NEWARK, NJ — What does peace look like in a city look like ?
In Newark NJ, it looks like a cultural gathering
It sounds like HIP-HOP. It becomes thousands of people gathering downtown. It feels like a neighborhood coming together around music, wellness, remembrance, and the belief that a city can evolve its story.
That is the energy behind 24HRS OF PEACE, Newark’s annual 24-hour festival returning August 28–29 to Halsey and Market in downtown Newark
Running from 6 p.m. Friday through 6 p.m. Saturday, the free, family-friendly event will bring together national music artists, local talent, community organizations, wellness professionals, families, and residents for a full day dedicated to culture, connection, and violence prevention.
And after more than 15 years, the message behind the festival feels especially relevant.
A Different Kind of Victory Lap
Newark has real progress to celebrate.
The city recorded 31 homicides in 2025, its lowest total since 1953. So far in 2026, Newark has recorded just six homicides, representing a 64.7% decline compared with the same period in 2025.
Those numbers are significant—but they don’t tell the entire story.
This gathering represents lives that weren’t lost, families that weren’t forced to grieve, and neighborhoods given another opportunity. Co Founder Hakim Green is apart of the mobilization of much needed community infrastructures.
That’s where 24HRS OF PEACE comes in.
Rather than treating violence prevention as something that only happens in government offices or after a tragedy, the festival puts the conversation directly into the culture.
Music becomes the meeting point.
Hip-Hop Is Part of the Solution
The 2026 lineup is a reflection of how deeply hip-hop is connected to Newark and the wider culture.
This year’s performers include Memphis Bleek, Freeway, MC Lyte, Bunna B, Kyle Richh, DMC, Coi Leray, Ron G, DJ Doo Wop, DJ Lil Taj and friends, alongside the highly anticipated Tsu Surf and Arsonal Battle for Peace.
It’s an impressive lineup, but the bigger story is what happens when artists with influence step into a conversation that extends beyond entertainment.
Hip-hop has always documented what communities experience.
It has told stories about survival, ambition, loss, injustice, family, love, and transformation.
Now, 24HRS OF PEACE is using that same cultural power to talk about what comes after survival.
What does healing look like?
What does community look like?
And what happens when the culture becomes part of the solution?
The Festival Goes Beyond the Stage
One of the strongest elements of 24HRS OF PEACE is that the music isn’t the entire experience.
The weekend includes yoga, health and wellness programming, gospel performances, poetry, vendors, community resources, social-service connections, and activities designed to bring different generations together.
Wellness programming featuring NDO Champ, Haqqi Mu, Nikki D, and others adds another layer to the conversation—because violence prevention isn’t only about what happens in the streets. It’s also about mental, physical, and emotional well-being.
There’s even a special effort to feed Newark’s seniors.
A healthy community isn’t built around one age group. It requires young people, working adults, parents, elders, artists, organizers, and leaders to recognize that their futures are connected.
Peace Week Sets the Stage
24HRS OF PEACE serves as the closing celebration of Newark’s Peace Week Initiative, which runs August 21–29.
The week’s programming includes:
- August 21: Ras Baraka’s Family Meeting
- August 24: Back to School BBQ
- August 26: Senior Village
- August 26: Bike for Peace
- August 27: Memorial Vigil
- August 28–29: 24HRS OF PEACE
The programming moves from conversation to celebration, from remembrance to community engagement.
And that progression matters.
Because peace isn’t simply about celebrating when the numbers improve.
It’s about building the relationships and resources that help keep them moving in the right direction.
More Than an Event
Since launching in 2010, 24HRS OF PEACE has grown into a major Newark tradition, drawing more than 20,000 attendees annually.
The festival is produced through a partnership involving Newark’s Office of Violence Prevention and Trauma Recovery (OVPTR), the Urban League of Essex County, Brick City Peace Collective, and 24HRSOFPEACE INC.
That kind of longevity doesn’t happen because of one concert or one weekend.
It happens because the community continues to see value in creating spaces where people can gather without fear, access resources, celebrate culture, and imagine something better.
For a generation that has grown up watching communities across the country wrestle with violence, mental health, economic pressure, and social division, that kind of space matters.
But perhaps the most powerful part of 24HRS OF PEACE is that it doesn’t ask Newark to forget its past.
It asks the city to build from it.
The music celebrates where the culture has been.
The wellness programming focuses on where people are now.
And the message of peace points toward where Newark wants to go next.
For 24 hours, downtown Newark becomes more than a festival ground.
Visit 24HRSOFPEACE INC. for more information