Spectacle Summer Nights: Soulful Bliss Arts & Music Festival

Summer Nights presents Soulful Bliss: Arts & Music Festival

 About this event 

Join Boston Harbor Now and AfroDesiaCity, on a cruise for communities of color for a soulful experience, enjoy culture, and appreciate their Harbor and Spectacle Island through programming that touches on the threats of climate change, the arts, inclusive fitness, games, food & drink, and live music.

Tickets include:

• A round trip ferry ride to Spectacle Island
• Live music and arts
• Drink for purchase from Night Shift Brewing
• Breathtaking sunset views of the Boston skyline
• S'mores on the beach with L.L.Bean
• After-hours access to the Island
• Sound Bath by Lawanda Monique

Directions: Guests must arrive at Long Wharf North *by 4:00pm* to board the ferry to Spectacle Island. It will depart promptly at 4:30pm and will not wait for late arrivals. No refunds will be issued if you miss the boat.

The return ferry will depart Spectacle Island at 8:00 pm, with an 8:30pm scheduled return to Boston. *Please note that the Harbor can be busy in the evening which can cause unforeseen delays.*

Other important information:

• Walk-ups ticket purchases are accepted for private boaters.
• Outside alcohol is strictly prohibited, and any alcohol purchased on-island must be kept within the marked perimeter.
• No pets allowed
• A limited number of discounted tickets are available. If interested, please contact access@bostonharbornow.org

About the artists:

DJ TROY Frost

Kyara Andrade-Howell, also known as DJ TROY Frost, is an artist, educator, and event curator from Boston, MA. She started DJing in 2013 and completed Scratch DJ Academy’s certification program in 2015. After graduating from Barnard College in 2017, she worked for Boston Public Schools in varying roles. In 2019, she piloted The Breaks, an enrichment program that gave 15 Boston youth an introduction to the pillars of Hip Hop. Kyara now works part-time as a library coordinator at middle/high school and Frugal Bookstore in Roxbury. In addition, she is working on growing Purple Produce; an event series focused on Hip Hop, wellness, literacy, and community collaboration.

Host - Olasco Boston

Olawumi Akinwumi (She/Her) is a Part-Time Assistant Director of Community Engagement Nuestra and the Deputy Director of Programs at Arts Boston. Ola's (Ola, Olasco) background is in event management and public relations. In addition, she has over ten years of experience in live entertainment and social media.

Previously, Ola was the Director of Hibernian Hall at Madison Park Development Corporation for over five years. Through original quality theater productions and creative arts programming, she fostered the celebration of the cultural heritage of the Roxbury neighborhood. She has extensive expertise in non-profits, youth advocacy, and affordable housing. She is a long-time resident of Roxbury and is enthusiastic about fostering the revitalization of Roxbury by bringing a wide variety of art genres and civic events to the area. In her role at Hibernian Hall, she has provided opportunities for local artists to build, grow and cultivate their talents in this historic arts and cultural performance center.

Ola holds an MS in communications management from Simmons School of Management and a BS from New Hampshire. She began her education as a Tourism Planning and Development major. After graduation, she worked at the Sheraton Boston Hotel as an Executive Meeting Specialist and moved into several related positions that groomed her as an impresario.

SOUND BATH OFFERING

Pharaoh Essentials is a jewel inspired by Lawanda Monique a multi-disciplinary healer located in Boston, MA, and the owner of Pharaoh Essentials. She is disciplined in indigenous medicine and specializes in sound bath healing, reiki energy healing, art therapy, guided meditation, and mindfulness education. When she's not seeing clients in her private practice, she enjoys connecting and collaborating with other healers worldwide at different workshops and events. Much of LaWanda's focus is on the BIPOC and POC community, but she thoroughly enjoys nurturing everyone on their healing journey. 

Amanda Shea

Amanda Shea is a renowned spoken word and multidisciplinary artist, educator, mentor, activist, publicist, and mother. She's hosted BAMSFest and countless poetry events; she facilitates youth workshops for spoken word poetry, visual arts, and public speaking; she is a publicist for hip hop artist Brandie Blaze; she has managed and supported countless other artists in Boston. In 2021, she was named among WBUR The ARTery's 25 artists of color transforming the cultural landscape. Shea co-founded and curated five iterations of Activating ARTivism, a community festival to amplify POC through art, activism, and resistance. This event has featured artists from Boston, Brockton, Chicago, Virginia, D.C., and more. Importantly, it has raised awareness and provided support for local nonprofits like Mission Safe, The New England Innocence Project, Trans Resistance MA, The Simple Good (Chicago), and the LDB Peace Institute. In December 2022, Shea won the inaugural category for Spoken Word Artist of the Year at the Boston Music Awards. Shea was featured in January on GBH News for the “Embrace; Boston” unveiling ceremony.

Live Music

DA Bangaz + Notebook P

The name of the band is “Da Bangaz.” The band leader, Jermaine Mack, always had this passion for playing alongside friends and family. With the push of his peers, in 2021, he decided to create this ensemble of collectives here in Boston. Da Bangaz comes equipped with an incredible roster of great musicians, producers, and artists (s) of different backgrounds. They play within a variety of genres like r&b, a blend of old and new hip hop, jazz, funk, soul, and island sounds.

@dabangaz @notebook.p @mack.papi @kazididit @__joeal

WALI ALI - Musician

Born in Omaha Nebraska, Wali Ali is a professional musician who first took the stage at the ripened age of 11. Read more, https://waliali56.wordpress.com/

About the organizers:

AfroDesiaCity has been a regional event and consulting company based in Boston, Massachusetts, for over the past 10 years, specializing in live entertainment, special networking, and other value-added community events. We partner with emerging artists and professionals of diverse backgrounds to elevate your voice and support organizations in producing soulful events and creative and professional opportunities. Serving Boston's greater metropolitan area and the East Coast region, we offer various artists management, event production, and community and cultural activation.

Boston Harbor Now is working to re-establish Boston as one of the world’s truly great coastal cities. Everything we do is in partnership with public agencies, communities and private and non-profit partners. We encourage people to explore Boston’s waterfront and Islands through promoting and hosting hundreds of free and low-cost recreational, cultural and social events. We partner with the Mass Department of Transportation to develop and advance a Boston Harbor-wide water transportation plan for expanded ferry service. We co-manage and improve visitor experiences of the Boston Harbor Islands National and State Park. We partner with the City of Boston and waterfront communities to prepare for sea level rise while promoting outstanding waterfront open space. We support investment and innovation in Boston’s working port to better support our 21st Century maritime economy.