Chile Pepper Fiesta
When: Sunday, October 2 | Noon–6 p.m.
Where: Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Join in New York’s hottest fall tradition, where the energy of a big Brooklyn block party fuses with the spirit of the scorching chilehead lifestyle…and it all takes place outdoors in BBG’s beautiful 52-acre oasis! Enjoy hot musical performances and spicy dance workshops while relishing the tangy zip of chile-infused arts from around the world.
Radio Mundial cooks up its own brand of soulful “Latin funk & roll” a fusion of Puerto Rican, Caribbean, and Latin rhythms that will have dancers up on their feet and calling for water! Austin, Texas, staples, The Weary Boys, tear the roof off the Brooklyn stage in a full-throttle alternative-country-hillbilly explosion!
Kule Mele African American Dance Ensemble fills the stage with a rainbow of colorful costumes, the call-and-response rhythms of drums, and unique blend of dance traditions from West Africa, Nigeria, Guinea, Brazil, Haiti, and Cuba.
The Lost Bayou Ramblers are back from Lafayette, Louisiana, with their scorching-roots Cajun music. The Ramblers are joined by the Cajun Chile Hotsteppers, two-step dance masters, also from Lafayette. And the Director for the Center for Louisiana Studies, Carl A Brasseaux, and his son, anthropologist Ryan A. Brasseux, present “Stir the Pot: the Evolution of Cajun Cuisine.”
In a participatory workshop and performance, “Tracing Music from Africa to America Through the Drum,” master drummer Osubi Craig explores the origins of hip-hop, R&B, and jazz. An African dance workshop for all ages is led by renowned dancers Dorothy Wilkie and Kule Mele African American Dance Ensemble.
Plus, visit our collection of spicy cookbooks, websites, and chile pepper gardening books at the Gardener’s Resource Center. Be sure to bring the kids for chile pepper–inspired crafts, activities, and Chile Pepper Fiesta tattoos. The Chile Gift Express will have gourmet “chile” foods, chile-inspired gifts, and organically grown plants. Tingle your taste buds with spicy food from around the world and cold beer.
Anyone else planning to attend? I’ll be there with the wife, checking out the festivities and food. The Jersyites out there should check it out – not too far away.
