The City of Allentown Department of Parks and Recreation’s Noches de Ritmo 2016 weekend series will take place Friday, May 6 – Sunday, May 8 in West Park located between 15^th & 16^th streets along Linden and Turner streets. As part of an exciting new partnership, Allentown Jazzfest will host an evening at Noches de Ritmo on Saturday, May 7 from 5pm – 8:30pm.

The 2016 weekend series Noches de Ritmo program runs from 6pm – 9pm on Friday, May 6; 3pm – 8:30pm on Saturday, May 7; and concludes with a special Mother’s Day concert from 1pm – 4:30pm on Sunday, May 8. The free, weekend-long event will include live performances by a variety of popular local groups whose rhythms range from merengue to salsa to bolero. La Ola Radio 99.5fm is the partnering sponsor and will provide their radio personalities to emcee the event, as in previous years.

Saturday evening’s Jazzfest at Noches de Ritmo will host Hector Rosado & Orq HACHE from 5pm – 6:30pm, and The Jeff “Tain” Watts Quartet from 7pm – 8:30pm. Rosado, the area’s premier percussionist, leads his 12 piece band.  Hector previously performed with Tito Puente and David Byrne from Talking Heads.  Jeff “Tain” Watts is the surprise announcement of the 2016 JazzFest.  Mr. Watts has five Grammy awards and leads a world class band.  Both performances are free to the public.

The Allentown JazzFest is a ten day music, film and arts festival that occurs in venues throughout Allentown’s West End, Hamilton Street District and Arts District.  JazzFest will present approximately 30 performances throughout the 2016 Festival.  In addition to funk, jazz, EDM and electronic music, JazzFest’s partnership with La Ola Radio exemplifies the importance of Latin Jazz to the program.

The Noches de Ritmo program series began in 2013, attracting more than 1,600 attendees in its first year. The program has continued to expand and attract new participants as the series begins its fourth season.  The title of the program, which translates to “Rhythm Nights,” is accompanied by the tagline which defines the essential components of these events: “Music, Dance, Art & Community.” All Noches de Ritmo events are held in both English and Spanish, and include different elements of local culture through music, singing, dancing and artwork. The program won a state award for excellence in March 2015 from the Pennsylvania Parks & Recreation Society.

Noches de Ritmo’s planning committee is made up of partners including La Ola Radio 99.5fm, Hispanic American League of Artists, Puertorrican Culture Preservation Organization, and Allentown City Council Parks & Recreation Committee Chair Cynthia Mota.

The Allentown JazzFest is presented by Performing Arts Live Inc., a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization.  Please like JazzFest’s Facebook page or visit them on the web at http://allentownjazzfest.org.

For more information on the Noches de Ritmo series, call the Department of Parks and Recreation at 610-437-7757. “Like” the Department of Parks and Recreation on facebook to stay up-to-date on program information at www.facebook.com/allentownparkandrec.