FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
44th ANNUAL BRIC CELEBRATE BROOKLYN! RETURNS TO THE LENA HORNE BANDSHELL AT PROSPECT PARK THIS SUMMER WITH OPENING NIGHT HEADLINER, LEGENDARY SAXOPHONIST, KAMASI WASHINGTON
INTERNATIONAL AFRO-POP PHENOM YEMI ALADE CONFIRMED FOR CLOSING NIGHT
Festival Kicks off Wednesday, June 8th through Saturday, August 6th
April 12, 2022, New York, NY – Today, BRIC, a Brooklyn-based leading arts and media institution, announced that BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! will return to the Lena Horne Bandshell at Prospect Park at full capacity, with live, free and in-person performances. For the past 44 years, BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn!, presented in partnership with Prospect Park Alliance and NYC Parks, has been the summer-long outdoor concert and performance series that celebrates talent from around the world and around the block. Each year, the festival presents talent spanning global music icons to chart-topping indie bands and includes benefit concerts, family days, and movie nights. These shows have become one of the city’s foremost cultural attractions and a beloved summer tradition.
The 2022 BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! season will kick off on Wednesday, June 8th with legendary saxophonist, producer, and composer Kamasi Washington as the headliner. A Los Angeles native, the multi-instrumentalist recently released his critically-acclaimed single, “The Garden Path,” with a world premiere performance on The Tonight Show. Washington has also collaborated and shared stages with Kendrick Lamar and Florence + the Machine, among others. Washington is a longtime BRIC collaborator, having performed at multiple nights of BRIC JazzFest in years past. Brooklyn-based DJ Reborn and Los Angeles-based singer and songwriter Ravyn Lenae will open the show.
Closing out the festival season on August 6 will be Nigerian singer/songwriter, Yemi Alade, who has music features with Beyonce, Rick Ross, and Mr. Eazi to name a few. The award-winning Afro-pop artist has accumulated over 400 million views on Youtube, making her one of the most viewed African artists of all time. Alade previously performed as part of BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn!: Live Everywhere, the festival’s groundbreaking virtual 2020 format during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The news comes on the heels of the recent benefit concert announcements, which help to support BRIC’s free programming: Los Angeles singer/songwriter Phoebe Bridgers will hit the festival stage on June 14th and 15th. Both performances were completely sold out in under 48 hours. American singer/songwriter, record producer, and actress Erykah Badu (globally known as the “Queen of Neo Soul”) will perform on August 5th.
The rest of the festival lineup will be announced on May 3rd. Past BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! artists have included Common, Patti Labelle, The Roots, Wizkid, D-Nice with special guests, Ari Lennox, J.Cole, Skip Marley, David Byrne, Jimmy Cliff, Chaka Khan, Bomba Estereo, Janelle Monae, Philip Glass, St Vincent, Lila Downs, Youssou N’Dour, Sonic Youth, The Violent Femmes, and many more!
“We couldn’t be more thrilled to invite our communities back to Prospect Park for BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn!,” said Diane Eber, BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Executive Producer. “This season is all about gathering and what it means to experience music and art together at this moment in human history. During this time of change and challenge, our stage is a place where artists can share their vision in celebration of our common humanity. We can’t wait to welcome you back to the Bandshell to experience it for yourself!”
“It wouldn’t be summer in Prospect Park without the BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival at the Lena Horne Bandshell,” said James Snow, Prospect Park Alliance Interim President. “This festival brings a wide range of free music and family programming to Prospect Park, and gives Brooklyn’s diverse community a chance to come together—we’re excited for the season to begin.”
“It may be called ‘Celebrate Brooklyn’ but this amazing festival celebrates what’s great about our entire city,” said Cultural Affairs Commissioner Laurie Cumbo. “Joyful, communal cultural experiences; free, diverse performances in the newly re-named Lena Horne Bandshell; all happening in our beautiful Prospect Park: this captures the best of our city. Bringing people together to reconnect is a crucial way we can spur New York’s ongoing healing and recovery. You know I’ll be there because I attend this incredible festival every year and I hope to see everyone at the bandshell!”
“With the return of BRIC’s Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival, we know the Lena Horne Bandshell at Prospect Park will be filled with lively, vibrant, and diverse events all summer long.” said NYC Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue. “Each year, BRIC offers a captivating celebration of culture, music, and our beloved Brooklyn. As the borough’s backyard, it’s only fitting that Prospect Park plays host to this exciting summer concert series and festival. We are excited to support our amazing partners at BRIC and can’t wait to create new memories this year!”
Regularly attracting upwards of 250,000 attendees, BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! is the longest-running, free summer music festival in New York City and has become one of the city’s foremost summer attractions and a true staple of Brooklyn culture. From its very first performance in the summer of 1979, the mission of the Festival has been to bring Brooklyn together.
While the festival will remain free of charge, excluding benefit shows, RSVPs are encouraged to stay up to date on festival news, but are not required.
Stay tuned for additional details on the 2022 season as they’re announced! For more information on the artist lineup, tickets and more, visit bricartsmedia.org/bcb.
Follow BRIC on social media:
Instagram: @BRICCelebrateBK
Twitter: @BRICCelebrateBK
Facebook: @BRICCelebrateBK
YouTube: BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn!
Join the conversation with the official hashtags: #CelebrateBrooklyn #BRICCelebrateBK #BCB #CelebrateBrooklyn
ABOUT BRIC
BRIC is a leading arts and media institution anchored in Downtown Brooklyn whose work spans contemporary visual and performing arts, media, and civic action. For over forty years, BRIC has shaped Brooklyn’s cultural and media landscape by presenting and incubating artists, creators, students, and media makers. As a creative catalyst for their community, BRIC ignites learning in people of all ages and centralizes diverse voices that take risks and drive culture forward. BRIC builds Brooklyn’s creative future.
ABOUT Prospect Park Alliance
Prospect Park Alliance is the nonprofit organization that sustains, restores and advances Prospect Park for the diverse communities that call Brooklyn home, working in partnership with the City. The Alliance provides a majority of the staff and resources that keep the park green and vibrant. Learn more at prospectpark.org.
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PRESS CONTACT:
Strategic Heights Media
Jesse Metres
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