Celebrating Bushwick's Musical Heritage: The U Street Music Fest

Get ready for a day of music and culture as the nonprofit, Urbano Street, plans to host their inaugural “U Street Music Fest” on April 22 — bringing live music, street art, local grub, and tons of culture to Bushwick, reports The Brooklyn Paper.

The event, which will overtake Suydam Street between Irving Avenue and Knickerbocker Avenue, is intended to be a blast from the neighborhood’s past, as the festival will highlight Bushwick's rich history while bringing together neighbors around a day of community building and fun. 

Organized in collaboration with nonprofit leaders, creatives, musicians and promoters, the event include two stages: One for bands and one for record selectors. By featuring a diverse range of underrepresented Bushwick artists, who Urbano Street believes help enrich Bushwick’s diverse character, much of the event is catered towards utilizing independent, community-based platforms to give local talent an opportunity to receive recognition.   

“It is a neighborhood that is quickly gentrifying. There is a lot of tension among residents and families that have been living here for many years,” stated Diana Hernandez, one of the event's organizers.

“This is an opportunity for us to unify — that’s why our focus is multicultural and not just artists of color. We want to make sure that we invite the people moving in and get the people that already live in the neighborhood involved as well.”

The free festival was funded through a series of benefit shows hosted by Urbano Street – featuring ska/reggae, punk, Latin fusion, cumbia and rock’n’roll music.

The nonprofit also received financial support through a grant provided by the Brooklyn Arts Council, along with various other donations.

Local residents and Brooklyn-based organizers both remain confident that "U Street," which is currently set to run from 11:00am-7:00pm on April 22, will definitely be the beginning of a unique collaboration that not only honors Bushwick’s rich and diverse street culture and urban art history but is able to provide a stage for new faces to make their mark.

“We realized over the pandemic that there is a new generation – a new generation of leaders, musicians, even fans. We wanted to create that space to foster collaboration,” said Hernandez. “At the end of the day, it’s about creating awareness, collaboration and unity.”