After a two-year hiatus because of the pandemic, Paisley Park has announced Celebration 2022 for June 2-5 to mark what would have been Prince's 64th birthday.
The schedule kicks off with the dedication of a new Prince mural in downtown Minneapolis. Work on the mural, just a block from First Avenue on Ramp A, will begin in mid-May.
Programming includes a live performance by BrownMark with members of Mazarati, a gospel brunch with the Steeles, a photo exhibit by Randee St. Nicholas, a screening of a 1992 Prince performance at Glam Slam and panel discussions with such Purple associates as Jill Jones, Carmen Electra, Tom Garneau and Mayte Garcia, a dancer and Prince's first wife.
"We want to thank you for your patience in this announcement," Paisley Park said in a statement. "With the state of live events being on hold up until recently, we wanted to be confident that we would be able to host a successful in-person event without risking last minute cancellation. That being said, we will do everything we can to ensure that future Celebration announcements will be made further in advance."
Tickets, priced from $399 to $899, are on sale at paisleypark.com/celebration2022.
Starting in 2017, Paisley Park had been staging its "Celebration" around the anniversary of Prince's death on April 21, 2016. The multi-day events included panel discussions with Purple associates, concert films and live performances by the likes of George Clinton, the Revolution and Jesse Johnson.
Celebration 2020 was scheduled for June (Prince was born June 7, 1958) but called off because of COVID. No Celebration was planned last year.
Other Prince salutes in June include "Prince: The Immersive Experience" opening in Chicago on June 9 and "Prince and the Revolution: Live," a three-disc concert recording from 1985, dropping on June 3.
