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FORWARD Park Concerts

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FORWARD logo 2024

FORWARD: Local Music. Local Parks.

Est. 2019

The free, Wednesday evening FORWARD Park Concerts highlight local bands and regional headliners. 

Concerts are held in six different walkable, pet friendly, and bike trail connected parks - one in each City ward.

Come for local food trucks, plus family-friendly fun with Rochester Public Library's Bookmobile, and interactive games with Rochester Parks & Rec’s Go! Play! Explore! Mobile Rec Trailer!

Save the dates - we'll see you next year! 2025 dates:

  • June 4, 2025
  • June 11, 2025
  • June 18, 2025
  • August 13, 2025
  • August 20, 2025
  • August 27, 2025

Kokou Kah w/ Samantha Grimes - forWARD Neighborhood Park Concert Series

 Current_oval 2020
forWARD Neighborhood Park Concert Series - 2022 | MLK, Jr. Park | Week #6 | Admission is FREE! | Sponsored by Mayo Clinic & The Current | Hosted by 4th Ward City Council Person Kelly Rae Kirkpatrick | Food trucks (Infuzn Foods, The Wandering Scoop, & Whiskey Dick's) will be on-site!


Samantha Grimes (5:30 PM) - Samantha Grimes has been playing stringed instruments since she was old enough to put rubber bands between dresser knobs. Left-handed and upside down, she has been writing and performing music for the past two decades. Currently on Return Records and distributed by The Orchard (A Sony Music Company).  Grimes is also a 2021 ISSA Nominee and 2021 Best of the Valley Winner. She is joined live by "The 53s" bassist Jon Larson and drummer Nick Engelhart - both incredibly gifted singer/songwriters in their own right.


KOKOU KAH (6:30 PM) - Kokou Kah is a True Fusion Liberian-American artist; a term coined from mixing their American culture and Liberian heritage within their music. Kah grew up listening to Tupac & Bob Marley with his late uncle, and Liberian pop music whenever around his maternal grandmother. Every beat you find Kokou Kah on will make you want to dance and his lyrics will take you into a journey of his life not far removed from yours no matter the depth of his traumas and joys.  


The City of Rochester, Rochester Civic Music, and Rochester Park & Rec present the forWARD Neighborhood Park Concert Series. Six free events in six parks, one for each ward in the City, on Wednesday evenings throughout the summer, featuring local bands opening for regional, national, or international headliners. Promoting neighborhood vitality and livability, emphasizing activities outside the downtown area. Designed to activate the City park system, and raise awareness of the City ward system and each ward’s representative on the City Council. Food trucks will be on-site for each event! Sponsored by Mayo Clinic & The Current

This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support Grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts & cultural heritage fund.
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FORWARD has been sponsored by Mayo Clinic since 2020.

Presented in partnership with Rochester Parks & Recreation and the Rochester Public Library.

 

SEMAC Legacy Logo

This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.