Exactly where it's designed to be played, the steel pan will be taking center stage on the streets in Brooklyn later this month.
On August 28, the Carlos Lezama Archives and Caribbean Cultural Center (CLACC-C) will be holding its 8th Annual Children's Festival & Youth Pan Fest, showcasing the city's junior steel pan talent, Caribbean Life News reports.
"It is exciting to celebrate the children's commitment to playing and practicing steel pan this year and also to be outside as intended," Yolanda Lezama-Clark, CLACC-C president, said.
"Pan is meant to be experienced in person."
Lezama-Clark is the daughter of the late Carlos Lezama, who co-founded and was the former president of the Brooklyn-based West Indian American Day Carnival Association (WIADCA). CLACC-C, founded in his memory, launched the annual steel pan competition for the city's youth as part of its mission to educate communities about Caribbean heritage and culture.
The free festival will take place at CLACC-C museum grounds at St. John's Place in Crown Heights, and will include games, entertainment, food and giveaways. All CDC safety protocols will be in place, organizers told Caribbean Life News.
Some of New York City's youngest steel band members will be at the event, which attracts pan aficionados across the five boroughs, CLACC-C said.
Performing bands will include Tonic X, Harmony, Pantonics, Radoes, Crossfire Youth, Pan Evolution Steel Orchestra (PESO), and defending champions Metro Steel.
The free event starts at 1:00pm and will run until 8:00pm on Saturday, August 28.
