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Est. 2022  ·  Culture & Community

SPADES

Cultural events for the Black diaspora. Music, games, art, and community — all in one space.

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Music♠ Spades Gameplay♠ Showcases♠ Community Mixers♠ Creative Collabs♠ DJ Sets♠ Art Exhibitions♠ Music♠ Spades Gameplay♠ Showcases♠ Community Mixers♠ Creative Collabs♠ DJ Sets♠ Art Exhibitions♠
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Events Hosted
2K+
Community Members
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Featured Creatives
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Upcoming Event

Seersuckers & Sundresses Flyer
Mixer

Seersuckers & Sundresses

Thu Aug 15, 2024 · Martha's Vineyard, MA

We're taking Spades to the East Coast's most iconic summer destination. Dress your best in seersuckers and sundresses, bring your game face, and get ready for an afternoon of competitive Spades, great music, and good people on the Vineyard.

4:00 PM
$25
Seersuckers & Sundresses
Get Tickets →

About

Where culture
meets community

Spades is more than an event series — it's a living cultural archive for the Black diaspora. We create spaces where music, art, and game-night tradition intersect, where every person who walks through the door sees themselves reflected on the stage and at the table.

From intimate mixers to curated showcases, we move with intention and Black joy at the center.

About Spades →
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The Experience

What to Expect

Live Music

Curated sets from emerging and established Black artists — from Afrobeats to R&B to neo-soul.

Spades Gameplay

Competitive and casual rounds. The card table is sacred — come ready to play, talk trash, and laugh.

Creatives

Visual artists, photographers, designers, and more — all featured and celebrated at every event.

Community

Build real connections. Our events are designed to bring people together — not just into the same room.

People

Featured Creatives

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Stay Connected

Join the Spades community

Be first to know about upcoming events, creative features, and exclusive community moments.

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EVENTS

Find your next experience

The People

CREATIVES

Artists, designers, photographers, and makers shaping the culture

Who We Are

ABOUT SPADES

Building cultural spaces where the Black diaspora can gather, play, and thrive

Mission

We exist to celebrate Black culture in all its dimensions

Spades was born from a simple belief: that Black people deserve spaces that celebrate the full complexity of who we are — our music, our traditions, our creativity, and our joy. Every event is an act of cultural preservation and community building.

What We Stand For

Our Values

01

Authenticity

We create spaces that are genuinely for us, built from the inside out — no performative allyship, no gatekeeping.

02

Community

Every event is designed to foster real connection. We believe in the power of gathering — it changes people.

03

Creativity

We platform emerging and established Black creatives — artists, musicians, designers, and more.

04

Tradition

The card table is our anchor. Spades carries cultural weight — we honor that by centering it at every event.

05

Excellence

Everything we produce is done with intention and craft. From the music curation to the venue design — it matters.

06

Joy

Black joy is radical. We create spaces where it is unapologetically centered, witnessed, and amplified.

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Founder Story

Built from the card table up

Spades started in 2022 as a single house party in Atlanta. The founder, a lifelong lover of Spades and music, wanted to create what he couldn't find: an event that felt like home — culturally specific, creatively ambitious, and community-first.

What began with 40 people in a living room grew into a movement. Cities asked to be next. Creatives asked to be featured. Communities asked to be seen.

Now Spades operates across five cities, with no plans to slow down.

See Events →

What We Do

The Spades Experience

Music First

Every event features a carefully curated DJ or live performance celebrating Black music in all its genres.

Spades Tables

The card game is always running. Tournaments, casual rounds, and trash talk — respectfully.

Creative Platform

We partner with local artists and creatives to feature their work at every event and online.

Community Building

Online and offline — Spades is a living network of people who show up for each other.

Get Involved

Ready to join the community?

Find an event near you or sign up to stay connected.

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← Back to Events | Past Event

Seersuckers &
Sundresses

Martha's Vineyard, MA  ·  August 15, 2024  ·  Sounds by DJ Mau

DateAugust 15, 2024
LocationMartha's Vineyard, MA
Dress CodeLinens & Sundresses
Sounds ByDJ Mau

The Recap

The Vineyard showed out — and so did the people.

Seersuckers & Sundresses was our first time taking Spades to the East Coast's most iconic summer destination, and it didn't disappoint. Set against the rolling greens and salt air of Martha's Vineyard, the energy was immaculate from the jump — cornhole on the lawn, the grill going early, and everyone dressed like they had something to prove.

DJ Mau kept the crowd locked in from golden hour through sundown, threading Afrobeats into R&B into old-school classics without missing a beat. It was the kind of afternoon that felt effortless — because the community makes it that way. No performance, just presence.

This one was proof of concept. Wherever Spades goes next, the people will follow — and they'll show up looking good.

150+
Attendees from across the diaspora
1
Perfect summer afternoon on the Vineyard
∞
Fits documented. The people dressed.
Vol. 1
The first of many East Coast chapters
>

Photos from the Day

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← Back to Events | Past Event

Cash
Cobain

Culture Ivy City  ·  Washington, DC  ·  April 25, 2024

DateApril 25, 2024
VenueCulture Ivy City
LocationWashington, DC
FeaturedSonny & 8Jacks

The Recap

We brought the energy to the District — and the District answered.

Cash Cobain at Culture Ivy City was Spades in full showcase mode. DC came out dressed, charged, and ready — and the venue delivered exactly the atmosphere the moment called for. Dim lights, deep bass, and a crowd that knew every word.

Sonny and 8Jacks held the stage all night, moving between sets with the kind of chemistry that only comes from real community. The Ivy City crowd brought their own energy to match — this wasn't just a show, it was a statement.

Spades in DC is no longer a question. This one made it official.

DC
Spades plants its flag in the District
2
Live performers: Sonny & 8Jacks
1
Legendary night at Culture Ivy City
Vol. 1
First Spades showcase in DC

Photos from the Night

Cash Cobain photo 1
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← Back to Events | Past Event

Back Outside
Boyz

Banneker Park  ·  Washington, DC  ·  March 23, 2023

DateMarch 23, 2023
VenueBanneker Park
LocationWashington, DC
Sounds ByDJ Mau, DJ Yinde & more

The Recap

Thousands deep in the park. DC came outside — for real this time.

Back Outside Boyz was the statement event. A free outdoor mixer at Banneker Park that nobody expected to go as hard as it did — and then it went harder. Hundreds became thousands, the park filled wall to wall, and the energy stayed locked in from 2PM through the late afternoon.

Presented by Top 3 with sounds from DJ Ceddy, DJ Yinde, DJ Mau, 24 Did That, and DJ AC, the lineup delivered every era and every pocket. The crowd didn't just show up — they took the park over.

This was the one that put Spades on the DC map. Everything after it has been chasing this energy.

1000+
People packed Banneker Park
Free
No gates, no barriers — just the block
5+
DJs on the lineup
Vol. 1
The outdoor event that started it all

Photos from the Day

Back Outside Boyz photo 1
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← Back to Creatives | Photographer

Kunta
Visuals

Washington, DC  ·  Photographer & Videographer

About

Telling Black stories through imagery.

"KUNTA" is an Arabic word meaning "you were" — and that's exactly what the work is about. Kunta Visuals is a Washington DC-based photography and videography entity focused on telling stories through imagery. Primarily Black stories.

From concert stages to graduation gates, Kunta captures moments with an eye for the authentic and the powerful. Every frame is a document — proof of who you were, preserved with intention and craft.

Kunta has been a fixture in the Spades community, shooting events across DC and bringing the same energy to every lens pull.

Visit Website ↗ @kuntacameo
Based In
Washington, DC
Discipline
Photography & Videography
Focus
Black Stories & Culture
Website
kuntacameo.com
← Back to Creatives | DJ

DJ
Mau

Washington, DC  ·  New York, NY  ·  DJ & Producer

About

The one who keeps the crowd locked in.

DJ Mau is a DJ and producer operating between Washington, DC and New York City — two cities that demand you bring your A-game every time you step behind the decks. He does exactly that.

Known for reading a room effortlessly and threading genres with precision, Mau has become a fixture in the Spades community. He provided the sounds for Back Outside Boyz at Banneker Park — the outdoor mixer that put Spades on the DC map — and brought that same energy to Seersuckers & Sundresses on Martha's Vineyard, carrying the crowd from golden hour through sundown without missing a beat.

Whether it's Afrobeats into R&B or old-school classics into the latest drops, Mau curates sets that feel intentional, cultural, and alive.

@djmau
Based In
Washington, DC & New York, NY
Discipline
DJ & Producer
Spades Events
Back Outside Boyz · Seersuckers & Sundresses