After a two-year hiatus due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, Groovin’ In The Park, New York City’s premier Reggae and R & B concert, has announced Sunday, June 26, 2022 as the working date for a mammoth 10th anniversary celebration, slated for Roy Wilkins Park in Queens.
“The outdoor festival has developed an impeccable reputation of excellence and has become one of the most eagerly anticipated events on the New York Summer entertainment calendar,” Anthony Turner, a Jamaican entertainment publicist, told Caribbean Life on Monday.
The flagship New York area concert — which attracts patrons from the tri-state area, Boston, Washington, D.C., Jamaica and Toronto — was last held in June 2019, attracting over 25,000 plus music fans, the largest audience to have attended a festival at Roy Wilkins Park, Turner said.
“Organizers are keenly watching how things unfold with the pandemic with plans to announce its artist lineup in early 2022,” he said.
In a strategic move to kick off the 10th anniversary celebrations, Chris Roberts, chief executive officer and founder of Groovin’ Inc. announced that corporate sponsors Colgate-Palmolive, Grace Foods USA, JTB, Shirley Biscuit, TD Bank, Caribbean Food Delights, JN Money Transfer; BIGGA Sodas/CranWata, among others, will partner with Groovin Radio, 93.5FM; The Door Restaurant and Bullzii Marketing to host a Groovin’ Community Appreciation Day and The Door Annual Breast Cancer Awareness event on Sat.,, Oct. 16, 2021 at the Door Restaurant Parking Lot, 163-07 Baisley Blvd., Queens.
All COVID-19 protocols will be observed at the event, Turner said.
“We are cautiously optimistic as we move forward with plans for the festival in 2022 and the upcoming Groovin’ Community Appreciation Day and Breast Cancer Awareness event,” Roberts said.
“The concert not only provides quality entertainment for thousands of patrons each year, but the economic impact in the Jamaican/Caribbean community here in Queens, New York is immense,” he added.
Roberts said sponsors such as Colgate-Palmolive, are eager to support community initiatives with care packages and samplers from among their “very diverse product range, as they recognize there are many who have struggled during the pandemic.”
Company representative Jennifer Perue said, “We are proud to support Groovin in the Park Community Giveback event.”
David Burke, another representative, said, “Colgate-Palmolive Company is committed to being an ally for positive change for underserved populations in communities in which we live and work.”
Andrea Bullens, chief executive officer of Bullzii Marketing and sponsorship executive with Groovin’ Concert, said she was “ecstatic” about the upcoming event, saying, “We are excited to partner with our sponsors, especially our presenting sponsor, The Door Restaurant and media partner Groovin’ Radio to host this Community Appreciation Day.
“The station, led by host/producer Ras Clem, has done yeoman service for the past 18 months, informing and educating the community with invaluable information from doctors, nurses and other medical practitioners, as we struggled through the pandemic,” she said.
Groovin In The Park has featured a number of A list reggae & R&B performers including Beres Hammond, Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds, Michael Bolton, Marcia Griffiths, Judy Mowatt, Toots Hibbert, Jimmy Cliff, Boyz to Men, Gladys Knight, Patti Labelle, Busy Signal, Third World, Chronixx, Romain Virgo and Capleton, among others.
