KINGSTON, N.Y. — After a one-year hiatus, Harambee Kingston’s African American Festival returned Saturday in a new home at Kingston Point Beach.
The event featured a number of musical performances. They included Riverview Missionary Baptist Church’s Instrument of Praise, Ubaka Hill’s Drumsong Orchestra, the Pablo Shine Latin Band, Cedric, Energy Speaks, the Energy Dance Company, Dance with Drew Line Dance, Majic Bliss and Base Camp.
The festival, which also drew in a steady stream of curious visitors who walked through as they headed to the beach, also featured vendors selling a variety of wares, including authentic African-style clothing, along with food trucks and vendors. There were also tables with representatives from organizations focused on Black history, such as the Dr. Margaret Wade-Lewis Center for Black History and Culture and other non-profits.
Phillip Brown, a retired Kingston City School District physical education teacher who also coached Kingston High’s wrestling and track and field teams, said he came for the food, as well as the chance to browse the authentic African clothing, support the event and see people
“I often see some of my students,” he said.
Brown, a military veteran who grew up on Abeel Street near the Rondout Creek Bridge, recalled buying a drum similar to the ones played by the Drumsong Orchestra when he was serving in Egypt. “My grandson loves to bang on it,” he said.
The Drumsong Orchestra wasn’t the only musical act he was enjoying. His daughter, a member at Riverview Missionary Baptist Church, performed with Instrument of Praise earlier in the afternoon.
Nearby, MyKingstonKids provided a number of games focused on families and children on an adjacent lawn.
The non-profit’s founder and executive director, Frank Waters, said the activities included inflated darts and basketball games, a giant Connect 4 game, and the MyKingstonKids Imagine Gaming trailer featuring a number of video games. The titles include the popular basketball game “NBA 2K27,” and the fighting game “Tekken,” along with a “Spider-Man” game and several racing games, Waters added.
Games were among the attractions at Harambee Kingston’s African American Festival on Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026, in Kingston, N.Y. (Brian Hubert/Daily Freeman)
Waters said he likes the new Kingston Point Beach setting. The festival took place on the city’s Rondout Waterfront in 2024, the last time it was held.
“It feels really different, but it still feels really good,” he said. “People who are coming to go down to the water are stopping in to see what’s happening, and they’re getting to hear some great music.”
Tyrone Wilson, Harambee’s founder and executive director, said he also really likes the new beachside setting along the Hudson River at Kingston Point Beach while serving as a DJ, filling the void between sets by the various musical acts.
As for which musical acts he’s looking forward to the most, he said it was the community dance line with the Center for Creative Education’s Bryant Drew Andrews and festival fixtures Base Camp closing out the festival.
Dina Suggs, Ulster County’s chief diversity officer, said the festival was important at a time when the Trump administration is seeking to erase Black history, as she enjoyed one of the performances.