July 26, 2023
Danny Rivera, center, is shown with performer Kay Wolf, left, and others during the June 30 Mattapan Square Culture Night music festival, which was headlined by Doobie Powell, below, on the big stage. Rivera, 22, will take his festival to the Seaport this Friday as part of the city’s entertainment lineup at 65 Northern Ave. to welcome locals and visitors to the 114th NAACP convention. Culture Nights began two years ago in a very grassroots effort but have progressed to a full entertainment experience this summer. Photos courtesy NAACP
After a successful “Culture Nights” music festival in Mattapan last month, Danny Rivera has taken his show across town to the Seaport to participate in the city’s entertainment lineup for the NAACP Convention this week.
Parties will be spliced and woven into venues throughout the Seaport as thousands of guests arrive, including at the NAACP’s The Hub at the South Boston Convention Center. Chief among them will be Rivera’s ‘Culture Night’ festival, which took hold last year and came back to Mattapan Square in late June for a tremendous evening of entertainment.
He is scheduled to host his third event at an outdoor venue at 65 Northern Ave. on Friday, July 28, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
“It’s actually a part of the city’s program,” he said. “The city is creating events happening at the same time as the convention to engage people from our community and at the same time to engage the people that have come here for the convention.”
Doobie Powell
Among those performing will be KEI, Sheila Del Bosque, Gogo, Saraphym, Dom the Composer, Tricia Reed, and headliner Stout, who has performed on The Oprah Winfrey Show, MTV, Billboard Music Awards, Grammy’s, The Jimmy Fallon Show, and American Music Awards.
The public is invited to enjoy food, vendors, and network at the free event, Rivera said.
All of which is a far cry from when Rivera, who was raised in Mattapan, started his efforts last year with no stage and often struggling to find a power source for performers.
“It was grassroots, though,” said Rivera, 22, a graduate of Boston Arts Academy and Longy School of Music. “The point is to build cultural expression experiences in neighborhoods that are underserved or underrepresented.”
He brought a more refined event to Mattapan Square on June 30 with a full stage, vendors, and food. “What I really loved about this year’s Culture Night so far is that they are so intergenerational,” he said, recalling the Mattapan event that attracted all ages, and even Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley and her family. “There were kids as young as one and adults all the way up to 75 years old,” he said. “That really shows the power of community.”
Culture Nights are supported by Artist Initiative for Revolution, The City of Boston, the Mayor’s Office of Equity and Inclusion Cabinet for Racial Justice, Seaport by WS Development, and Topo-Chico.
ZAZ Restaurant will provide meals at no expense to the first 200 attendees.
