It’s that time of year again — Harlem Week is returning with a lineup of in-person and virtual events.
From Aug. 6-15, Harlem Week will host a reimagined experience celebrating the people, arts, culture, entertainment, and history that Harlem is known for throughout the world.
For 47 years, Harlem Week has been a celebration of the best of Harlem which works to promote its rich African-American, African, Caribbean, Hispanic, and European history, as well as arts, culture, religion, business, entertainment, and sports. The event started as Harlem Day in 1974, which served as a time of encouragement and fellowship in Harlem, and following the success of the day it was expanded to showcase more of the community’s rich history.
“Since the first Harlem Day 47 years ago, Harlem Week’s mission has been to embrace, inform, educate, and give hope and direction to our community, the city of New York, and the Harlems of the world,” said Lloyd Williams, president of The Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce. “We’re looking forward to coming together and celebrating and honoring those who have made Harlem as legendary as it is today and energize New York City as we continue to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Harlem Week will kick off on Aug. 6 with four virtual events, including Senior Citizens Day, which aims to honor our seniors by providing an array of live and virtual summits and activities including health services, vaccination stations, cooking classes, and a one-of-a-kind senior hat fashion show.
The first major public event will kick off Sunday, Aug 8, with “A Great Day In Harlem,” which will feature dance parties, exhibitors and vendors, health fair and COVID-19 vaccination stations, a salute to our Asian Sisters & Brothers and live performances. “A Great Day In Harlem” will also host a tribute to the late legendary Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Lloyd Price, the Gospel Caravan, Ruben Santiago-Hudson and the Lackawanna Blues Band and the Harlem Music Festival All-Star Band led by “Music Director to the Stars,” Ray Chew.
Other events that will take place over Harlem Week will include Great Jazz on the Great Hill on Aug. 7, the Youth Conference & Hackathon on Aug. 9, the Charles B Rangel Systemic Racism Summit on Aug. 10 and An Evening with H Carl McCall & Congressman Charles Rangel, also on Aug. 10.
Harlem week will also feature a series of live and virtual performances by Lincoln Center, Jazz at Lincoln Center, New York City Center, the New York Metropolitan Opera and from hit Broadway shows including “Tina: The Musical,” “Ain’t Too Proud,” “MJ The Musical,” “Thoughts of Colored Man,” “Girl from the North Country,” “Lackawanna Blues,” and “Moulin Rouge.”
Throughout Harlem Week, there will be salutes to late actors Chadwick Boseman and Cecily Tyson; late fashion designer and founder of the Black Fashion Museum Lois K. Alexander; late game show host and long-time GHCC member Alex Trebek; singer the late legendary Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Lloyd Price; Harlem Media Arts group Imagenation, Harlem’s renowned summer dance party Sundae Sermon, and the WNBA. Harlem Week is also standing in solidarity with the Asian community.
For a complete list of events, visit www.harlemweek.com.
