Several Queens leaders and community members celebrated Queens Rising’s launch event and reception for its June 2026 initiative.
Photo by Ramy Mahmoud
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Queens Rising hosted a launch event and reception to celebrate its fifth annual month-long festival in June on Monday, April 13, at the Queens Museum in Flushing Meadows Corona Park.
This event was intended to set the tone for the Queens Rising June 2026 initiative, which celebrates the cultural and creative diversity of the borough.
Photo by Ramy Mahmoud
The launch event and reception also gave attendees the opportunity to connect with local cultural institutions, artists, elected leaders, business leaders, friends and more, while also enjoying a continental breakfast and refreshments.
Attendees had access to a continental breakfast. Photo by Ramy Mahmoud
Some of the notable attendees for the event at the Queens Museum included Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, New York City Council Member Shanel Thomas-Henry, Queens Museum President and Executive Director Sally Tallant, Queens Museum Chair Paula Kirby, LIJ Forest Hills President and Queens Museum Board Member Lorraine Chambers-Lewis, Resorts World New York City Senior Vice President of Community Development and Public Affairs Michelle Stoddart and Queens College Assistant Vice President for External and Governmental Relations Jeffrey Rosenstock.
(Front row, from left to right) Queens College Assistant Vice President for External and Governmental Relations Jeffrey Rosenstock, Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, LIJ Forest Hills President and Queens Museum Board Member Lorraine Chambers-Lewis, Resorts World New York City Senior Vice President of Community Development and Public Affairs Michelle Stoddart and New York City Council Member Shanel Thomas-Henry were among those in attendance for the event. Photo by Ramy Mahmoud
“The amazing Queen Museum, a two-crown jewel of this borough. It’s even better to be here alongside so many of our incredible cultural leaders and institutions that put Queens’ diversity into practice each and every day. And that’s what Queens Rising is all about,” Richards said. “It’s putting our diversity on display for the world to see. And not just diversity in what we see as demographics, but diversity in the arts. We’re talking about painters, sculptors, dancers, photographers, filmmakers, writers, poets and more from all over the world, and their masterpieces all look and sound different, but their value to our arts and culture, seen here in Queens, is the same, and these are the people who keep the cultures of the world’s borough alive through art to make us who we are. These are the people who uplift us every year through this particular initiative, Queens Rising. And these are the people that your organizations showcase to the entire world.”
Richards addressing the attendees. Photo by Ramy Mahmoud
Programs that will be presented by Queens Rising this June include live music, performances, exhibitions and more, all for free.
Photo by Ramy Mahmoud
This year’s Queens Rising schedule consists of a kickoff cocktail event at Resorts World NYC on Monday, June 1, a pride celebration at Culture Lab LIC on Thursday, June 4, opening night of a visual arts exhibition on Friday, June 5, the launch of the Queens Night Market at Flushing Meadows Corona Park on Saturday, June 6, a Juneteenth celebration at the Queens Theatre on Friday, June 19, musical performances during Queens Rising at The Lot at Culture Lab LIC on Saturday, June 27 and a close-off party on Tuesday, June 30.
Photo by Ramy Mahmoud
Queens Rising has also partnered with Culture Pass to host events spotlighting local artists. These events will consist of a visual arts workshop at the St. Albans Library on Thursday, June 4, a music performance at the South Ozone Park Library on Thursday, June 11, a music workshop at the Corona Library on Thursday, June 18 and an improv class with Katha Cato at the Hunters Point Library on Thursday, June 25.
“The world is here, so the world would be watching us. They told me to be a good neighbor to everyone around me. How can you do that without loving the arts? How can you do that without loving the culture of where you are? So, Queens Rising definitely embodies all of that,” Stoddart said. “And so when we were asked to support and to be a part of it, there was no way we could do anything else than put our full weight behind this effort and we will continue to support Queens Rising in 2027.”