By Merle Exit
Louis Armstrong’s Wonderful World Festival will celebrate its fourth year at Flushing Meadow Corona Park Saturday from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m.
“Late Night With Stephen Colbert’s” musical director, Jon Batiste, takes the reins of this free event, which offers several entertaining options for people of all ages.
Live musical performances will be featured, as will family-friendly activities that celebrate the life and legacy of Armstrong, the world renowned jazz musician.
Mark Shulman, a producer of Panorama Festival — one of the event’s sponsors — said he is proud to be able to bring the event back to the borough.
“Working with phenomenal partners to bring first class events to city parks for the entire community to enjoy is what we are all about and LAWW embodies the full potential of how events give back to constituents and the musical legacy of Queens,” Shulman said.
The event is produced by the Kupferberg Center for the Arts at Queens College. Jeffrey Rosenstock, assistant vice president at Queens College — which houses the Louis Armstrong archives — said one of the greatest treasures that the college maintains is the Louis Armstrong House and Museum in Corona, as well as the archives there at the library, one of the largest archives of any jazz musician in the world.
“On July 17, we are breaking ground across the street from the house, with a $20 million project to build an education and visitor center,” said Rosenstock. “Louis Armstrong was a music ambassador of the United States. What better place to have the festival than Flushing Meadow Corona Park where two World’s Fairs were held.”
The musicians scheduled to take the main stage include members of the Dap Kings and freestyle rappers, coming in from Boston, New Orleans and New York.
A drum circle scheduled for 2 p.m. will kick things off on stage and will be followed by a 3 p.m. performance by Vince Giordano and The Nighthawks, with Jon Batiste sitting in. At 4:30, members of The Dap-Kings, along with Stay Human, will take the stage, featuring Don Flamingo, Avenue, and Kris Kasanova.
To cap off the musical performances, Batiste and Stay Human — with the Havana Roots Collective, a new project led by Grammy-winning producer Andrés Levin from Yerba Buena and featuring Cuban musicians Cucu Diamantes, Alain Perez, Kelvis Ochoa — will take the stage at 6 p.m.
The event has more to offer than music, however, with several activities also planned, including a circus, face painting, carnival games, balloon animals, a museum exhibit, and a play-along with members of the Queens College athletic programs.
Additionally, the indoor beer garden at the Queens Theatre will have live DJ sets providing entertainment from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. There will also be discussions on Louis Armstrong’s New Orleans’ roots in the Cabaret Room from 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.
Attendees are encouraged to bring their own chairs, blankets and refreshments. There will be food vendors stationed around the park. A limited number of VIP seats are available.
Tickets are free and are available now. VIP ticketing options are also available. Visit armstrongswonderfulworld.com/ for additional programming and updates.
