Edited contributions by Greenwich Town Party
The Greenwich Town Party is on Saturday, May 24. The event is so popular that access to tickets is gained through a lottery system each year (for Greenwich residents only). It’s our version of Wonka’s Golden ticket but with room for 8,000 at Roger Sherman Baldwin Park, odds are better than Charlie faced—and the experience almost as magical … or more, if you love music.
Since 2011, an astounding list of musical greats have graced Greenwich Town Party’s massive stage on the water, including Billy Joel, Eric Clapton, The Eagles, Hall & Oates, Steely Dan, John Fogerty, Zac Brown Band, Mumford & Sons, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, The Revivalists and Buddy Guy. When patrons win their way onto the ticket list, no one knows which bands will play; but no one doubts that the $100 price for 11-plus hours of music, fun, food and celebrating community is the best deal in town (or maybe across the entire country, chocolate factories included).
MAIN STAGE BANDS
Alanis Morissette
Alanis Morissette’s deeply expressive music and performances have earned vast critical praise and seven Grammy Awards. Morissette’s 1995 album, “Jagged Little Pill,” won five Grammy Awards including Album of the Year. It was a tour de force that changed the sound of pop music around the world with hits including “You Oughta Know,” “Ironic,” and “Hand in My Pocket.” It was followed by nine more eclectic and acclaimed albums. She has contributed musically to theatrical releases and has acted on the big and small screen. In 2019, “Jagged Little Pill: The Musical” made its Broadway debut at the Broadhurst Theatre in New York City, and was subsequently nominated for fifteen Tony Awards. In 2020, Alanis released her ninth studio album, Such Pretty Forks In The Road, to rave reviews; it was followed by a meditation album called The Storm Before The Calm in 2022. Following the pandemic, Alanis made a triumphant return to the road, with two massive, sold-out North American arena tours in 2022 and 2024 respectively.
Ziggy Marley
Ziggy Marley is an eight-time Grammy winner, Emmy winner, musician, producer, activist and humanitarian who has cultivated a legendary career for close to 40 years. The eldest son of Bob and Rita Marley, Ziggy has hewed his own path as a musical pioneer, infusing the reggae genre with funk, blues, rock and other elements through mindful songcraft. Equal parts master storyteller and motivational guide, he deftly explores issues from environmental awareness to self-empowerment, social injustice to political inequity, while returning again and again to the transformative power of love. In addition, Marley’s charity, URGE, benefits the well-being of children in Jamaica, Africa and North America.
Preservation Hall Jazz Band
At a moment when musical streams are crossing with unprecedented frequency, it’s crucial to remember that throughout its history, New Orleans has been the point at which sounds and cultures from around the world converge, mingle, and resurface, transformed by the Crescent City’s inimitable spirit and joie de vivre. Nowhere is that idea more vividly embodied than in the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, which has held the torch of New Orleans music aloft for more than 50 years, all the while carrying it enthusiastically forward as a reminder that the history they were founded to preserve is a vibrantly living history.
PHJB marches that tradition forward once again on “So It Is,” the septet’s second release featuring all-new original music. The album redefines what New Orleans music means today by tapping into a sonic continuum that stretches back to the city’s Afro-Cuban roots, through its common ancestry with the Afrobeat of Fela Kuti and the Fire Music of Pharoah Sanders and John Coltrane, and forward to cutting-edge artists with whom the PHJB have shared festival stages from Coachella to Newport, including legends like Stevie Wonder, Elvis Costello and the Grateful Dead and modern giants like My Morning Jacket, Arcade Fire and the Black Keys.
Blippi: The Wonderful World Tour!
Blippi inspires curiosity in preschoolers around the world by creating content and experiences that are relatable, accessible and make learning fun. Blippi has become a worldwide sensation with more than one billion monthly views across platforms including Netflix, HBO Max, Cartoonito, Sky, Amazon and YouTube, and millions of fans around the world. The franchise has expanded rapidly since it was acquired by Moonbug Entertainment in 2020. Blippi is available in more than 20 languages, including ASL, and is distributed by more than 30 global broadcast and streaming partners. Blippi’s buddies Meekah and Juca have spun off into their own shows and Blippi lives off the screen as well with sold-out live events, popular music tracks, and in-demand toys available at all major retailers.
The Town Stage will feature local bands whose talent will add to the soaring town pride that day. If it wasn’t your golden-ticket year, there may still be options. GTP Neighbor passes, which provide unlimited access to the Neighborhood Area with wine, beer and catered food throughout the day and evening, as well as designated parking, are $500 per person. Sponsor passes, offering unlimited access to the Sponsor Tent with catered food and full bar throughout the day and evening, and premier parking in the Island Beach Lot located directly across from Roger Sherman Baldwin Park, are $1,500 per person. Multi-year and multi-person packages are also available. (All levels are available on the GTP website.)
Greenwich Town Party, Inc. is a nonprofit organization and all proceeds go toward the sustainability of the event and keeping the general admission ticket price affordable.
Ray Dalio
THE MAN BEHIND GREENWICH’S BIGGEST BASH
When founder Ray Dalio conceived the idea for an annual festival in Greenwich that everyone would eagerly anticipate, he wasn’t thinking of the usual enticements: caviar, fine crystal, lavish floral arrangements and a Vogue-worthy dress code. Dalio wanted quite the opposite—a party where a barista, cop and hedge fund director rub shoulders, all grooving to the beat of the same big-time bands and local musical talent. A place where the brands that partygoers wear and the stocks in their portfolio are meaningless and what matters is great tunes. Dalio succeeded, and part of his formula for success is picking the bands that will bring the crowd together.
We sat down with Dalio to learn how he develops the lineup and why community matters.
tell us how you originally imagined the music scene at GTP to be. has it exceeded your expectations? I view Greenwich Town Party like a party that I’m throwing with my friends in which I’m responsible for picking the music that I like and that they’d like. Of course, I want to give them the greatest musicians of my generation and that I have been exposed to, so that’s what we’ve had. But I am conscious that I want it to be great for all generations.
which musicians are your favorites? You’ve seen them. Plus, I have more up my sleeve that I don’t want to disclose.
what about the town stage? what were/are your goals in showcasing musicians who live, work or hail from Greenwich? It has been fabulous—great music with great neighbors playing it.
what are your goals for GTP as a whole? Community—to create a great party that brings those who live and work in our town together, to have a blast together, from both working on throwing the party and enjoying it.
anything else you’d like to add? Psychologists who study happiness have determined that community is the greatest source of happiness and well-being, and you can feel it for yourself. So I urge you to pitch in to help make and/or dive into the fun of this great Greenwich Town Party.
Ray Rivers
KEEPING THE PARTY GOING
“When we first launched the Greenwich Town Party in 2011, our mission was to create a European-style town party with live music and food that brought the whole community together,” says GTP Co-President Ray Rivers. “Barbara and Ray Dalio suggested we have our own town party right here where our own community could come together, celebrate and participate. Our goal was for the party to be inclusive, accessible and steeped in community generosity. We envisioned a potluck-style party where people who could afford to bring steak, brought steak, and those who could afford to bring a salad, brought that, and so forth. We wanted to mobilize volunteers across the town, as well as businesses and fundraisers, to help make the party special.”
The community ticket price is $100. ”That is only a fraction of what the ticket costs,” says Rivers. “The GTP quickly became the most anticipated event of the year in Greenwich and entrenched in the fabric of our community. Significant fundraising efforts, generous donors and sponsors have contributed above and beyond the cost of the event, so more people can afford it.
Rivers emphasizes that the party will endure as long as the community’s generosity does, “until the party’s last note!” And that generosity comes in many forms: becoming a sponsor, donating, fundraising or simply spreading the word. “This year we are focusing on keeping the party going to ensure future generations can enjoy this unique event just as much as we’ve loved it,” says Rivers.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
SPONSOR
Sponsor contributions support the sustainability of the event and allow more of the community to celebrate with general admission tickets: greenwichtownparty.org/become-a-sponsor
DONATE
In the spirit of mutual generosity, everyone is encouraged to contribute as much as they can so more people can come together and celebrate the day. greenwichtownparty.org/donate