What do Childish Gambino, Willie Nelson, and Ladysmith Black Mambazo have in common? All of these performers have performed on the same stage in the most unlikely of places, Prospect Park.
Celebrate Brooklyn is an annual music festival located in Prospect Park, it has become a staple for the communities surrounding Prospect Park. The festival started in Prospect Park in 1979- in order to make the park an epicenter for the the community once again. Prospect Park, like many urban communities, had fallen into disorder during the 1960’s and ‘70’s.
In its early years, Celebrate Brooklyn couldn’t use the Prospect Park bandshell (at 9th street). Which had been deemed unsafe in 1978. After 1983, when the bandshell re-opened, Celebrate Brooklyn grew in its programing. Celebrate Brooklyn has called the bandshell home since.
The 2015 season started June 3rd to a thunderous opening night. Chaka Khan, winner of 10 Grammy awards (two as a member of the band Rufus), was the opening act. Last year the opening act was Janelle Monae, a Grammy nominated artist.
The season isn’t over yet. Upcoming shows include the Willie Nelson benefit concert and numerous free shows. The free shows include acts like tUnE-yArDs, Awa Sangho, and an assortment of other performers.
Celebrate Brooklyn doesn’t just have concerts. Earlier in the season there was dance performances and activities for children.
Celebrate Brooklyn offers amazing opportunities for Park Slope, and its surrounding communities. Celebrate Brooklyn is a showcase of amazing artist and activities, and it offers it all for free. Except for the benefit shows- which are 48 dollars for general admission. However, benefit shows are few in number. Celebrate Brooklyn creates opportunities to see world class performances for free.
Ava, 16, from Carroll Gardens says that she likes going to the shows because they’re “free”, and there are food and beverages that make it a “nice place to escape the heat of summer”. She also likes that “the show goes on, it doesn’t matter if it’s raining!”
Layla, 18, says that all the events she has gone to for Celebrate Brooklyn have been amazingly “organized”, and everything “runs effortlessly. Everyone there seems trained, intelligent, and efficient.” She commends the operation’s dedication, and the large scale productions seem to happen with such apparent ease.
Opportunities to get involved in Celebrate Brooklyn are anything but limited.
If one is eager for a new experience, then they should volunteer. Celebrate Brooklyn makes volunteering easy. Volunteers have flexible hours and a simple orientation, it is a way to pad any sort of resume, and to help the community! Duties for volunteers include; set up, clean up, and attendee assistance. Wearing colorful shirts, volunteers can be seen running around the venue, playing “gatekeeper” to the Brooklyn Friends (Prospect Park members) section of the shows, or doing surveys.
Volunteers also receive benefits. The number of shifts (a typical show is usually 1 – 4 shifts) equates to perks, such as reserved seats to free shows or benefit shows.
Besides being a volunteer, one can also donate to BRIC. BRIC is a nonprofit organization that organizes the shows- a media and arts programmer, they pride themselves on being able to make music and art accessible to everyone.
The final, and probably easiest, way to get involved is to simply attend the shows. These events are meant to bring everyone from all over Brooklyn, and the city, to a common realm. People from all walks of life are welcome, and it’s ultimately a way to meet new people and to have fun.