Celebrate the Folk and Immigrant Traditions of Brooklyn With Performances in Prospect Park

Spend a summer day in Prospect Park and soak up the sights and sounds of Brooklyn’s diverse communities at the first Brooklyn Roots Festival.

The family-friendly event celebrates the traditional arts of Brooklyn’s immigrant communities with an afternoon of dance and drumming performances, storytelling, puppetry and interactive activities. It’s a collaboration between the Prospect Park Alliance and the Brooklyn Arts Council.

Head to the Children’s Corner in the park for the main stage, with performances by Haitian drumming group Fanmi Asòtò and Palestinian dance ensemble Freedom Dabkah, as well as groups representing Puerto Rican, Yiddish, Serbian and African traditions.

There will also be a workshop station for more active participation in dance, music and drumming with groups like Queer Kitchen Brigade and Gran Bwa and the Congo Square Drummers. Performances aimed particularly at children will be stationed at Lefferts Historic House, including puppetry from the Czechoslovak-American Marionette Theatre and Father Goose Music.

The entire day is part of the Brooklyn Arts Council’s Tradition as Resistance series of events, which highlights the role of Brooklyn’s traditional and folk artists during times of social and political unrest.

The Brooklyn Roots Festival takes place on Sunday, July 29 from 1 to 7 p.m. at the Children’s Corner in Prospect Park. The event is free; refreshments will be available for purchase. For more information on the event, click here.

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