British rock quartet Glass Animals, R&B singer Ari Lennox, electronic artist Yaeji and Colombian-Canadian R&B singer Lido Pimienta are among the many artists scheduled to perform at the seven-week-long BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival this summer, which returns to the Prospect Park Bandshell after a pandemic-induced hiatus.
The festival, organized by the Brooklyn-based arts and media institution BRIC, takes place from Saturday, July 31 through Saturday, September 18th with doors opening at 6:00pm for all shows,except the family day performance. For more information, visit bricartsmedia.org.
Also scheduled to perform at the festival, now in its 43rd year, are: Singer-songwriter Skip Marley, grandson of Bob Marley; Afrobeats star Mr. Eazi; multi-instrumentalist Trombone Shorty with his brass funk band Orleans Avenue; Brooklyn-bred hip-hop artist Junglepussy; folk rock singer and climate activist Buffy Sainte Marie and singer/songwriter/advocate Naia Kete for a special evening dedicated to highlighting the impact of climate change; Latinx alternative multi-lingual quartet Ladama; Haitian born multi-instrumentalist Tiga Jean-Baptiste and a set by DJ Ali Coleman for a family-friendly daytime performance; local jazz artists including rhapsodist Vijay Iyer, vibes innovator Joel Ross, singer and multi-instrumentalist Melanie Charles, and poet/author Mahogany Browne for an evening in remembrance of the impact of COVID-19 on the Jazz community; politically conscious rapper and poet Kamauu; Jamaican R&B singer Gary “Nesta” Pines; Philly-based rapper and producer Ivy Sole; Jamaican-born musician Tygapaw; Dominican-born artist Rita Indiana; Attacca Quartet and indie-rock collective San Fermin; R&B musician Son Little; hip-hop/R&B singer Ajo; and singer Yendry.
The 2021 BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival will also offer a movie night featuring the 1973 documentary “Wattstax,” which highlights the 1972 Watts Summer Festival, as well as an evening dedicated to dance co-conceived by Tatiana and BRIC featuring the Passion Fruit Dance Company with DJ sets by Soul Summit Dance Party and St James Joy.
“The opportunities we have been afforded to provide a platform for incredible talent from Brooklyn and around the globe, brings up indescribable joy,” said Kristina Newman-Scott, President of BRIC. “This year’s line-up marks a momentous time for BRIC, continuing our tradition of bringing some of the best talent to the Prospect Park Bandshell stage, which we have called home for 42 years. We can’t wait to see everyone there.”
“After the past challenging year, it is such a thrill to welcome the BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival back to the Prospect Park Bandshell,” said Sue Donoghue, President of the Prospect Park Alliance. “This is one of our flagship events, and for our community a clear sign of summer. Over the past four decades, this festival has brought a wide range of free music and family programming to Prospect Park, to the delight of the many diverse communities we serve.” The Prospect Park Alliance sustains, restores and advances Prospect Park to benefit the diverse communities we serve, through initiatives and events including the BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival, in partnership with the City of New York.
In accordance with New York State and CDC guidelines, BRIC is currently planning for reduced capacity within socially distanced pods. While the Festival will remain free of charge, RSVPs will be required to manage capacity, and either proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test will need to be shown; however, these terms remain subject to change. BRIC hopes all music, film, and dance lovers will prioritize getting vaccinated as a step towards bringing back live performances in their fullest form. BRIC will ensure the Festival is accessible to the community at large by creating both a web-based RSVP portal as RSVP by telephone system. RSVPs officially open July 1 for opening night and then every two weeks after that for subsequent performances.
Major Leadership Support for BRIC’s performing arts programs are generously provided by Howard Gilman Foundation, Lambent Foundation, and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. Public support is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, New York State Council on the Arts, and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. Additional support for BRIC’s performing arts program is provided by Con Edison, Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, Mertz Gilmore Foundation, Scherman Foundation, Shubert Organization, Inc., as well as support from friends, members and numerous individuals.
Summer guide to 2021 music festivals here.
