LOS ANGELES — After covering FIFA Fan Fest and the BET Experience in Los Angeles, one thing became clear: fan experiences are about more than entertainment. They are about identity, community and the way people gather around something they love.
They also show the difference between pride, tradition and culture.
At FIFA Fan Fest, the pride was connected to tradition. Fans could point to a country, a flag, a jersey and a shared national history. That kind of pride was visible and easy to identify.
For Black Americans, the story is different. Much of our culture has been shaped by struggle, survival and what our people had to overcome. The music, fashion, rhythm, creativity and the way we gather did not come from comfort. It came from people creating beauty, joy and identity even when so much had been taken from them.
That does not make the culture less powerful. It makes it deeper.
FIFA Fan Fest showed how tradition can carry pride. BET Experience showed how struggle can help create culture. Both bring people together, but they come from different roots.
FIFA Fan Fest and the BET Experience are two different events, but both showed how fans celebrate culture in real time. FIFA Fan Fest brought people together through country, tradition, flags, jerseys and national pride. The BET Experience brought people together through Black culture, music, fashion, basketball, performances, food and community.
At FIFA Fan Fest, tradition was easy to see. Fans showed up in their country’s colors, carried flags and represented where they were from or who they supported. The BET Experience felt different because Black culture does not show up in only one way.
There was not one flag, one color or one uniform. There were different styles, sounds, ages, outfits, hairstyles and expressions of Blackness moving through the same space.
For those who were not able to experience it in person, the BET Experience moved in pieces: the BETX Celebrity Basketball Game on Thursday, BETX FanFest at The Beehive on Friday and Saturday, A Roots Picnic Experience on Saturday night and the BET Awards on Sunday.
Each part gave fans another way to step into the culture.
The Weekend Started on the Court
The weekend tipped off Thursday with the BETX Celebrity Basketball Game at USC Galen Center.
Celebrity basketball games are never just about the score. They are about energy, personality, music, fan reactions and seeing entertainers in a different setting. Entertainers like Los Angeles rapper Bino Rideaux and musician Masego were among the artists who helped bring that crossover of sports and music to the court.
The game felt part basketball game, part live show and part community kickback. Fans were able to cheer, laugh and see artists, actors, comedians and cultural figures step away from the stage and screen and into a more playful space.
That is where sports and culture are connected. At FIFA Fan Fest, sports brought countries together. At the BETX Celebrity Basketball Game, sports brought entertainment and Black culture together. Both crowds were responding to more than the game. They were responding to the feeling around it.
BETX FanFest at The Beehive Opened the Experience
After Thursday’s game, BETX FanFest at The Beehive continued the celebration Friday and Saturday in Los Angeles.
FanFest gave fans a chance to be part of BET weekend without needing to be inside the awards show. That mattered because awards shows can sometimes feel like they belong only to the celebrities, nominees and people invited into the room. The fest made the weekend feel more open.
There were performances, panels, food experiences, gaming, retail spaces and activations that allowed fans to connect with different parts of the culture. The Main Stage kept the music going, while other spaces gave people a chance to listen, shop, eat, play and engage.
The experience also highlighted Black and Brown-owned brands across fashion, beauty, art and lifestyle. That made the weekend bigger than entertainment. It created space for entrepreneurs, designers and creatives who are also helping shape culture.
That is where the BET Experience separated itself. At FIFA Fan Fest, people could look around and see tradition through country representation. At FanFest, people could look around and see culture through creativity.
It was not one look. There were many.
Catching Up With Yo-Yo
As part of BET Experience, I caught up with West Coast hip-hop legend Yo-Yo, who added heart to the story.
Yo-Yo said events like this matter because they bring fans closer to the artists, entertainers and cultural figures they grew up admiring. For her, music is bigger than performance. It connects to the soul, the community and the pride people feel when someone from their neighborhood makes it and still shows up.
She described the BET Experience as a space where fans can have an up-close moment with the people whose music, films and presence helped shape the culture.
When asked what it feels like to have women still looking up to her, Yo-Yo said she feels honored. She said it means a lot to still be doing the work, still be relevant and still be able to share the lessons she has learned throughout the game.
Yo-Yo’s response landed as a reminder that legacy is not just about what an artist did back then. It is also about how they continue to show up now.
A Roots Picnic Experience Added Another Layer
On Saturday night, A Roots Picnic Experience added another layer to the weekend.
After BET Experience brought fans together through celebrity basketball, performances, food, gaming and retail spaces, A Roots Picnic Experience gave fans another kind of cultural experience. It was centered on live music, but it also showed how far Black music reaches.
The crowd reflected that reach. Black fans, Latino fans, Asian fans and people from different backgrounds gathered together, danced together and responded to the music in the same way.
Performers like T.I., Nas and De La Soul, with The Roots band playing behind them, made the experience feel bigger than a regular concert. The live band added a different kind of energy and reminded the crowd why live music still matters.
That stood out because the music was deeply rooted in Black culture, but the feeling reached everybody.
At FIFA Fan Fest, the flags helped tell the story. At the BET Experience and A Roots Picnic Experience, the music helped tell the story.
Culture, Tradition and the Way People Gather
Covering these events brought up a bigger conversation about culture and tradition.
At FIFA Fan Fest, tradition was visible. Fans showed up in colors connected to their countries. They represented national pride, shared history and the places they came from.
For Black Americans, tradition can be more complicated. Many know their roots trace back to Africa, but not everyone knows the exact country, tribe, language or customs their families came from. Because of that, Black tradition in America does not always show up in one clear uniform, flag or national symbol.
But Black culture is clear.
It is in the music, food, fashion, dance, church, comedy, sports, language, creativity and the way people gather. That is what BET Experience represented. It gave fans a place to celebrate culture that has influenced the world, while also reminding people that the culture comes from real history.
That is why the comparison between FIFA Fan Fest and BET Experience matters. Both events brought people together. One showed how tradition can connect people to a country. The other showed how culture can connect people to a shared experience.
The Awards Closed the Weekend
The next day, the BET Awards closed out the weekend and brought the celebration to its biggest stage.
By Sunday, the energy had already been building for days. The BETX Celebrity Basketball Game opened the weekend on Thursday, FanFest gave people a place to gather Friday and Saturday, and A Roots Picnic Experience added a final layer of live music and community on Saturday night.
The awards were the televised moment, but the experience around them had already given fans their own memories.
From the court to FanFest to A Roots Picnic Experience and finally the BET Awards, the weekend showed how Black culture moves through different spaces. It can show up through basketball, music, fashion, food, business, performance and community.
FIFA Fan Fest reminded me that tradition can bring people together through country, flag and national pride. The BET Experience reminded me that culture can bring people together through sound, style, creativity and shared history.
Both are powerful. Both are communities. But they tell different stories about identity.
People around the world love Black culture. They admire the music, the fashion, the creativity, the rhythm and the way the culture makes them feel. But part of that culture is also rooted in struggle, survival and everything Black people have had to overcome. Our culture is a direct reflection of that history. So if people enjoy what Black culture creates, they should also understand and respect the struggle that helped shape it.
For those who missed it, the weekend was exactly what the name promised.
It was an experience.
Cover Art/Lead Image: Artist Mariah the Scientist performs at the 2026 BET Experience Fanfest at The Beehive in South Los Angeles on June 27, 2026. Photo credit: Mark Hammond/News4usonline
Born and raised in the heart of Compton, I’ve always had a soft spot for underdogs—those who fight with grit, heart, and determination. My passion for the LA Clippers runs deep because they mirror everything I stand for. Whether courtside or in the community, I proudly cheer for the team that reflects my story.
I am also the host of Black Love and Basketball – Compton Edition, a podcast blending the beauty of basketball and love from a feminine perspective.
Outside of basketball, I am a family law paralegal dedicated to helping families navigate challenges and stay together. Success may have a time frame for those who want you to fail, but I’ve learned to set my own clock. – Felicia Enriquez, also known as Mynt J.
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