Freaknik

Freaknik was conceived in March 1982 on Spelman College campus in a DC Metro Club meeting headed by then president Schuyla Goodson.^[6] It was sponsored by the club, which was composed of students from Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. The DC Metro Club intended for it to be challenge to the California Club for the largest end-of-the-school-year party. Goodson suggested the name Freaknik (then spelled "Freaknic") as a portmanteau of freaky and picnic.

The name Freaknik was inspired by Le Freak by Chic, a popular song and dance from 1978. First held in John A. White Park in Atlanta in April 1982, it was attended by at most 150 students.

Commercialization

In 1988, Spelman College President Johnnetta B. Cole banned the DC Metro Club from involvement with Freaknic for school liability reasons. With no chartered collegiate student organization presiding over the event, independent national promoter Daryl Miller was asked by the DC Metro Club to promote it. He grew the event from 15,000 to over 250,000 in five years with no radio nor television ads.

Several other promoters began promoting non-official Freakni(k) named events. One such event happened at the then 33-acre Lakewood Fairgrounds and had 60,000 people in attendance. In 1993, two non-HBCU students, party promoters Ronn Greene and Diya Nabawi, were the first to trademark the name, spelled officially as "Freaknik" (ending with a "k"). Another was held at Club XS off Moreland Ave. This event was promoted by a group of Omega Psi Phi fraternity members. It had an estimated 30,000 people in the parking lot and another 60,000 that cruised the Moreland all night.

In 1991, Kristina Copeland, a woman from Washington, D.C., and Ronn Greene, produced the second event, held at the Lakewood Fairgrounds. As the event became more popular in mainstream Black culture, more Black visitors from all regions of the United States, Canada, the Caribbean and Europe came to participate in it. Some of these visitors decided to make the Atlanta area their new permanent home. At its peak in the mid-1990s, the event attracted well over 250,000 people each year.^[7] Also the event was a major economic stimulus for the Atlanta area. It is estimated by 1994 the economic impact reached $20 million.^[8]

As Freaknik grew, local homeowners' and business owners' attitudes toward it became negative. It was challenged by Atlanta businesses, neighborhood associations, business owners and community leaders. Additionally, reports for sexual assault of women, public indecency, and other public safety concerns increased when the event was active.^[9] Under pressure, Atlanta Mayor Bill Campbell cracked down on Freaknik in April 1997. A much larger police presence created tension and discomfort among the almost entirely black festival goers.^[10] Roadblocks were placed at freeway exits that led to Atlanta. After city leaders took these measures to curtail Freaknik's accessibility, its popularity faded. The event moved east from Atlanta to Memorial Drive in DeKalb County, Georgia.

By 1999, despite moving to DeKalb County to avoid Atlanta police, attendance declined, which led to the official end.^[11] There were attempts after 1999 to officially revive Freaknik, but they were unsuccessful.^[12] In April 2010, Atlanta officials said: "there are no permitted Freaknic-related events inside the city limits." Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed also said that "he will be tough and even sue organizers of any Freaknic-related activities who violate city guidelines."^[13]

After 20 years, the last official Freaknik being in 1999, Atlanta-based promotion company After 9 Partners and Carlos Neal contracted Luther Campbell, Juvenile, Trina and others to spearhead a Freaknik themed concert in June 2019. The 2019 Freaknik featured hip-hop and R&B music artists performing at the Cellairis Amphitheatre. Other activities were available throughout Atlanta, such as a community service event. Many of the estimated 20,000 attendees were older adults who participated in the official Freakniks of the 80s and 90s.^[14]^[15]^[16]^[17]

Williams Street Studios produced a one-hour special spoof titled Freaknik: The Musical based on the popular festival. The show aired on television network Adult Swim in March 2010.^[18]

A season two episode of Popular features the character Mary Cherry saying "I went to Freaknik in hotlanta and turned the mother out" when grilled on her spring break activities.^[19]

A season one episode of True Life followed college students during 1998's Freaknik.

A season six episode of Sister, Sister chronicled Tia and Tamera's trip from Michigan to Atlanta toward Freaknik with their college friends.^[20]

In his mixtape "STN MTN / Kauai", Childish Gambino opens by saying that he had a dream that he ran Atlanta, and among other things, he would bring back Freaknik.^[21]

On "Hair Day", the eleventh episode of season six of the ABC series Black-ish, Dre reveals to his son Jack that as a younger man he was beaten in a dance-off by a someone who brought his own whistle to the party, which raised the ire of his oldest son, Junior, who insisted Dre had told him "What happens at Freaknik stays at Freaknik."

Tom Wolfe referenced Freaknik/Freaknic in his book "A Man in Full" - initially around page 17, chapter "Chocolate Mecca" but other places as well.^[22]

Freaknik is referenced in rap songs from the 1990s and early 2000s.^[23]^[24]

Beyoncé references Freaknik 1996 in her song “THIQUE,” which was released on Renaissance in 2022.

Hulu released a documentary called Freaknik: The Wildest Party Never Told. in March 2024.^[25]

History

Commercialization

In culture

See also

References

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