The annual mixed-media event 鈥淣o Shade Block Party鈥� featured Palm Beach County鈥檚 young, multicultural artists and entrepreneurs through a variety of engaging activities, until the pandemic shut down the community activation.
The immersive music and art gathering returns as cultural institutions open back up across South Florida. Chess. Video games. Wine. Art installations and live music performances.
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FLAVAR, a music and art collective in West Palm Beach, has been organizing the gathering of young, eclectic art and music lovers for several years. The group partnered with the West Palm Beach Community Redevelopment Agency to bring the vibes back this holiday season.
Several headliners include up-and-coming musicians like Savannah Christina, a Fort Lauderdale native, California-based artist Amindi, and Kaylan Arnold, who is based in Port Saint Lucie.
Christina, 24, describes her music as modern neo-soul with an overall message about 鈥渂eing free.鈥� She is known for her viral video 鈥淪elf Care," which sits at around 8 million views on YouTube. She said the mental wellness song connected with new and current fans during the pandemic.
鈥淚 have people from all ages that resonate with the song because they believe that they can relate,鈥� said Christina. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 because 鈥榮elf love鈥� is not just for young women or just for older women, it's for everybody. It鈥檚 one of those universal concepts that can strike a nerve with multiple people.鈥�
Christina, who鈥檚 set to go on tour early next year, says small, intimate concerts can be a form of self-healing as well, especially as event-goers use music to feel closer to normality and fight the residual effects of quarantining during the early phase of the pandemic.
鈥淭he entire journey can be very traumatic especially when you鈥檙e lacking human interaction,鈥� said Christina. These spaces help people 鈥渂ond over their favorite music or their favorite food鈥� because 鈥渋t creates endorphins 鈥� it鈥檚 necessary to interact with people at some point, it just has to be responsible.鈥�
Denley Murat is the founder of FLAVAR, which stands for Florida Variety. He says the block party鈥檚 鈥淣o Shade鈥� title is a double entendre. In South Florida, 鈥渨e barely get any shade over here,鈥� said Murat. Also, 鈥楴o Shade鈥� is a slang for no disrespect or no offense.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 want no problems. We want good vibes. We want great times within our communities, that鈥檚 why we chose the meaning 'No Shade' because it鈥檚 much needed in our community,鈥� he said.
The West Palm Beach CRA is sponsoring the community activation at 401 Rosemary Avenue. Free tickets are limited. The outdoor event is set for Nov. 27 from 5 p.m. to midnight. It鈥檚 hosted by local artists Radical Phoenixx, Token Renaissance, and popular local DJs like DJ DDubbz, DJ Jones Drew, and Louie Arson.
Murat says a portion of the ticket proceeds will go to The Inner City Innovators, a nonprofit that helps at-risk youth.
鈥淲e wanted more inclusiveness within our community. Make sure that from our artists to our performing artists to our small businesses, our goal is to enrich our community,鈥� said Murat.
鈥淲hat we鈥檙e trying to do is to showcase the talents that we have in Palm Beach and South Florida, in general.鈥�
