Inside the First L.A. Loc & Crown Fest: A Celebration of Locs, Community & Black-Owned Brands
There is something so special about being in a space filled with people who understand and celebrate locs.
This August, I had the pleasure of attending the first-ever Loc & Crown Fest at The Beehive in Los Angeles, and the experience was even better than I expected. From the moment I arrived, you could tell how much thought had gone into creating the event. There was great music, good food, dancing, a loc hair show competition, beautifully designed vendor booths and, of course, so many gorgeous locs.
And when I say gorgeous locs, I mean every kind of loc. One of my favorite surprises was seeing just how many people were wearing microlocs and Sisterlocks. As someone who has spent the last few years creating content and resources specifically for the microlocs community, seeing tiny locs so well represented made me incredibly happy. It was sunny. It was HOT. And it was absolutely an event for the girls.
A Space Created With the Loc Community in Mind
What impressed me most about L.A> Loc & Crown Fest was how intentional everything felt. The organizers sold around 1,000 tickets for their inaugural event, but you would never have guessed this was their first year putting it together. Christy and her team were wonderful to work with leading up to the festival, and that same care showed throughout the event itself.
The vendor lineup was especially good. This wasn't simply a collection of beauty brands. There were businesses offering products, accessories, jewelry, hair services and experiences that actually made sense for people with locs. The loc community has its own needs. The way we care for our hair is different. The tools we use can be different. The professionals we need are specialized. Even something as seemingly simple as finding accessories that work with our hair can require products created with locs in mind.
It was beautiful to see an event celebrate all of that. I brought the Omalocs Beauty community along with me throughout the weekend, and you can watch some of my favorite moments from the festival below. Watch my L.A. Loc & Crown Fest recap on Instagram.
A Few of My Favorite Finds
Of course, I couldn't go to a festival full of small businesses and leave empty-handed. One of my favorite discoveries was Yendi Collections. I purchased two of their loc combs, which immediately caught my attention because they are designed differently from the traditional wide-tooth combs many of us grew up using. I've already been experimenting with mine on my microlocs, so expect to hear more about that. I also found a beautiful handmade copper ring from I AM Archive and got fitted for waist beads by Waist Beads by Ayodele. And because apparently I can't go anywhere without thinking about my nieces, I picked up the cutest Black girl coloring book from Q.M. Creative Studio.
There were also so many wonderful people I got to meet along the way. I met SRB Millie, a loctician and genuinely beautiful soul. I also met Naomi, the founder of Sprinkle My Locs. I stopped by The Texture Haus, where Bri, a Long Beach loctician, also offers products for the loc community. I picked up some goodies from Black Girl Vitamins, and there were plenty more vendors I wish I'd had time to explore. This is one of the things I love about events like this. You walk in knowing some brands and leave with a whole new list of businesses, creators and people you want to keep up with.
Our Get Microlocs Near Me Giveaway
I was also at the L.A. Loc & Crown Fest representing Get Microlocs Near Me, our platform that helps people discover microlocs and Sisterlocks professionals. And we couldn't come to Los Angeles without bringing some goodies with us. We partnered with six amazing brands to create a giveaway filled with products for the loc lifestyle:
Sprinkle My Locs brings a little extra sparkle to locs with decorative hair sprinkles designed to make your locs your own. They contributed two Sprinkle Kits.
Loc Hoopz creates soft, reusable, heat-free curling tools designed for locs and natural hair. Comfortable enough to sleep in, they make it easy to create beautiful, long-lasting curls without heat. They contributed four Curl Packs to our giveaway.
Locs Amplify is a Black woman-owned natural hair care brand dedicated to supporting healthy locs and natural hair, with products designed to simplify wash days, restore moisture, and make caring for your hair easier. They contributed a Clarifying Shampoo, Daily Refreshing Spray, Sandalwood Comb and Flexi Rods.
MARQ Hairapy is behind the LockBrush and LockComb, two tools designed specifically with locs in mind. The LockBrush uses specially designed bristles to detangle locs without snagging and doubles as a scalp massager, while the LockComb is a wide-tooth, ball-tipped comb designed to gently detangle, define and part locs without disrupting their structure. They contributed one of each to our giveaway.
LATC Essentials, founded by hair and beauty creator Aneesha of Locs And The City, creates elevated, low-tension accessories specifically for locs, thick hair and textured hair. The brand focuses on giving fuller hair a secure hold without unnecessary pulling or discomfort. They contributed a Reversible Satin Bonnet, Satin XL Scrunchie and Cloud Chiffon XL Scrunchie.
Sabi Wise is a science-backed scalp care brand creating targeted solutions for textured hair and protective styles. Their products are designed to make it easier to care for your scalp between wash days without disrupting locs, braids, twists and other styles. They contributed a Roll-On Scalp Oil to our giveaway.
A huge thank you to every brand that contributed and helped us put together such a special giveaway. I loved being able to introduce festival attendees to businesses creating products and tools with our hair, routines and lifestyles in mind.
And of course, a huge congratulations to our giveaway winner, Sylas! 🎉 I hope you're enjoying all of your new goodies. It was so much fun being able to send someone home with a collection of products from brands supporting and innovating for the loc community.
Taking Get Microlocs Near Me Offline
One of the most meaningful parts of the weekend for me was getting to talk about Get Microlocs Near Me with people face-to-face. So much of building Omalocs Beauty and Get Microlocs Near Me has happened online. I spend a lot of time thinking about how to make information easier to find, creating resources and trying to solve some of the little frustrations that come with having microlocs. At the Loc & Crown Fest, I got to see those needs show up in real conversations.
People stopped by our booth and told us about friends who were looking for locticians. I met someone from Portland who had been thinking about getting microlocs but assumed finding someone to install them would be difficult. We met locticians who wanted to have their businesses added to the directory. And I finally got to meet several of the locticians already featured on Get Microlocs Near Me in person.
There were so many little full-circle moments throughout the day. I'll be sharing much more about that experience over on Get Microlocs Near Me, because it deserves its own story.
Why Events Like Loc & Crown Fest Matter
I left Los Angeles thinking about just how special the loc ecosystem is. Locs are more than a hairstyle, and there's an entire community of people, professionals and businesses supporting this lifestyle. There are locticians who have developed incredibly specialized skills. Founders creating tools specifically for our hair. Brands thinking about how we sleep, style and accessorize our locs. Educators helping people understand how to care for them. And events like the Loc & Crown Fest creating spaces for all of us to actually come together.
The more time I spend in this community, the more I see the opportunity for better tools, resources and infrastructure that make living with locs easier. Because that's always been part of what Omalocs Beauty is about. Beautiful hair gets to be part of your life without your life having to revolve around your hair.
Until Next Year, LA
For a first-year event, the L.A. Loc & Crown Fest truly exceeded my expectations. Christy and her team created something beautiful, thoughtful and genuinely special for the loc community. I'm grateful that Omalocs Beauty and Get Microlocs Near Me got to be part of its first year, and I'm excited to see what they build from here.
If you've never been to a loc festival, consider adding one to your list. It's a chance to discover new brands, meet people who understand your hair, support small businesses and simply spend a day surrounded by beautiful locs. And if there isn't anything like it where you live? Maybe your city needs one.
