Fall Newark Grounds Presents NIGHT FEST

Join us Friday, October 10, from 5–9 PM for the second edition of NIGHT FEST! Presented with the Newark City Parks Foundation and the Newark Arts Festival, this biannual mini-festival transforms the lower section of Mulberry Commons Park, next to the Prudential Center, into a lively, all-ages celebration of art, food, and community.

The evening will feature beats from local DJ collective Bunkr., a curated marketplace, and plenty of hands-on opportunities to create, explore, and engage.

We are thrilled to welcome both returning and new collaborators, including Brick City Run Club, Cookbook Lookbook, GlassRoots, New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice (NJAIJ), New Jersey Children’s Foundation, Newark Documenters, Obscura Darkroom & Sunflower Studios, Source of Knowledge Bookstore, The Temporary Mural Project, Think Momi Maker’s Museum, Tiny Gallery, and more—perfect for audiences of all ages to explore, learn, and get creative.

The marketplace will highlight wellness initiatives, local food, educational programs, and artisan goods, alongside an exciting lineup of growers and makers presented by STEAM URBAN, including Al-Munir, Down Bottom Farms, Greater Newark Conservancy, Her Majesty Hives, LifeCap Farms, Night Fairy Market, Plant It, Rabbit Hole, Steam Urban & Healing Sanctuary Farms, Urban Agriculture Cooperative, and more. Attendees can explore, taste, and engage with fresh produce, artisan creations, and hands-on insights into civic agriculture and creative making.

Visitors can also enjoy a special ART IN THE PARK tent, showcasing upcoming public art initiatives for 2026 with activations by Damien Davis and Amanda Thackray. We’ll be distributing 250 free art kits, generously provided by SRI Fine Art Services, a PES Supporter.

The rest of Mulberry Commons will remain open for picnicking—bring friends, family, and a blanket. Attendees can also explore highlights of the Newark Grounds footprint, including Four Corners Public Arts, Project for Empty Space, Gateways to Newark: Portraits, and select works from New Jersey Transit’s public art program.

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About Newark Grounds: Led by Project for Empty Space, this initiative is a collaboration with the City of Newark Division of Art and Cultural Affairs, the City of Newark Arts and Education District, the City Parks Foundation, the Newark Alliance, the Greater Newark Convention and Visitors Bureau, Newark Arts, the Four Corners Public Arts Partnership, and the Rutgers University-Newark Design Consortium. The project connects Newark Penn Station to Teachers Village through a dynamic arts path. The initiative bridges public art projects from Four Corners Public Arts, Project for Empty Space, and Gateways to Newark: Portraits, along with selected works from New Jersey Transit’s public art program at Newark Penn Station. It is strategically situated within the Arts and Education District, established by Mayor Ras J. Baraka in Fall 2022.

Project for Empty Space (PES) is a multifaceted arts organization that includes Exhibitions, Artists Residencies, Public Art initiatives, subsidized Artist Studios, and Artist Professional Development/Granting opportunities. Our programs lean into social discourse, including narratives that have been historically and systemically erased. We strive to course-correct historic instances of forced marginality, in-equity, and in-visibility. Today, in our efforts to support socially-oriented artists, we maintain a commitment to holding space for both looking back and looking to new potentials and futures.

Newark City Parks Foundation, Inc., a public-private partnership created by Mayor Ras J. Baraka and the Newark Municipal City Council in April 2021 to manage, maintain, program, and raise funds for Newark’s Downtown Parks including the historic Harriet Tubman Square, Lincoln Park, Military Park, Mulberry Commons, and Riverfront Park. 

The organization is committed to ensuring that all five of Newark’s downtown parks are vibrant and provide free, outdoor public programs that are inclusive for all Newark residents, workers, and visitors. NCPF works closely with the City of Newark, anchor stakeholders situated around Newark’s parks, local non-profits, and residents who are committed to making the downtown parks world-class public spaces. 

Since its creation in 2021, NCPF has consistently produced over 200 annual programs in the areas of arts & culture, health & wellness, on water activities, and environmental education that attracts thousands of visitors annually.