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La India Closes Out Founder’s Weekend
La India took the stage belting notes in Spanish and English singing hits from the span of her music career. Her voice is so powerful and her songs are so honest and genuine; the crowd couldn’t help but to be swept up in the emotion.
Naughty By Nature’s Triumphant Return to Newark
There was so much great energy in Military Park on Saturday May 14 as thousands came to celebrate Newark’s 350th birthday at the Founders Weekend Festival, headlined by one of New Jersey’s greatest hip hop groups, Grammy Award-winning trio, Naughty by Nature.
Robert Glasper Experiment at Founders Weekend Fest
Robert Glasper Experiment Mesmerizes Audiences in Band’s First Concert in Newark at Founder’s Weekend Festival.
Faith Evans Took The Stage And Did Her Hometown Proud
Grammy winning R&B; sensation Fatih Evan was the first headliner for the Founder’s Weekend Festival. And what a way to kick off the weekend celebrating Newark’s 350th birthday!
Photo Gallery
Schedule of Performances: MAINSTAGE
(Click dates for show listings.)
5:00pm Doors Open | Emcee Darnell “J.D.” Williams with WBGO’s DJ Felix Hernandez
6:00pm: Brick City Collective
8:00pm: Faith Evans
Emcee: Rah Digga
1:00pm: Parade with Malcolm X Shabazz Marching Band
1:30pm: Angela Johnson
2:45pm: Random Test Reggae Band
4:00pm: The Airmen of Note, with special guest Stefon Harris
5:30pm: Robert Glasper Experiment
7:00pm: Naughty by Nature
8:30pm-10:30pm: Hot 97’s DJ Bobby Trends
1:00pm: Sarah Vaughan Tribute
2:30pm: Rob Paparozzi
4:00pm: Jubilation Choir with Cissy Houston
5:30pm: India
7:00pm: Power 105.1’s DJ Reymo
Schedule of Performances: YOUTHSTAGE
(Click dates for show listings.)
Emcee: Sheila Anderson
1:00pm: Them Cloud Kids: Epiphany & YB the Brand
2:00pm: Newark Boys Chorus
3:00pm: Jazz House Kids
4:00pm: Alexis Morrast Trio
5:00pm: Wells Fargo Jazz for Teens: “The Soul of Newark”
Emcee: Sheila Anderson
1:00pm: Grupo Liberdade de Capoeira
1:30pm: Them Cloud Kids: Leah Jenea
2:00pm: Charger Rock Alliance
3:00pm: Them Cloud Kids: Shane Fuller and Leigh Soriano
4:00pm: Brick City Jazz Orchestra: Tribute to Sarah Vaughan
Founders Weekend Festival Headliners
Faith Evans
As one of Newark’s finest, multi-platinum Grammy award winning R&B diva Faith Evans will bring her powerhouse voice and show stopping presence to the stage as the Festival’s Friday night headliner. With a music career spanning over two decades, Evans has released eight studio albums, with over 18 million albums sold and spawning over 30 singles. She has also performed on 20+ soundtracks and a host of guest appearances during her career. A seven-time Grammy nominee, Evans won a Grammy for “Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group” in 1998 for “I’ll Be Missing You,” an homage to her late husband and hip-hop legend Notorious B.I.G.
Naughty by Nature
Hot on the heels of their 25th year anniversary as one of hip hop’s legendary and most enduring iconic groups, Naughty by Nature will hit the stage on Saturday night in a not to be missed triumphant return to their hometown of Newark. Former East Orange High School students and friends—Anthony “Treach” Criss, Vincent “Vin Rock” Brown and deejay and producer Keir “Kay Gee” Gist —made history by becoming the first artists to win the first Grammy for Rap Album of the Year in 1996. Their hit singles, “O.P.P.” “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright (Ghetto Bastard),” “Jamboree” and the infectious “Hip Hop Hooray” became the anthems of a generation while their latest albums and sold out concerts continue to bring on a new legion of hip hop fans from all over the world.
Robert Glasper Experiment
Grammy award winning breakthrough artist, Robert Glasper Experiment will be bringing his critically acclaimed fusion of R&B, jazz, and hip-hop music to Newark on the main stage of Founders Weekend Festival. Black Radio 2, his follow-up album to the successful Grammy award winning album Black Radio, flaunts a diverse array of featured guests including Common, Patrick Stump of Fall Out Boy, Brandy, Jill Scott, Dwele, Marsha Ambrosius, Anthony Hamilton, Faith Evans, Norah Jones, Snoop Dogg, Lupe Fiasco, Luke James, Emeli Sandé, Lalah Hathaway, and Malcolm-Jamal Warner. Black Radio 2 further exemplifies Glasper’s remarkable skill as an undaunted jazz compose, producer and musician adept at extracting a truly extraordinary side of his guests’ acclaimed talents, irrespective of differences in genre.
India
Closing out the weekend’s power lineup on Sunday will be the incomparable, India, one of the world’s top Latin music recording artists. Crowned the “Princess of Salsa” by Celia Cruz, her duet on the hit song “La Voz de la Experiencia” (The Voice of Experience) with the late Queen of Salsa unleashed a string of numerous Latin chart topping hit singles including the Grammy nominated “Sobre el Fuego” (Over the Fire), “Sola” and her first number-one song “”Sedúceme.” The romantic salsa hit brought on a greater fan base and many awards and nominations, including two Latin Grammy nominations for Best Salsa Album and Best Tropical Song in 2003, and her third Grammy Award nomination for Best Salsa Album. India has been honored with a star on the Walk of Fame at Union City’s Celia Cruz Park.
Plus, enjoy multi-attractions of activities and events throughout the park that will truly highlight the best of Newark’s arts and entertainment, culture and community.
Other Attractions You Don’t Want to Miss:
Kidz Korner
Family fun activities area with face painters, balloon sculptors and more. Highlights include PSEG with Sesame Street, Playworks’ “Switch and Double Tag,” representatives of the New Jersey Devils’ sponsored games for prizes, K.I.D.S./Fashion Delivers shoe decorating area, an obstacle course by Child’s Play Challenge Course, FloydLittle’s Double Dutch instruction and demos, Glassroots’ bracelet making and more.
Community Expo
A meet-and-greet setting for the city’s institutions, corporations, non-profits and outreach services to interact with the public. Information about government programs, health screenings, voter registration, cultural interests, recreation and more is available from exhibitors such as New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Newark Museum, Greater Newark Conservancy, Newark Public Library, La Casa de Don Pedro, Ironbound Community Corporation/Newark Riverfront Revival, Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, Gallery Aferro Mobile Portrait Studio, Newark Beth Israel Medical Center/Barnabas Health, New Jersey Historical Society, WBGO, Rutgers University-Newark, Newark Happening, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, Panasonic, Abbott Leadership Institute/YMS College Success, Newark Arts Council, Newark Division of Child Protection and Permanency, Gateway Project Spaces, Muslim League of Voters, Omega Psi Phi, Urban League of Essex County, Barat Foundation, Girl Scouts Heart of New Jersey, Guy Sterling, Mayor Sharpe James and more.
Featured Attractions Throughout the Festival:
North Ward Food Truck Place
A fleet of eateries-on-a-roll, serving barbecue, smoothies, cheesesteak sandwiches, tacos, ice cream and more along Park Place.
Designers and Artists Village:
A showcase of artwork and handcrafted items by some of Newark’s acclaimed artists—look for renowned visual artist Jerry Gant’s commemorative NC 350 T-shirts. The current Portals Newark installation in the park, which repurposes shipping containers with audio-visual technology to connect passers-by worldwide, is also open to visitors. Along Park Place, bordering Military Park, a public art menagerie of the Barat Foundation’s colorful giant Animodules™, Newark’s “Official Peace Ambassadors,” are custom-made to attract children, who are encouraged to help create and paint one of the 3-D, jigsaw-like sculptures.
Partners
The Signature Partners for Newark Celebration 350 Founders Weekend Festival are Prudential Financial, Victoria Foundation, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey and PSEG. Premier Partners are Foundation for Newark’s Future, Community Foundation of New Jersey, Barnabas Health, Panasonic, Dodge Foundation, Newark Charter School Fund, Rutgers University-Newark, City of Newark, Fidelco and MCJ/Amelior Foundation. Spotlight Partners include Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Charles Edison Fund, Bank of America, PNC Bank, Investors Foundation, JP Morgan Trust, TD Bank, Essex County College, New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Profeta Urban Investment Foundation, Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey, Edison Properties, Turrell Fund, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Capital One, Novartis, Gibbons Law, McCarter & English, Wells Fargo, Chiesa Shahinian & Giantomasi PC, Century 21 Construction, Schumann Fund for New Jersey, Matrix Development, Lowenstein Sandler, Genova Burns, AAA Northeast, NJ Advance Media and Newark Happening.
Kidz Korner
Family fun activities area with face painters, balloon sculptors and more. Highlights include PSEG with Sesame Street, Playworks’ “Switch and Double Tag,” representatives of the New Jersey Devils’ sponsored games for prizes, K.I.D.S./Fashion Delivers shoe decorating area, an obstacle course by Child’s Play Challenge Course, FloydLittle’s Double Dutch instruction and demos, Glassroots’ bracelet making and more.
Community Expo
A meet-and-greet setting for the city’s institutions, corporations, non-profits and outreach services to interact with the public. Information about government programs, health screenings, voter registration, cultural interests, recreation and more is available from exhibitors such as New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Newark Museum, Greater Newark Conservancy, Newark Public Library, La Casa de Don Pedro, Ironbound Community Corporation/Newark Riverfront Revival, Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, Gallery Aferro Mobile Portrait Studio, Newark Beth Israel Medical Center/Barnabas Health, New Jersey Historical Society, WBGO, Rutgers University-Newark, Newark Happening, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, Panasonic, Abbott Leadership Institute/YMS College Success, Newark Arts Council, Newark Division of Child Protection and Permanency, Gateway Project Spaces, Muslim League of Voters, Omega Psi Phi, Urban League of Essex County, Barat Foundation, Girl Scouts Heart of New Jersey, Guy Sterling, Mayor Sharpe James and more.
Featured Attractions Throughout the Festival:
North Ward Food Truck Place
A fleet of eateries-on-a-roll, serving barbecue, smoothies, cheesesteak sandwiches, tacos, ice cream and more along Park Place.
Designers and Artists Village:
A showcase of artwork and handcrafted items by some of Newark’s acclaimed artists—look for renowned visual artist Jerry Gant’s commemorative NC 350 T-shirts. The current Portals Newark installation in the park, which repurposes shipping containers with audio-visual technology to connect passers-by worldwide, is also open to visitors. Along Park Place, bordering Military Park, a public art menagerie of the Barat Foundation’s colorful giant Animodules™, Newark’s “Official Peace Ambassadors,” are custom-made to attract children, who are encouraged to help create and paint one of the 3-D, jigsaw-like sculptures.
Festival Rules
NC 350 wants everyone to have a great and safe time, so keep in mind:
- No coolers
- No glass containers
- No alcohol
- No chairs or picnic blankets on the inner oval lawn in front of the mainstage; they are permitted in the outer oval (outside of the path)
- No smoking in the park
- No bicycles
- No dogs
- Bags and backpacks are subject to search
Parking:
Parking lots near Military Park open to the general public for Founders Weekend Festival include:
Gateway Parking
268 Market St.
Star Parking
23 Edison Place
Welcome Parking LLC
1160 Raymond Blvd
Laz Parking
100 Mulberry St.
Icon Parking
111 Mulberry St.
Newark Center Parking (Belle)
42 Mulberry St.
Edison Properties
14-20 Central Ave. open (Starting 11am)
40 Central Ave. (Open only Saturday)
There will also be lots open around Prudential Center.
Street Closure:
Park Place between Raymond Blvd and Center Street will be closed.
The Signature Partners for Newark Celebration 350 Founders Weekend Festival are Prudential Financial, Victoria Foundation, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey and PSEG. Premier Partners are Foundation for Newark’s Future, Community Foundation of New Jersey, Barnabas Health, Panasonic, Dodge Foundation, Newark Charter School Fund, Rutgers University-Newark, City of Newark, Fidelco and MCJ/Amelior Foundation. Spotlight Partners include Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Charles Edison Fund, Bank of America, PNC Bank, Investors Foundation, JP Morgan Trust, TD Bank, Essex County College, New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Profeta Urban Investment Foundation, Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey, Edison Properties, Turrell Fund, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Capital One, Novartis, Gibbons Law, McCarter & English, Wells Fargo, Chiesa Shahinian & Giantomasi PC, Century 21 Construction, Schumann Fund for New Jersey, Matrix Development, Lowenstein Sandler, Genova Burns, AAA Northeast, NJ Advance Media and Newark Happening.