Celebrate Brooklyn!

Celebrate Brooklyn!

Celebrate Brooklyn! is a longstanding outdoor performing-arts festival held each summer at Prospect Park in Brooklyn, New York City. Founded in the late 1970s by the Brooklyn Academy of Music in partnership with local organizations, the series showcases a wide range of music, dance, and theatrical performances, attracting international touring artists and local ensembles. The festival operates as a free or low-cost cultural program intended to increase public access to live performance and activate public space through arts presentation.

History

The festival originated in 1979 when the Brooklyn Academy of Music responded to revitalization efforts in Prospect Park and partnered with Friends of Prospect Park and civic leaders from Brooklyn to create a summer concert series. During the 1980s and 1990s the series expanded programming to include touring acts promoted by presenters such as Nonesuch Records, RCA Records, and impresarios linked to the New York music scene; notable shifts in booking reflected wider trends seen at venues like Central Park SummerStage and SummerStage. Organizational stewardship evolved as municipal and private funders, including the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and philanthropic institutions, increased support, mirroring funding patterns experienced by Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall outreach initiatives. Across decades the festival adapted to changing audience demographics in Brooklyn and weathered citywide events such as the fiscal crises of the 1970s, the cultural realignments of the 1990s, and post-2000 redevelopment projects surrounding Prospect Park.

Programming and Genres

Celebrate Brooklyn! presents eclectic programming that spans pop music, rock, hip hop, jazz, blues, R&B, salsa, Afrobeat, reggae, EDM, and contemporary classical music. The series books international touring artists associated with labels like Motown Records, Island Records, and Verve Records, alongside local collectives connected to institutions such as Brooklyn Conservatory of Music and Kingsborough Community College performance programs. Festival lineups have included artists and ensembles linked to awards and institutions—nominees from the Grammy Awards, recipients of the Pulitzer Prize for Music, and ensembles affiliated with the Metropolitan Opera and New York Philharmonic. The programming strategy often pairs headline concerts with curated nights emphasizing diasporic traditions—linking artists associated with Nuyorican Poets Cafe, Apollo Theater alumni, and collaborators from the Village Vanguard scene.

Venue and Production

The main stage occupies the Prospect Park Bandshell area near the Nethermead and Long Meadow, with production logistics coordinated by technical teams experienced with outdoor stadia similar to Madison Square Garden scale rigging and festival systems used at Governors Ball Music Festival. Sound, lighting, and stagecraft are contracted through firms that have serviced venues including Barclays Center and Radio City Music Hall, ensuring professional presentation for touring artists from agencies such as WME and CAA. Production must comply with city permits issued by the New York City Parks Department and public-safety coordination with the NYPD and New York City Fire Department. Seasonal scheduling balances weekend headliners with midweek community-focused events produced in partnership with organizations like BRIC Arts Media and Brooklyn Public Library branches.

Community Impact and Education

The festival runs educational workshops, youth programs, and artist residencies in collaboration with institutions such as Brooklyn College, Pratt Institute, City College of New York, and community organizations including Make the Road New York and Urban Arts Partnership. Outreach initiatives provide performance opportunities for student ensembles, mentorship from touring musicians connected to conservatories like Juilliard School and Mannes School of Music, and free masterclasses linked to organizations like Meet the Composer. Celebrate Brooklyn!’s community engagement aligns with cultural-access goals championed by groups such as Americans for the Arts and local advocacy networks that work with the Brooklyn Borough President office to expand arts participation across neighborhoods such as Bedford–Stuyvesant, Coney Island, and Williamsburg.

Notable Performances and Artists

Over its history the series has presented artists and ensembles associated with major recording labels, awards bodies, and venues: performers connected to the Grammy Awards circuit, collaborators from the Lincoln Center series, and international acts that have played at Wembley Stadium, Royal Albert Hall, and Sydney Opera House. Notable names who have appeared include artists affiliated with Motown Records and Def Jam Recordings, jazz figures tied to the Blue Note lineage, and world-music icons who have recorded for Nonesuch Records and World Circuit. The roster has encompassed headline acts paralleled in billing at festivals like Coachella, Glastonbury Festival, Newport Jazz Festival, and Montreux Jazz Festival, as well as breakthrough performances by emerging bands that later toured arenas such as Madison Square Garden and Barclays Center.

Category:Music festivals in New York City Category:Culture of Brooklyn