Grove on the Road, a mobile project from the Stern Grove Festival, is back for another season of free pop-up arts events across the city, and the next stop is Boeddeker Park in the Tenderloin.
From noon to 4pm this Sunday, May 3rd, a diverse lineup of local musicians will turn the park into a mini Stern Grove Festival:
- La Gente — which is also headlining Carnival this year — will jump-start the dance party with its multilingual blend of reggae, salsa, rock and world music.
- Jeff Pierre — known for his traditional Haitian drumming and electronic mixes — and his crew will keep the party going with Haitian dance lessons.
- Nguyen Dance Company will showcase a blend of contemporary modern and traditional Vietnamese dance set to music by traditional Vietnamese instruments.
- MJ's Brass Boppers — the “Bay Area’s only New Orleans style brass band with musicians born and raised in NOLA” — will close down the festival with traditional New Orleans melodies and modern renditions.
There will also be hands-on art and music workshops for all ages and an information fair featuring a variety of Tenderloin-based community groups like the Boys and Girls Club, Asian & Pacific Islander Wellness Center, and volunteer organization Safe Passage, which we profiled back in March. Here's the full schedule. (And thanks to Marjorie at Central City Extra for the tip.)
For a taste of what's to come, check out Grove on the Road's teaser video featuring last year's festivities:
