HONK NYC!, Mambembé and Criss-Cross lead a very special celebration of music, community and culture in East Harlem! Throughout the evening, Uptown Grand Central plaza comes alive with family activities and live music.

Schedule:

4:30pm: Family fun activities kick off in the plaza, so arrive early to help prepare for the parade! Activities include a Crafts Table where everyone can create paper plate maracas, paper marching hats, and create wishes for the Wishing Well; a Photo Booth; and the building of the parade float. Crafts continue in the plaza throughout the program.

5pm: A performance by Mambembé, a group that utilizes drums and the beats of samba reggae to value, preserve and expand Afro-Brazilian Percussive music. The group is based in NYC, but includes members from all over the world.

6pm: NYC’s street spectacle HONK Family Band leads the “Grandscale Mural Project Art March,” parading through the streets of East Harlem and stopping at murals along the way to meet and hear from some of the artists.

6:30pm: The parade returns to UGC plaza for a special closing performance by Criss-Cross, an ensemble of various sonic, aesthetic, and lived experiences by artists Elijah J. Thomas, Frank London, Kenny Wollesen, and Skyler Hagner. Named after the tune by the trailblazing Thelonious Monk, expect the unexpected.