The Pinkster Festival

Come for a day filled with art, poetry, live music, dance, and storytelling that celebrates and commemorates the region’s African American history and culture. Hear a spoken word performance, dance to the beat of African kora, observe an artist in process, participate in a call-and-response song, and more. Brought to the New World by the Dutch, Pinkster became an important holiday for enslaved Africans, who celebrated with dance, music, storytelling, and games. Pinkster provided one of the few opportunities for enslaved men and women to travel to family members. It was a time of celebration, but the condition of enslavement was still the harsh reality of life.