Houston’s Futures Festival is a daylong celebration of community, creativity and civic engagement that explores the issues shaping the city’s future. On Saturday, Oct. 3, from noon to 8 p.m., the inaugural festival will transform Emancipation Park, One Emancipation Center and the Eldorado Ballroom in Third Ward into vibrant spaces for learning, dialogue and entertainment.

The free event is hosted by the Elizabeth D. Rockwell Center on Ethics and Leadership in partnership with the Third Ward Cultural District, Texas Southern University’s Center for Africana Futures and School of Communication, the University of Houston’s Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies, the Center for Health and Thriving, and the Greater Third Ward Super Neighborhood 67.

The festival will feature concurrent programming, including performances from noon to 5:30 p.m., workshops from 1 to 5:30 p.m., short films, local vendors and community resources. Workshops and discussions will explore public education, food insecurity, mobility and other pressing challenges facing Houston. The festival will culminate with a live performance by acclaimed Chicago rapper and poet Noname at 7 p.m.

Noname has been touted by Rolling Stone as one of the best rappers alive and noted as one of the most important voices of her generation by The New York Times for her activism. Critics have likened her to Erykah Badu, Nina Simone and Lauryn Hill for her sharp lyricism paired with jazz-inspired instrumentation that makes up her singular sound. She's performed on Saturday Night Live as well as The Tonight Show and The Late Show, and is one of the few artists to perform on NPR's Tiny Desk Concert twice. Her latest album, Sundial, was released in the summer of 2023.