Flushing Meadows Corona Park (Daniel Avila/NYC Parks Flickr)
March 8, 2022 By Allie Griffin
A new music festival aimed at uplifting Black, Brown, Indigenous and Asian artists from the Pacific Islands is coming to Queens this summer with live ticket sales tomorrow.
LetsGetFr.ee — a project of Afropunk festival founder Matthew Morgan — will bring Flushing Meadows Corona Park to life with music from artists like Missy Elliott, Wizkid, Jhené Aiko, Major Lazer Sound System, Anderson .Paak & The Free Nationals, Ozuna and more others on August 20 and 21.
Inspired by the celebration of Carnival in Brazil, the two-day concert is the “largest diversity-focused, goal-oriented festival in the United States”, according to its creators. They chose a location in Queens because of the borough’s reputation as the most diverse county in the country.
The event goes beyond a celebration of music and also offers attendees a chance to eat food from a variety of cuisines, shop at small artisan vendors, and learn about the leaders of decolonization. and civil rights movements.
LetsGeFr.ee has several smaller events and experiences within the main event itself.
For example, its “Culinarians” experience includes food talks, cooking demonstrations, a food truck rally, exclusive culinary experiences and a food market. It focuses on cuisines and street food from Asia, Africa, Latin America, the southern United States, Southeast Asia and the Caribbean.
Another event that is part of the festival is its “bazaar,” a market with a variety of vendors, including young designers, artisans, vintage dealers, jewelers, small-batch ethical beauty brands and more.
The LetsGetFr.ee festival will also host many educational series and feature booths for brands to connect with attendees and showcase their work.
Residents of Queens have access to a special pre-sale today to purchase tickets, while tickets are available to the rest of the public starting tomorrow.
There are two types of festival tickets or passes.
Carnival passes cost $49 for Queens residents and $69 for others per day and allow attendees access to two main stages and three “trio” stages – mobile stages pulled by trucks. They do not include access to the show’s headliners.
Party passes are $129 for Queens residents and $139 and include everything in the carnival pass plus access to a headliner and performances of their opening acts.
VIP tickets with fast-track entry, dedicated viewing areas and other exclusive features are also available.
In keeping with its mission of inclusivity, LetsGetFr.ee also offers layaway plans to purchase tickets. Queens residents can unlock special local rates by entering their zip code on the event website.
Festival organizers said they hope the event can help develop a cultural movement. They said LetsGetFr.ee is more than just a music festival and a unique event.
It is also a musical and activist platform for “progressive people of color and young adults” who are often underrepresented in leadership roles in the entertainment industry. The festival/platform aims to “close the POC equity gap across all levels of the entertainment industry over the next ten years,” according to its website.
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