One of Newark’s most highly anticipated summer cultural events is approaching an exciting and important milestone. For the past 10 years, the Lincoln Park Coast Cultural District has put on an outstanding 3-day music festival featuring Grammy award-winning acts, and an array of local talents that range from Jazz, Gospel, House, Hip Hop and beyond. Excitement is really high for the 10th Anniversary Lincoln Park Music Festival as it draws thousands of visitors every year to the City of Newark. The 10th Anniversary Lincoln Park Music Festival is scheduled for July 24th through July 26th with various events leading up to the official festival dates taking place around the City of Newark.
Lincoln Park is located at the south end of Broad Street, between Washington Street and Broad, downtown Newark, New Jersey. The annual festival is only one tent pole of Lincoln Park Coast Cultural District’s unique mission of utilizing creative place making through arts and culture, sustainable development, preservation of historic infrastructure, leadership and community engagement to transform the Lincoln Park Redevelopment Area, an 11- acre, four block site into an arts and cultural district. As part of its ongoing efforts to revitalize and create a viable cultural center in the historical Lincoln Park area, the Lincoln Park Coast Cultural District, under the guidance of newly appointed executive director Anthony Smith, is working on several significant projects.
Most notably, LPCCD lead the construction of 18 US Green Building Council LEED mixed-use housing units, which were completed in 2010. LPCCD also participated in the constructing of 66 USGBC LEED Certified affordable housing units with a gold and silver rating. These units benefit from reduced energy consumption and cost, and improved indoor air quality. The completion of these units have added to the attraction to and stability of the neighborhood by eliminating eyesores, increasing the economic income of the area, and attracting a host of new residents including artists, which is essential to the mission of creating an arts and cultural district. Plans are also underway to build 18 condominium unit that are Energy Star Certified, and should be completed by the Fall of 2015. “With many years of hard work behind it, the LPCCD is dedicated to continue the work of preserving the cultural history of the Lincoln Park area, while creating a rich fertile environment to support our city’s creative expression well into the future,” expressed Smith.
LPCCD is most known for its annual music festival. The festival was born from the desire to transform the Lincoln Park community by using music rooted in African-American tradition. For the past ten years, LPCCD has put on this 3-day music festival featuring unbelievably talented performances and an array of local talent. In the beginning, the attendance was at about 2,000. Since its inception, the festival has grown to more than 50,000 attendees.
“I applaud the Lincoln Park Coast Cultural District on celebrating this 10th year milestone of providing great music and fun for families and visitors alike,” said Newark Mayor Ras Baraka. “This musical experience is near and dear to me as my father, Amiri Baraka, participated in past festivals and treasured this event. The Lincoln Park Music Festival is a true mainstay for this great city. Folks who visit Newark during the weekend of the festival, look forward to great food, nonstop fun for the whole family, and continuous music that make you sing, shout, and dance all weekend long. I’m looking forward to celebrating the music festival’s 10th year anniversary,” Baraka continued.
