Record-Setting Pinkster Festival At Philipsburg Manor This Saturday

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: Remembering the Past, Reimagining the Future," filled with storytelling, music, dance, drumming, crafts and food inspired by Black culture, will be celebrated this Saturday, from 11 a.m. - 5 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, master kora player Yacouba Sissoko, DJ GoodWill, the Mount Vernon Denzel Washington School of the Arts youth gospel choir, and drummer Kazi Oliver, as well as dance performances from Threads of Truth and Hallow Dreamz.

Multimedia artist Nichole Washington will be creating art inspired by Pinkster and Adinkra symbols throughout the day, and Chef Apa will be demonstrating open hearth cooking.

Visitors will be be able to get hands-on while making Adinkra stamps, drums, and flower crowns, and enjoy delicious treats from local food trucks, including Ambrosia Juicery, Bazodee Street Foods, and Kinwich.

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 second 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.

The Pinkster Festival is supported by Insperity.

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, digital content, 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.