Street Closures For Newark ‘24 Hours Of Peace’ Festival (See The List)

NEWARK, NJ — A popular music festival that calls for “24 Hours of Peace” is returning to Newark this week, and several streets will shut down for the duration.

The free festival is open to the public and will take place at Central Avenue between West Market Street and South 10th Street. It will begin at 6 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 23 and end at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 24.

Organizers say the annual festival is a way to use music to engage the community and have meaningful dialogue about important issues such as nonviolence and conflict resolution. Read More: Newark Brings Back Popular Music Festival (24 Hours Of Peace)

According to the Newark Department of Public Safety, the following streets will be closed for the festival (from 5 a.m. on Friday to 10 p.m. on Saturday). Drivers are advised to anticipate delays and to plan alternate routes.

• Central Avenue between South 11th Street and West Market Street
• South 10th Street between 11th Avenue and 9th Avenue
• South 9th Street between 11th Avenue and 9th Avenue
• South 8th Street between 11th Avenue and 9th Avenue
• South 7th Street between 11th Avenue and West Market Street
• 4th Street between Central Avenue and West Market Street

Previous headliners have included Snoop Dogg and Queen Latifah. Last year’s performers included Ghostface Killah, Redman, Milk Dee, AZ, Lil Mo and a host of other rap stars and singers. The event also spotlighted a midnight tribute to the life and legacy of Alvin Ally Dancer O’Shea Sibley by Newark’s own DJ Antione Qua, and a House Music Dance Segment hosted by Ms. Theresa.

This year’s theme is centered on “uplifting and empowering women,” organizers said. All of the performers are female (see the list here).

Amiri Baraka Jr., the event’s co-founder, said that displays of “peace and healing” like this year’s festival are yet another reason why the city has been able to bring homicides to a 60-year low. He credited Mayor Ras Baraka, who founded the event 12 years ago when he was a council member representing the South Ward, and made it a citywide event when he was elected mayor.

Baraka continues to advocate for the festival, calling it one of the city’s “signature events.”

“We fuse the power of hip-hop music and spoken word to lift, heal, and inspire peace in our city, empowering every resident in that process, and bringing healing, hope and happiness into everyday life,” the mayor said.

According to Baraka, the city has made significant headway by treating violence as a “public health” issue. He pointed to other community resources who are helping to lead the way, such as the Office of Violence Prevention and Trauma Recovery (OVPTR), Community Street Teams, the Newark Anti-Violence Coalition, My Brother’s Keeper, and the Shani Baraka Women’s Center, which provides services for women and families in crisis.

“Art and music are powerful forces that can uplift communities,” OVPTR Director Kyleesha Wingfield-Hill said.

“These gatherings create safe spaces where creativity flourishes, offering alternatives to crime and providing hope,” Wingfield-Hill continued. “When individuals, especially the youth, engage in artistic expression, they find constructive outlets for their energy and emotions, transforming their communities from places of despair into hubs of resilience and positive change.”

• See Related: Obama Praises Newark’s Efforts To Stop Violence By Boosting Its Youth
• See Related: Newark Is Becoming A Safer Place To Live, 2023 Crime Stats Show

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