Metropolis Parks Basis (CPF) introduced the 2025 Dinner & Dance Social gathering profit fundraiser will happen Thursday, September 25 at their flagship SummerStage venue in Central Park.
This yr’s occasion will honor Academy Award-winning filmmaker, GRAMMY Award-winning drummer, visionary artist, historian, best-selling creator, DJ and producer Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson with the SummerStage Icon Award, and Barclays Heart/New York Liberty/Brooklyn Nets homeowners and group uplifters Brooklyn Sports activities and Leisure (BSE) with the Individuals & Parks Award.
Metropolis Parks Basis, by means of its Capital One Metropolis Parks Basis SummerStage Pageant, is likely one of the largest presenters of free arts and cultural applications in New York Metropolis parks, and serves greater than 285,000 New Yorkers every year by means of arts, schooling, sports activities and group constructing initiatives. Metropolis Parks Basis is devoted to providing numerous programming to encourage New Yorkers to make use of and care for his or her native parks and inexperienced areas, to carry these public areas to life and to make them accessible for all.
Metropolis Parks Basis is proud to current the 2025 SummerStage Icon Award to visionary tastemaker Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson for his contributions to the inventive and cultural panorama of New York Metropolis as a music trade pioneer and progressive chief shaping our nation’s tradition. Questlove will DJ a non-public dance celebration to conclude the night.
Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson is an Academy Award‒successful and EMMY-nominated filmmaker, drummer, DJ, producer, director, culinary entrepreneur and New York Instances bestselling creator, who’s the unmistakable heartbeat and co-founder of Philadelphia’s most influential hip-hop group, The Roots. The artist is a modern-day renaissance man and award-winning artistic pressure who made his directorial debut with the Academy Award‒successful function documentary Summer season of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Might Not Be Televised). 2025 has seen Questlove direct a mess of initiatives together with the EMMY-nominated Sly Lives! (aka the Burden of Black Genius), the critically acclaimed unique documentary about legendary musician Sly Stone, which premiered on Hulu, and the EMMY-nominated Women & Gents… 50 Years of SNL Music, which premiered forward of SNL’s fiftieth extravaganza. In 2025, Questlove has additionally signed on to direct a documentary about Earth, Wind & Fireplace. These initiatives will mark Questlove’s newest forays into filmmaking following his directorial debut and can be produced by Two One 5 Leisure (the manufacturing firm based by Questlove and Black Thought). Along with his work as a Director, Questlove has executive-produced documentaries The League from Academy Award nominee Sam Pollard and the Sundance award winner Descendant from Emmy nominee Margaret Brown. Thompson has additionally written a number of books, together with the New York Instances bestsellers Mo’ Meta Blues, Inventive Quest, Music Is Historical past and The Rhythm of Time, which is the primary e-book in his center grade collection of the identical identify. Lately, he printed his first image e-book, The Concept In You. He’s the writer of AUWA, an imprint of MCD / Farrar, Straus and Giroux on the Macmillan platform. Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson is the Musical Director for The Tonight Present Starring Jimmy Fallon, the place his beloved Roots crew serves as home band. A six-time GRAMMY Award-winning artist with a further 18 nominations, Questlove has additionally served in musical directing positions for everybody from D’Angelo to Jay-Z to the 2024 Rock & Roll Corridor Of Fame induction ceremony.
Brooklyn Sports activities and Leisure (BSE) is the mum or dad firm of the Brooklyn Nets, New York Liberty, and Barclays Heart, amongst different properties. BSE creates daring, genuine and unforgettable experiences that redefine sports activities, leisure and hospitality, The
Brooklyn Method.
Metropolis Parks Basis is thrilled to honor Brooklyn Sports activities and Leisure (BSE) with the 2025 Individuals & Parks Award for his or her work in uplifting the well being, schooling, and well-being of communities in Brooklyn and past by means of their philanthropic initiatives and neighborhood applications together with NETSTEM, Learn Throughout Brooklyn, Season of Giving and Nets United and Liberty Theme Nights which deal with problems with social fairness throughout our communities. They’ve additionally been a robust supporter of Metropolis Parks Basis, serving on its sports activities advisory committee and partnering on alternatives throughout CPF’s youth sports activities applications.
BSE can be proud to unveil road artwork and refurbish group basketball courts in metropolis parks throughout Brooklyn. As well as, Brooklyn Basketball, a joint program affiliated with the Brooklyn Nets and New York Liberty, reaches 40,000 college students every year by means of our partnership with the DOE and group organizations throughout town, igniting ardour, constructing expertise and empowering younger athletes whereas making the sport of basketball extra accessible than ever.
“We’re excited to announce Questlove and BSE as this yr’s honorees for the annual Metropolis Parks Basis profit,” mentioned Heather Lubov, Government Director of Metropolis Parks Basis. “Questlove is a real polymath. His contributions to music and tradition are groundbreaking and visionary, completely reflecting the spirit of our SummerStage Icon Award. On the identical time, we’re proud to honor the excellent work of BSE, a long-time associate and supporter of Metropolis Parks Basis. Individuals & Parks Award acknowledges the corporate’s deep dedication to uplifting its residence borough of Brooklyn by selling using neighborhood parks for well being and wellness, and particularly by supporting youth sports activities.”
Metropolis Parks Basis’s 2025 Dinner & Dance Social gathering is chaired by Angela Barkan, Joe Killian, Roland Service provider, and Greg Williamson