s.
Instead of hitting the Florida beaches for spring or summer fun, African American college students from across the nation flocked to Atlanta to party. There were so many revelers it nearly shut down Buckhead and, at time, interstates. It also launched careers of many budding hip-hop artists.
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“It’s what drove the Atlanta hip-hop scene,” remembers Neal, who attended his first Freaknik when he was in the 8th grade. (Don’t tell his Mom!)
“From Da Brat to So So Def, to Ludacris and T.I. It actually made Atlanta what some have deemed the black mecca.”
Over the years, people have tried to bring Freaknik back in various iterations. Some were club events. Others were parties in public parks. But none made an impact like Freaknik of the 80s and 90s.
“Everyone that’s tried to do it that way has met with resistance from the community,” said Neal. “Resistance from the city. And resistance from people who attended in the 90s.
Saturday’s concert will still be a good time, organizers say. But it will have a different vibe.
“The people of the 90’s are now older. They have careers, they have families. There’s social media. Things get recorded,” said Neal. ”They don’t need to be around the city half naked. They don’t need to be jumping no cars. Doing all this crazy stuff.”
Neal says it’s a celebration of the Freaknik culture.
“It’s a party with a purpose,” explained Neal, talking about the nonprofits he’s partnered with who will do voter registration and sex education at the concert.
Saturday’s concert is from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. and has 22 artists, including Da Brat, Uncle Luke, Juvenile, Trina, and Foxy Brown.
Organizers have strived to keep ticket costs at a reasonable level. There are still plenty available for $46, not including fees. And one final note - no kids. It’s still Freaknik after all.
Kids are welcome at a Saturday brunch and a community event on Sunday, but the concert is adults only.