Philadelphia-born rapper Eve will join the lineup at the B.PHL Innovation Festival this fall.
The Grammy Award-winning artist of “Let Me Blow Your Mind” fame will host an event on Oct. 1 discussing her rise to fame in a male-dominated rap industry, as well as her evolution in her career and personal life. She’ll also touch on new projects like her podcast “Constantly Evolving” and her leading role in the upcoming ABC series “Queens.”
Eve joins CNN host Don Lemon, Wendell Holland of HGTV’s “Hot Mess House” and Katy Milkman, a professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, as keynote speakers for the festival. B.PHL runs from Sept. 29 through Oct. 1, with a theme of “rising through collaboration.”
Past headlining speakers include actresses America Ferrera and Issa Rae, rapper Pitbull and filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan. Last year’s virtual-hybrid festival drew 6,500 registered attendees from 49 states and 37 countries.
Back for its third year, B.PHL will take a hybrid approach to its activities once again as the Delta variant of the Covid-19 virus spreads. B.PHL Co-founder Michelle Histand said the festival will remain in a hybrid format unless city guidance changes or cases increase rapidly.
Festival organizers wanted to give speakers the opportunity to speak to a crowd and be on-site while giving attendees a chance to network, Histand said.
B.PHL will have smaller, socially distanced crowds for in-person events at Location 215, an event space at 990 Spring Garden St. All events will require pre-registration and will be capped at half capacity. About 150 people total will be able to attend events across two main stages and the workshop space.
“Of course we wanted to have an in-person component, and at the same time, we want to make sure we're responsible and respectful of guidelines, and also of our speakers’ comfort levels and our audience, their comfort levels,” Histand said.
Location 215 also has an outdoor space where B.PHL will host events, she said. Proof of vaccination will be required for anyone attending in person.
All events will be livestreamed free for the virtual audience.
The festival is set to have 88 sessions over three days. Organizers sought submissions from attendees to host events, and accepted three-quarters of the 80 ideas submitted, Histand said. B.PHL will also have another film festival, comprising films submitted by attendees.
“It's been a testament to building the brand and the excitement and the buy-in that so many people wanted to submit and be part of it,” Histand said.
