6 Cultural Events for the Whole Family in Westchester

Daily opportunities arise to use the arts as learning tools. For instance, ArtsWestchester’s Westchester Roots series provides the chance for children and adults alike to appreciate and experience cultural traditions that represent diverse populations living within Westchester. The series, consisting of free and affordable performances, takes place throughout the county. With presenting sponsor Montefiore Einstein, guests can travel the world without leaving Westchester.

Here are six upcoming family events in Westchester that allow guests to engage directly and tangibly with the arts:

July 26: Irish American Culture

McLean Avenue Band combines traditional Irish music with rock, pop and R&B as part of the City of White Plains’s Sounds of Summer series at Renaissance Plaza. Their song list covers everything from the Irish jig and Ed Sheeran to Toora Loora Loora and Jimmy Buffett.

August 6: Jamaican Culture

A celebration of Jamaican independence in Mount Vernon’s Hartley Park will include a late-afternoon concert by Noel “Dancemaster” Stevens, who will perform soca, a form of music that blends West African, Calypso and East Indian rhythms.

August 8: West African Culture

Jonathan Scales is known for expanding the potential of the steelpan, an instrument with origins in West Africa, redefining its association with cruise ships into an instrument that fuses jazz, funk and rock. He’ll bring his “fourchestra” to Mount Vernon’s City Hall as part of the Summer Breeze series.

August 20: Ecuadorian Culture

According to U.S. Census Bureau, twenty-four percent of Sleepy Hollow’s population is made up of Ecuadorian Americans. The Day of Ecuadorian Culture (Dia De La Cultura Ecuatoriana) celebrates this local population’s traditions in Barnhart Park with a day of music, dance and family-friendly activities and presentations.

September 23: Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese and Japanese Cultures

The Mooncake Night Market, co-organized by OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates’s Westchester and Hudson Valley Chapter, is a celebration of the mid-autumn festival observed in many Asian cultures. The evening in ArtsWestchester’s gallery includes an array of music, dance and activities, including Chinese calligraphy and knotting workshops, origami, Kimono tying, mooncake sculpture making, karaoke, Chinese folk dance and more.

October 21: Syrian Culture

An interactive presentation with Syrian Music Preservation Initiative in Katonah Museum of Art’s outdoor sculpture garden is followed by a performance by Arab chamber music ensemble Takht Al-Nagham. The event is in conjunction with the museum’s Stories of Syria’s Textiles exhibition (on view October 15, 2023-January 28, 2024).

About ArtsWestchester

For more than 50 years, ArtsWestchester has been the community’s connection to the arts. Founded in 1965, it is the largest, private, not-for-profit arts council in New York State. Its mission is to provide leadership, vision, and support, to ensure the availability, accessibility, and diversity of the arts. ArtsWestchester provides programs and services that enrich the lives of everyone in Westchester County. ArtsWestchester helps fund concerts, exhibitions and plays through grants; brings artists into schools and community centers; advocates for the arts; and builds audiences through diverse marketing initiatives. In 1998, ArtsWestchester purchased the nine-story neo-classical bank building at 31 Mamaroneck Avenue which has since been transformed into a multi-use resource for artists, cultural organizations, and the community. A two-story gallery is located on the first floor of ArtsWestchester’s historic building on Mamaroneck Avenue.