QUEENS — Summer is here, so it’s time for the annual JAMS festival in downtown Jamaica.
The Jamaica Arts and Music Summer Festival — a two-day outdoor event, which attracts up to 185,000 people every year — is returning to the neighborhood this weekend with a concert, classic car show and a rock-climbing wall, the organizers said.
“It’s a celebration of the arts and businesses that we have in the borough of Queens," said Tyra Emerson, of Cultural Collaborative Jamaica, which organizes the event.
The festival, in its 19th year, will kick off on Friday at 5 p.m. with JAMS Under the Stars, a concert held at Rufus King Park. The free show, which will run till 10 p.m., will feature DJ Jordan Knoxx, radio host and gospel singer Liz Black, Christian rock performer Dallas Forte and Native American artist Toni Ann Semple.
There will also be a preview of the upcoming Queens Fashion Week.
On Saturday, between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m., the festival will take over 10 blocks of Jamaica Avenue, from Parsons Boulevard to 170th Street.
More than 500 vendors will offer their products, the organizers said. There will also be several food trucks serving international cuisine and live performances.
Among the many attractions at the festival will be a classic car show, presented by the Queens Classic Car Club. The show debuts at the festival this year, will be on 161st Street, and will feature at least 30 vintage cars, the organizers said.
Kids will get to play along a special two-block long section, which will boast a rock-climbing wall, face painting and bounce houses, the organizers said.
"You can hear that block before you can even get to it," Emerson said.
This year, the festival will also feature a seniors pavilion, which will offer information about health care providers as well as entertainment for seniors.
"Under The Stars at Rufus King Park" is scheduled for August 7, bet. 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. The JAMS Festival will continue on Saturday, August 8, on Jamaica Avenue from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. For more information go here.
