East Harlem 'Open Culture' Street To Kick Off This Week

EAST HARLEM, NY — East Harlem will play host this week to one of the city's first "Open Culture" performances, the new program to block off streets to make way for artistic and cultural productions.

The venue will be East 104th Street between Fifth and Madison avenues, where performers will gather at 11 a.m. Friday to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the city's coronavirus shutdown.

It was organized by El Museo del Barrio, which sits just around the corner from the Open Culture street — one of 11 across Harlem that the city announced this month.

The Queens-based, all-woman drumming group Fogo Azul will deliver an "uplifting performance," and the East Harlem poet Jesús Papoleto Meléndez will give a recitation.

"These are the kinds of events are going to excite people, energize people, help us move forward," Mayor Bill de Blasio said Thursday, announcing the East Harlem performance as well as events in the Bronx and Brooklyn to kick off the Open Culture program.

Organizations can apply to host events on an Open Culture street anytime before Oct. 31. The city is rolling out the program ahead of summer, building on the success of last summer's Open Streets.

"We're inviting cultural institutions, dance troupes, theaters, everyone — apply to be a part of this extraordinary program," Mayor Bill de Blasio said earlier this month. "We want your performances to be seen."

The events can be free or ticketed.

Read more about Open Culture streets and how to apply here.

Related coverage: 11 'Open Culture' Streets Coming To Harlem