(NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ) -- Get ready to experience an uplifting celebration of gospel music at Middlesex County’s second annual FolkLIVE: Gospel Music Festival, featuring Grammy Award-winning artist Fred Hammond and Grammy Award-nominated artist Kierra Sheard, along with a lineup of rising local talent on Saturday, June 28, 2025 at Monument Square Park. The event runs from 2:00pm–6:00pm and takes place rain or shine. Admission is free.
Event highlights include:
* Musical performances by DJ RuntheFade, Tangie Cobb, the Cathedral of Perth Amboy Choir, David Cross, First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens, and Marcia Sapp
* Tabling by Folklorist Michelle Washington Wilson, National Story Telling Network (NSN)
* Food vendors including Delta’s, Just Pies by Lisa Godfrey, Nica Soul, Jamaican Taste, Rod’s Fish and Chips, and Patty Wagon Jamaican Patties
Presented by the Arts Institute of Middlesex County, this FREE event is part of the County’s 2025 FolkLIVE series, which celebrates global traditions and local talent through music, dance, storytelling, and the arts.
Attendees are strongly encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs to enjoy the performances.
ACCESSIBILITY: The event is designed to be inclusive, with accessible seating, closed captioning, ASL-certified interpreters, and portable ADA-accessible toilets available on-site.
PARKING AND TRANSPORTATION: Parking is available in the NBPAC parking garage (60 Bayard Street), with additional parking available nearby. RIDE shuttle services will run every 30 minutes from each parking garage to the festival site.
Monument Square Park is located at 2 Livingston Avenue in New Brunswick, New Jersey.
SCHEDULE OF PERFORMANCES:
1:00 pm – DJ RuntheFade
1:45 pm – Welcome, Commissioner Scott McCullum
2:00 pm – Valarie Adams, Emcee
2:05 pm – Tangie Cobb
2:10 pm – The Cathedral of Perth Amboy Choir
2:30 pm – David Cross
2:50 pm – First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens
3:15 pm – Marcia Sapp
4:00 pm – Grammy® Award nominee Kierra Sheard
5:00 pm – Grammy® Award winner Fred Hammond
To learn more about arts, history, and cultural events in Middlesex County, please visit MiddlesexCountyCulture.com.
And don’t miss more upcoming events in the 2025 FolkLIVE Series:
* June 21-22 l FolkLIVE: Raritan Native American Celebration and PowWow
* August 23 l FolkLIVE: New Jersey Folk Festival—50th Anniversary
* September 13 l FolkLIVE: Mexican Independence Festival
