{"id":330880,"date":"2026-08-27T08:48:52","date_gmt":"2026-08-27T08:48:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/330880\/"},"modified":"2026-08-27T08:48:52","modified_gmt":"2026-08-27T08:48:52","slug":"spike-lee-resurrects-michael-jackson-dance-party","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/330880\/","title":{"rendered":"Spike Lee resurrects Michael Jackson dance party"},"content":{"rendered":"

Spike Lee<\/a> is bringing back his anticipated Michael Jackson celebration to his home borough. The Academy Award-winning filmmaker and screenwriter is reviving his \u201cBrooklyn Loves MJ\u201d dance party on Aug. 29 at Brooklyn\u2019s Fort Greene Park. Brooklyn\u2019s own DJ Spinna will return to preside over the music for the free daylong event, lasting from noon to 7 p.m.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Lee announced the block party\u2019s return on Sunday, Aug. 16, via his social media platforms<\/a>. The \u201cDo the Right Thing\u201d director is reinstating the celebration after a three-year live hiatus. Lee last hosted a \u201cBrooklyn Loves MJ and Prince\u201d party at Fort Greene Park in August 2023<\/a>, while the 2024 edition was done virtually. Lee first teased that he was bringing the Jackson dance party back last Monday when he posted a spray-painted emblem of \u201cBk Loves MJ\u201d<\/a> on his Instagram page. He posted another clue three days later in the form of beaded images of Jackson\u2019s and Lee\u2019s faces<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The first party took place in August 2009, mere months after Jackson\u2019s death on June 25, 2009. Lee, a former collaborator with Jackson, actually intended the inaugural party to be at Fort Greene Park, but had to move it to Prospect Park because the Parks Department<\/a> anticipated such a large turnout. Indeed, in the first two years of the party, tens of thousands of fans came to Prospect Park.<\/p>\n

\"\"Fans dancing during Spike Lee\u2019s \u201cBrooklyn Loves MJ & Prince\u201d Block Party on August 26, 2023 at Fort Greene Park in Brooklyn, NY. (Matthew Allen photo)\"\"DJ Spinna presides over the music during Spike Lee\u2019s Brooklyn Loves MJ & Prince\u201d Block Party on August 26, 2023 at Fort Greene Park in Brooklyn, NY. (Matthew Allen photo) Comment end <\/p>\n

Over the years, Lee has hosted the party in numerous Brooklyn locations, including Restoration Plaza in Bed-Stuy and on Stuyvesant Avenue, the site of his film \u201cDo the Right Thing.\u201d Lee always scheduled the block parties as close to Jackson\u2019s Aug. 29 birthday as possible.<\/p>\n

Lee, a lifelong Jackson fan, has substantial connections to the King of Pop. He directed two short films\/music videos for Jackson\u2019s 1996 single, \u201cThey Don\u2019t Care About Us.\u201d The Brazil version<\/a> is one of several Jackson short films to exceed a billion views on YouTube. Lee also directed the posthumous video for \u201cThis Is It<\/a>,\u201d the song that accompanied Jackson\u2019s concert documentary of the same name. The film drew on footage from rehearsals for his 50-night residency at London\u2019s O2 Arena, which was set to open weeks after he died.<\/p>\n

Following Jackson\u2019s death, Lee went on to direct two documentaries about Jackson\u2019s solo albums: 2012\u2019s \u201cBad 25\u201d about Jackson\u2019s 1987 album \u201cBad,\u201d and 2016\u2019s \u201cMichael Jackson\u2019s Journey From Motown to Off the Wall,\u201d chronicling his transition from lead singer of The Jackson 5 to the making of his 1979 album, \u201cOff the Wall.\u201d<\/p>\n

The return of \u201cBrooklyn Loves MJ\u201d comes during what\u2019s been a big resurgence for Jackson and his legacy. In April, Lionsgate and Universal released \u201cMichael<\/a>,\u201d a biopic about Jackson\u2019s life and career, starring his nephew, Jaafar Jackson. The film has been a resounding commercial success<\/a>, becoming the highest-grossing biopic of all time both domestically and worldwide and the first to surpass $1 billion in box office earnings. The success of the film fueled a surge in record sales and streaming, sending \u201cThriller,\u201d the best-selling album of all time, back to No. 1 on the Billboard Top R&B\/Hip-Hop Albums<\/a> chart\u00a0 for the first time since the 1980s. The album also sat near the top of the Billboard 200<\/a> from April to August.<\/p>\n

\n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n

\t