Pinkster Festival To Celebrate The Moments That Shaped A Nation

SLEEPY HOLLOW, NY — A rare chance to be a part of a link of history that has witnessed unimaginable changes can be found right in our backyard.

"The Pinkster Festival: Remembrance and Renewal," filled with storytelling, music, dance, drumming, crafts and food inspired by Black culture, will be celebrated this Saturday, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., at Philipsburg Manor.

Organizers say that the festivities will commemorate the region's African American history and culture and look forward into a vibrant future with live performances, storytelling, and hands-on art activities.

Highlights of the day include immersive spoken word and music performances from Malik Work, DJ GoodWill, kora player Malang Jobarteh, as well as dance performances from Krump performer Hallowed Dreamz and Taiwo Aloba. Dancers will feature live body painting by artist Ashleigh Alexandria during the event.

Visitors will be be able to enjoy hands-on activities like tinsmithing, crafting flower crowns and bookmarks, and enjoy delicious treats from local food trucks, including Bazodee Street Foods.

Pinkster was originally a Dutch observance of the Pentecost, but by the 1800s in New York, it was recognized as a joyous, festive African American holiday celebrating the arrival of spring. Philipsburg Manor, a National Historic Landmark owned and operated by the educational non-profit organization Historic Hudson Valley, began celebrating Pinkster in 1977, making this event the longest-running Pinkster Festival in North America.

Malik Work, an accomplished poet, playwright, and actor and a founding member of the groundbreaking jazz/hip hop group The Real Live Show, is curating The Pinkster Festival’s performances for the third year in a row. He previously collaborated with Historic Hudson Valley on an original piece of poetry for the award-winning interactive documentary, People Not Property.

Admission is $14 for adults; $12 for seniors and young adults 18-25; free for children 17 and under and for Historic Hudson Valley members.

Philipsburg Manor is located at 381 North Broadway (Route 9) in Sleepy Hollow, two miles north of the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge.

About Philipsburg Manor: In 1750, Philipsburg Manor was home to 23 enslaved individuals known to have lived and labored there. It is the country's first living history museum that focuses on the history of northern slavery. For more information, call 914-366-6900 or visit the Historic Hudson Valley website.

About Historic Hudson Valley
Historic Hudson Valley, Westchester County’s largest cultural organization, educates and entertains more than 325,000 visitors a year through school programs, tours of five National Historic Landmarks, and large-scale popular entertainment events like The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze and The Spirits of Sleepy Hollow Country. From its lower Hudson Valley base of operations, the organization focuses on delivering quality educational and entertaining experiences, striking a balance between tradition and vision, from preserving the past, to contextualizing it for 21st-century audiences. For more information, visit the Historic Hudson Valley website.