New York City's longest-running free performing arts festival, BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn!, returns to the Lena Horne Bandshell in Prospect Park on June 8, with performances by punk-ska band Fishbone, Grammy winner Meshell Ndegeocello, Afrobeat star Seun Kuti, reggae stars Lila Ike and Jesse Royal and more.
The festival will run from June 8 through August 24, and there will also be shows at Brower Park and Highland Park in Brooklyn, according to a news release.
The festival kicks off on June 8, with a family-friendly themed day with headliner The Halluci Nation and Xiuhtezcatl (pronounced “Shu-TEZ-caht”) and Asase Yaa Youth Ensemble as the opening act.
Other performers include Belgian dance sensations Charlotte Adigéry & Bolis Pupul, retro soul ensemble Thee Sacred Souls, Sinkane, and a host of emerging acts like Ambar Lucid, Adi Oasis, Black Belt Eagle Scout and Talibah Safiya.
In a night commemorating visionary musician Arthur Russell, the Wordless Music Orchestra will perform Russell’s seminal 1983 instrumental album Tower of Meaning in its live New York premiere.
This season, the festival is paying homage to the borough’s rich cultural tapestry with the theme “Raised by Brooklyn," the release said. The theme is a tribute to the role Brooklyn has played in shaping the lives and trajectories of global cultural icons, public servants, artists, community activists and business leaders born – and the role of BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! in shaping the Brooklyn cultural landscape.
There will also be movie showings, including Do The Right Thing by Spike Lee on July 6.
"This season’s array of musical genres and cultural moments represents the best of this vibrant borough!" said Saidah Blount, the executive director of BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn!
For the full schedule, click here.
