Join us at Newark Grounds on Thursday, June 26, from 4 to 9 PM for the pilot launch of NIGHT FEST—an exciting evening produced in partnership with the Newark City Parks Foundation and supported by the North to Shore Festival.
This mini-festival will take place in the lower section of Mulberry Commons Park, next to the Prudential Center. The event will feature live performances, a curated marketplace, and a welcoming picnic area for community gathering and celebration.
The music stage, curated by FORSA, kicks off with Newark’s own BUNKR. At 6 PM, immerse yourself in the tribal rhythms of Roky’s Reign. The night will culminate with a headline performance by New Jersey native and lyricist, Arrow, The Symbol.
The marketplace will highlight wellness, local food initiatives, education, and handmade artisan goods. Local growers will be on hand with fresh produce for sale, offering education on civic agriculture and healthy, Newark-grown picnic options. For this pilot event, we’ve partnered with STEAM URBAN to present an inspiring lineup of local growers, including Steam Urban & Healing Sanctuary Farms, Downbottom Farms, Green Acres Community Garden, Greater Newark Conservancy, Sour Bellies, Indigo Valley Farm, Urban Agriculture Cooperative, and Noble Mushrooms.
Creative collaborators include Ceramics in A Hard Place, Cyanotypes with Obscura Darkroom, DENSE Magazine, GlassRoots’ Mobile Hotshop & Youth Glass Market, Newark Arts, Source of Knowledge Bookstore, The Cookbook LookBook Project, The Nork Project Apparel and Photo Booth, The Temporary Mural Project with Mashell Black, Think Momi Mobile Maker's Museum, and Tiny Gallery Newark Citywide Art Show.
The rest of Mulberry Commons will be open for picnicking, so bring your friends, family, a blanket, and your dinner setup—and enjoy an evening of community, creativity, and celebration.
The program will include art and history tours led by the local group Have You Met Newark. Attendees will have the opportunity to explore various aspects of the Newark Grounds footprint, including Four Corners Public Arts, Project for Empty Space, Gateways to Newark: Portraits, and select pieces from New Jersey Transit’s public art program. Register for the tour here.
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About the Performers:
BUNKR is a dynamic event space located in downtown Newark, NJ, known for its vibrant and inclusive atmosphere. Founded by DJs Keleshian and Garcia, BUNKR offers a professional setup ideal for various events such as DJ workshops, music video shoots, and private parties. The venue features a soundproof DJ booth, custom furniture, and a distinctive urban design, making it a unique spot for both local and visiting creatives. Learn more here.
Roky's Reign is a modern day tribal experience. A liberating atmosphere inducing the freedom of true expression. It is the universal ceremony. The T.R.I.B.E. ushers the people into the ultimate reality of peace and love. Learn more here.
Arrow, The Symbol (formerly known as Felisha George) is a recording artist, performer, lyricist, and conjurer of rhythmic color. Though raised in Maplewood, NJ, her love for Hip Hop was born in her grandmother’s project garden in the South Bronx—where she used to watch cyphers and battles, and first felt what it meant to rap.
Arrow has graced stages alongside icons like Roxanne Shanté and Black Thought of The Roots, brought her voice to Carnegie Hall, and showcased her artistry on Netflix’s Rhythm & Flow and BET’s Freestyle Friday.
Her music is rooted in purpose—a celebration of Black expression and a call to remember who we are. With powerful lyricism and soul-stirring presence, Arrow invites listeners to release, and restore. Every verse is an offering—a reminder that liberation lives in the sound. Learn more here.
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Newark Grounds is a walkable cultural corridor in Downtown Newark, New Jersey, featuring over 75 consecutive public artworks and dedicated arts and culture spaces. Led by Project for Empty Space, this initiative is a collaboration with the City of Newark Division of Art and Cultural Affairs, the City of Newark Arts and Education District, the City Parks Foundation, the Newark Alliance, the Greater Newark Convention and Visitors Bureau, Newark Arts, the Four Corners Public Arts Partnership, and the Rutgers University-Newark Design Consortium. The project connects Newark Penn Station to Teachers Village through an arts path.
About the North to Shore Festival:
The Prudential North to Shore Festival will return in June 2025 to kick off the Garden State summer with another three-city celebration of the arts, entertainment and new ideas.
Conceived by Governor Phil Murphy and First Lady Tammy Murphy, the Prudential North to Shore Festival aims to spotlight New Jersey’s role as a destination for the arts and entertainment and an incubator of new ideas and fresh talent.