On Thursday evening, City Parks Foundation 2025 Dinner & Dance Party Benefit, this year honor Grammy-Oscar-winning drummer, filmmaker, DJ and producer Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, collected almost $ 1 million in donations. All funds collected will support the City Parks Foundation’s free art, sports, environmental education and community building programs that are produced every year in New York City Public Parks in all five neighborhoods.
The event, held in Central Park on the Flag Ship Sumstage Square, Also awarded the Barclays Center/New York Liberty/Brooklyn Nets owner Brooklyn Sports and Entertainment with the People & Parks Award.
In its acceptance number, Questlove talked about participating in many Summerstage concerts as a young fan and hoped to be able to perform there one day – The Roots latest show on the site was just two months ago – and in a comic grind, the proud Philadelphia native by mistake referred to New York as his “Hometown.”
He received the Icon Award for “his contribution to the artistic and cultural landscape in New York City as a music industry pioneer and innovative leader who shaped our national culture,” and noted that his Oscar-and-winning documentary “Soul of Soul” celebrated a cultural 1969 in Harlem who had been filmed but was forgotten by history. It also noted that the roots performed a free show in Queens for more than 7,000 New Yorkers in July, the day before the Summerstage play.
His award was awarded by the legendary New York DJ, producer, radio host and Summerstage Alum Stretch Armstrong (picture with Questlove), who said: “Summerstage means a lot to me because this is where I grew up. The cultural production he (Questlove) is responsible for this manner.
The evening ended with a special DJ set by Questlove, who packed the dance floor with a brand combination of pop, hip-hop, R&B and rock classics and deep cuts, and the first young philanthropists after the party Silent Disco.
City Parks Foundation also honored Brooklyn Sports and Entertainment with the 2025 People & Parks Award “for their work to lift health, education and well -being in the communities in Brooklyn and then through their philanthropic initiative and neighborhood programs.”
And advice on efforts that simply would not have succeeded without their guidance. “
City Parks Foundation 2025 benefit was chairman by Angela Barkan, Joe Killian, Roland Merchant and Greg Williamson.