Bed Stuy Alive Kicks off with Street Festival and Restoration Rocks

Throngs of people came out for the kick off of the fifth annual Bed Stuy Alive, a week long festival designed to celebrate the treasures of the neighborhood. Fulton Street in front Restoration Plaza was shut down for vendors, dance performances and Brooklyn's hippest bands and artists. At the kick off ceremony, awards were presented to several community heroes in the name of Tohma Faulkner, a longstanding community activist and the founder of Bed Stuy Alive. We congratulate the prestigious group of honorees, which included Restoration's own Peggy Alston, Director of the Youth Arts Academy, who received the Cultural Trailblazer and Joe Long, longtime business owner and Fulton Street champion, who received the Economic Development Trailblazer.

Following the kick-off ceremony everyone rocked to the sounds of emerging and headlining artists, Tess, Jesse Boykins, Blitz the Ambassador, John Forte and Toshi Reagon and Big Lovely. The performance went on into evening, moving from outdoors into comfort of the lobby of Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation; those that stayed to the end were treated to a private intimate performance by John Forte and Toshi Reagon.

Click here to view more pictures from BedStuy Alive!
Click here to view more pictures from Restoration Rocks!