ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — Party in the Park, a summer concert series in downtown Rochester, returns Thursday with music, food, drinks, shopping, and more.
Performing Thursday will be Third World, the Majestics and Root Shock.
The event takes place at Martin Luther King Jr Memorial Park at Manhattan Square. Doors open at 5 p.m. with live music beginning at 6:15 p.m.
- 6:15 p.m. — The Majestics
- 6:45 p.m. — Root Shock
- 8:30 p.m. — Third World
General admission tickets are $7, while children 12 and under are free. VIP Ultra Lounge tickets are available for $55. You can skip the lines when you arrive by purchasing your tickets ahead of time online.
The VIP Ultra Lounge offers preferred entry, full cash bar, table service, private restrooms, front stage access, complimentary snacks, chair massages, and a commemorative lanyard.
Party in the Parkgoers can enjoy the Craft Beer Garden featuring a rotating showcase of beers, including New York state-based IPAs, ciders, and stouts, plus local favorites from Genesee. There’s also a Bubbly Bar with prosecco and mimosa, plus a Sangria Slushies stand for those who fancy such flavors. Food vendors are on a rotating scheduled to ensure variety as well.
Shoppers can check out the Bazaar in the Park — a weekly collective of designers, vintage collectors, and artisanal products for an experience around community, art, crafts, fashion, and discovery. New venders will arrive every other week, keeping the offerings fresh throughout the summer concert series.
Guests are allowed to bring one sealed bottle of water into the event. lawn chairs, bicycles, skateboards, in-line skates, and pets are not permitted. Officials say the no-smoking policy is enforced, but there are designated and marked smoking areas.
In the event of extreme inclement weather, the rain location for Party in the Park concerts will be at Anthology, 336 East Ave.
Parking is available in metered spaces on nearby streets; nearby parking garages including the Washington Square Garage, 111 Woodbury Blvd.; the Court Street Garage, 194 Court St. and at the East End Garage, 475 E. Main St.; and Midtown Garage, 110 S. Clinton Ave. A bicycle rack and HOPR bike- and scooter-share station are located at the corner of Chestnut and Court Streets; and MLK Park is on the RTS Monroe Route 11 bus line, which runs until midnight on weeknights.
Party in the Park continues next Thursday and all summer long:
- Aug. 26: Larkin Poe; Eric Krasno Trio: E3; Steve Grills and the Roadmasters;
- Sept. 2: Zac Brown Tribute Band; Blue Sky Brothers
Band Bios
Third World
Celebrating 47 years, THIRD WORLD is one of the longest-lived Reggae bands of all time, and one of Jamaica’s most consistently popular crossover acts among international audiences. Mixing in elements of R&B, funk, pop, and rock and, later on, dancehall and rap, Third World’s style has been described as “reggae-fusion”.
With 9 Grammy nominations and catalogue of charted smash hits, including (“Now That We Found Love”, ”96 Degrees in the Shade” and “Try Jah Love”) , spanning over four decades, sold-out tours, a vibrant and loyal fan base and inspirational messages, one may wonder, “Where did it all begin? What gives Third World the staying power so rare in the music industry?” Third World is more than just one of the top Reggae bands of all time, it is an institution that stands for producing and performing music that, while holding firm to the cultural and ancestral roots of its members, still pushes forward the cutting edge of music worldwide. It is an institution whose themes are positive, progressive and internationally relevant. We invite you to the sites and sounds of the legendary THIRD WORLD!
Root Shock
Conscious, soulful, uplifting, even healing—that’s how many fans of Root Shock have described the band’s infectious sound and energy. With a reputation like that, it’s unsurprising that this group is indebted to reggae, a class of music forever married to love, humanity, social change, and an almost tangible sense of sunlight. But Root Shock didn’t form on a beach. Instead, they came up in snowy Syracuse, New York in 2012, and since then, they’ve developed a voice that transcends genre.
Majestics
Ron Stackman, Jim Schwarz and Lou LaVilla began performing together in 1972, creating Bahama Mama, one of the first American bands to embrace Reggae music. When the group split up in 1980, Stackman, Schwarz and Lavilla remained together and formed the Majestics.
Bahama Mama introduced the area to Reggae music with the infamous weekly Caribe Nights at the Red Creek Inn in the late mid to late seventies.
Throughout the eighties, The Majestics’ steadily developed a fan base in upstate New York, eventually catching the attention of the legendary Lee “Scratch” Perry. In 1982, the group backed Perry when he opened for the Clash during their historic run at New York City’s Bonds International Casino, then traveled with the music icon to Kingston, Jamaica to record his “Mystic Miracle Star” LP.
