Public Programming
“From Salsa Night on the Plaza to Small Business Development Workshops to Community Clean Ups, we’re always up to something”
Grammy award Nominee and Multi-Platinum R&B Singer/Songwriter Deborah Cox performing at 1 Bronx World Pride Festival
1 BRONX World PRIDE FESTIVAL
The Third Avenue BID, in partnership with Destination Tomorrow, has helped produce the Bronx Pride Festival for the last three years. This year, World Pride coincided with the 50th anniversary of Stonewall Pride in NYC and the Bronx celebrated all Pride Week long. Bronx World Pride Week was a jam packed week that included a Pride flag raising ceremony at Bronx Borough Hall, Big Gay Brunch at Havana Cafe, a Bronx Pride march, EmpowHERment Lunch and Film Screenings, Bronx World Pride Festival and many more.
1 Bronx World Pride Festival drew in over 100,000 people to 3rd Avenue, and featured over 150 vendors and performers! The Festival featured performances from Grammy winner Deborah Cox and Latino Music Awards winner La Insuperable and guest hosts Honey Davenport and Chavis Aaron. 1 Bronx World Pride Festival promoted inclusion, community, and dialogue and worked toward a future without discrimination where all people have equal rights under the law.
This year, for the first time in history, the crosswalks on the intersection of 149th St & 3rd Ave were painted with PRIDE colors to celebrate the diversity of our Bronx community.
BACK TO SCHOOL FESTIVAL
Getting students excited about going back to school can be a difficult task, but we’re up for the challenge.
Our 3rd annual Back to School Festival celebrates our community and the value of education, by providing over 5,000 young people and families with free bookbags, school supplies, books and gift cards. Our festival includes over 50 vendors, and various family friendly activities such as face painting, bouncy houses, carnival games, a live DJ and many more.
This year, we partnered with Bronx Bound Books, a local organization from the community, to make sure that every student received a book of their interest to read for pleasure.
Our festival would not be possible without the support of our local and Citywide sponsors.
Bronx Bound Books at the Back to School Festival
Christmas Tree Lighting at the Winterfest Celebration
WINTERFEST celebration
Our 3rd annual Winterfest Celebration is a celebration for the whole family!
Every year, we transform Roberto Clemente Plaza into a Winter Wonderland to celebrate the Holidays and give back to our Bronx community. Winterfest features a Christmas tree lighting, free picture with Santa, free toy giveaway, live salsa band performance, free Holiday shuttle free ornament making activities, free letter to Santa stations, live Christmas carolers, free hot chocolate and many more.
Make sure to kick off your next Holiday season at the HUB at our Winterfest Celebration!
WEEKEND WALKS
In partnership with DOT, we are able to provide our Bronx community with it’s 3rd year of Weekend Walks in the Hub!
Taking place once a month, on Roberto Clemente Plaza and Willis Ave between 147th & 148th St, our Weekend Walks are a fun way to reimagine the use of streets as public space. More importantly, our events highlight local businesses and neighborhood resources, by partnering with community stakeholders to provide community members with free informational services and locally sourced materials.
Our Weekend Walks feature a live dj, jumbo carnival games, arcade games, arts & crafts, science and math learning READ stations, free raffles and giveaways, free snacks, live performances and free health and wellness informational services.
Community members playing outdoor arcade basketball at the BID’s Weekend Walks
Local hospitality business owners discussing personal challenges with NYC’s Hospitality Alliance
small business 101 series
The BID’s primary goal is to address barriers facing our local small business owners. In Winter of 2017, we launched our Small Business 101 Series, as a means to develop and streamline robust equitable development tools in our area. This initiative meets businesses where they are in the economic development lifespan and seeks to provide 1-on-1 capacity building tools to assist area businesses during the current development boom in the area.
Our Small Business 101 workshops consist of legal advice workshops, financial advice and services workshops, small business Narcan trainings, service industry support workshops and many more.
Stay tuned for what we have in store for 2020!
SALSA NIGHT ON THE PLAZA & Noontime Lunch series
Launched in 2019, our Salsa Night on the Plaza Series, was an initiative started as a response to community feedback and the desire to celebrate our community’s cultural diversity.
During the summer, we transform Roberto Clemente Plaza into an outdoor Salsa Dance Party, where community members, shoppers and visitors can dance the night away. Our monthly series also features salsa dance instructors that are on standby to get the party started and provide free basic salsa lessons.
Salsa Night on the Plaza is a community fan favorite and we look forward to making next years series even bigger and better!
Our Noontime Lunch Series also started as a response to community feedback and the need for midday plaza activation. Local employees, shoppers and community members can now enjoy live music during their lunch break, once a month. Community members can come to Roberto Clemente Plaza to hear from a rotating roster of artists performing multi-cultural musical genres such as latin bossa, jazz, hip hop etc.
Be on the look out for next year’s Noontime series and enjoy your lunch in the HUB!
Luisito Rentas & Orchestra performant at Salsa Night on the Plaza
Local artist James Teal performing at Noontime Lunch Series