Today was the first day of the Harlem Arts Festival in Marcus Garvey Park. The festival is free and open to the public with something for everyone. There’s free live music, dance, theater, visual arts, spoken word, as well as activities and classes for youth and families. Artists came out to celebrate the legacy of Harlem by presenting their art. A group of performers on stilts opened up the festival by marching and playing instruments. That was a nice treat for the kids. If you head to the Gallery Walk you will find all of their work displayed. For the kids there’s Kid’s Corner where kids can paint, make sock puppets, or do arts and crafts. The Main Stage which is in the Richard Rodgers Amphitheater showcases the live music, dance, and theater performances. Second Stage is for acoustic performances, artist talks, and spoken word performances. The gentrifusafication performance and open talk was interesting. The performances on the Main Stage Evan Shinners, and Kris Bowers were very good.
Today there was a mask making workshop for kids. There was also a power yoga dance for everyone to join in, and a ballroom dancing workshop. My son said he could have taught that class. He did win a gold medal for ballroom dancing if you didn’t know, and he’s only ten years old.
There were plenty of vendors and sponsors on hand as well. Sweet Leaf Tea organic sweet tea handed out free bottles of their teas original, as well as mint and honey green tea. They also gave out free lip balms, sunglasses, hand sanitizers, and coupons. Popular Community Bank handed out mini basketballs for the kids. NY Sports Club handed out free complimentary 3 day passes to their gym on 125th street.
Food trucks showed up to show their support like Phil’s Steak (my favorite). You know I couldn’t go without having a Philly cheesesteak and took one home for my son. Also on board was Fishing Shrimp which I also tried because I love me some shrimps. Everything was fried just right and their whitings were very good. Snap Hot Dogs was another food vendor who showed up with their gourmet hot dogs. My kids loved their lemonade. There was also a Brooklyn organic coffee and tea truck. The best part was the lines weren’t long at all. We need more food trucks in Harlem.
There are also t- shirts and tote bags for sale. I won a tote bag through Twitter so I just had to pick it up. Love it!!
Tomorrow is going to be exciting as well, so if you didn’t make it today I encourage you to get out tomorrow. It’s from 3- 8 p.m. at Marcus Garvey Park 5th Avenue between 122nd and 124th street. Their twitter handle is @harlemartsfest if you need more info.
My kids and I had a great time and can’t wait till next year.
Enjoy the pictures!!
Five Little Words 
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