Compartilhe isso

Para consultas da mídia, entre em contato com: press@equimundo.org

May 2026 – Rio de Janeiro will host a landmark public celebration of culture, conversation, and collective action on 29 May as the Boys & Men Festival brings together internationally acclaimed artists, activists, performers, and thought leaders to explore new visions of masculinity, care, and gender equality.

Presented by Equimundo in partnership with WOW – Women of the World, the free one-day festival forms part of the inaugural MenCare Changemaker Summit 2026, a four-day global convening taking place in Rio from 27–30 May focused on advancing caring manhood and gender equality.

Held across two of Brazil’s leading cultural venues, Museu de Arte do Rio and Museu do Amanhã, the festival will feature live music, performances, exhibitions, workshops, and conversations addressing some of the most urgent issues facing boys and men globally today.

Featured artists, speakers, and performers include:

The festival will conclude with a free public concert by ÁVUÁ alongside award-winning DJs and performers including Noite das Estrela.

Alongside headline performances, attendees can participate in:

  • Slam poetry and drumming workshops
  • Capoeira circles and passinho dance masterclasses
  • An altinha street football championship
  • Workshops on identity, fatherhood, and belonging
  • Guided tours of Rio’s historic Little Africa district

The program also includes dedicated sessions for schools and young people.

A major artistic highlight will be the debut of S.M.I.L.E-ing Boys in Maré, a new photography exhibition by internationally acclaimed artist Kay Rufai. Developed in collaboration with young Black boys and men from Rio’s Maré favela complex, the exhibition challenges harmful stereotypes surrounding Black boyhood and masculinity.

The Boys & Men Festival takes place amid growing global debate around masculinity, online misogyny, men’s wellbeing, and gender-based violence. Organisers say the event aims to create space for more hopeful, constructive, and community-based conversations about men and boys.

“There is growing conversation about men and boys, too often framed in terms of problems, either their problems, or them as the problem,” said Gary Barker, Founder and CEO of Equimundo. “Through our Boys & Men Festival and the Changemaker initiative, we are choosing a different path: one grounded in care.”

“We see caring manhood not as an abstract ideal, but as a political, practical and powerful response to these challenges,” Barker added. “This Festival is a space for solutions — a place to affirm and amplify the many ways women, men, boys, girls, and people of all identities can come together.”

Jude Kelly, Founder Director of WOW – Women of the World, said the festival is designed to invite the wider public into the global conversation taking place during the MenCare Changemaker Summit.

“We want all genders and ages to join us for an unforgettable day of talking, sharing and learning,” Kelly said. “Much like WOW Festivals, we’ll be addressing serious and urgent topics, but there will also be joy, play and community.”

About the MenCare Changemaker Summit

The MenCare Changemaker Summit brings together global leaders from business, media, culture, civil society, and government to advance solutions around gender equality, caring masculinities, and violence prevention. Thousands of participants are expected to take part across the four-day program in Rio de Janeiro.

The summit is led by Equimundo in partnership with WOW – Women of the World, in collaboration with Instituto Mapear and Instituto PapodeHomem.

🎟 Free festival tickets and the full program are available now.
 🔗 Learn more: changemakers.equimundo.org/boys-men-festival-english/

Tem dúvidas ou quer cobrir esta história?

Reach out to our press team: press@equimundo.org

pt_BRPortuguês do Brasil
en_USEnglish fr_FRFrançais es_MXEspañol de México pt_BRPortuguês do Brasil