Hip-Hop Royalty Headlining Spring Break Concert to Raise Funds for HIV/AIDS Awareness

Grammy, Emmy, and Golden Globe winning and Oscar-nominated powerhouse Queen Latifah reunites with AHF, headlining the annual 5k and music festival to raise over a million dollars for South Florida HIV/AIDS organizations as the fight against HIV continues

FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Grammy, Emmy, Golden Globe, NAACP, SAG and Critic’s Choice award-winning and Oscar-nominated musician, actress, producer, label president, author and entrepreneur will headline AIDS Healthcare Foundation’s 21^st Annual Florida AIDS Walk & Music Festival presented by AHF Pharmacy, Fed Ex and Wells Fargo at Fort Lauderdale Beach on Saturday, March 21, 2026.

The annual 5k walk and concert, which recently celebrated its 20^th anniversary, has raised millions for local nonprofit HIV/AIDS Service Organizations (ASOs) serving people living with HIV in the South Florida region and is on track to continue this impact again this year. Hot new recording artist, Rinasere, will kick-off this year’s beachfront event.

Queen Latifah, first joined AHF in 2016, where she and the multi-talented artist, Common, performed for thousands from across the globe as featured artists during AHF’s Keep the Promise Concert and March, in Durban, South Africa, which served as a call-to-action for governments and international funding bodies to increase needed AIDS funding and intensify their commitments to ending the global AIDS epidemic.

“I am thrilled to continue to lend my voice in the on-going fight against HIV/AIDS. We all must continue to raise our voice and funds to keep awareness and prevention services accessible for all,” stated Queen Latifah.

“We are honored to have Queen Latifah join us again and lend her star power to help raise awareness and funds for the fight against HIV/AIDS,” said Tracy Jones, AHF Southern Bureau Chief. “Now more than ever, we need to make sure the service organizations tending to our most at-risk populations have the support they need to keep up the fight against HIV and AIDS. While we have made progress since Florida AIDS Walk started over two decades ago, South Florida continues to see disproportionately high incidents of new HIV diagnoses. The money we raise through FAW helps people get educated, get tested, get into care, and stay in care – all keys to helping stop the spread, end the HIV epidemic, and save lives.”

2026 Beneficiaries: Afro Pride Florida, Aqua, Broward House, Equality Florida, Hotspots Happening Out, The McKenzie Project, Inc., Positive People Network, The Pride Center at Equality Park, Prism, Pridelines, Safe Schools South Florida, SAVE LGBTQ, SunServe, Transinclusive, Ujima Men’s Collective.

About HIV/AIDS in Florida:

• The South makes up more than 50% of new HIV diagnoses. (CDC)
• Florida ranks third in the number of new HIV diagnoses as of 2022. (KFF)
• More than 51,000 people are living with HIV in Miami-Dade and Broward counties. (FLHealthCharts)
• Of the top 20 U.S. cities with the highest HIV/AIDS rates, the Fort Lauderdale/Pompano Beach/Sunrise metropolitan area was ranked first. The Miami/Miami Beach/Kendall metropolitan area was ranked second, and the Miami/Fort Lauderdale/Pompano Beach coastal region was ranked fourth. (Insider Monkey)
• In 2022 and 2023, Miami-Dade County had the highest HIV prevalence in Florida, followed by Broward County which had the second highest HIV prevalence. (CDC AtlasPlus, FLHealthCharts)

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the world’s largest HIV/AIDS healthcare organization, provides cutting-edge medicine and advocacy to more than 2.4 million individuals across 47 countries, including the U.S. and in Africa, Latin America/Caribbean, the Asia/Pacific Region, and Eastern Europe. In January 2025, AHF received the MLK, Jr. Social Justice Award, The King Center’s highest recognition for an organization leading work in the social justice arena. To learn more about AHF, visit us online at AIDShealth.org, find us on Facebook, and follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok.

Contacts

Imara Canady, AHF National Communications Director

Mobile: 770-940-6555

[email protected]