FirstWorks is turning up the volume on summer with the return of Summer Beats 2025, a free outdoor concert series celebrating music from around the world. Now in its sixth year, the series kicks off Thursday, June 26, and will bring four high-energy performances to Roger Williams Park and, for the first time, to Jenks Park in Central Falls.
“FirstWorks created Summer Beats to gather community and unite us through the arts,” says Kathleen Pletcher, Executive Artistic Director of FirstWorks. “We are uplifted by audiences aged 1 to 100 dancing, listening, enjoying food, and finding joy and replenished spirits through the music of extraordinary artists.”
The season opens at Roger Williams Park Bandstand with Las Guaracheras, a fierce, all-female salsa sextet from Colombia whose rhythm-forward performances double as celebrations of womanhood and resilience. “Their music is joy, memory, and transformation—performed with vibraphone, percussion, and powerhouse vocals,” says Pletcher.
On Friday, July 11, the Boathouse Lawn hosts The William Cepeda & Elio Villafranca Sextet: Merging Roots, a cultural deep dive into Afro-Caribbean jazz and the African musical lineage that binds Puerto Rico, Cuba, and New Orleans.
Then, on July 25, the hyper-folk group Khumariyaan from Pakistan takes the stage. Known as “The Intoxicators,” the band fuses traditional Pashto music with modern energy. Founded amid political unrest, their sound stands as both cultural preservation and creative resistance.
In a new move, the series finale will take place at Jenks Park in Central Falls on Saturday, August 9. Cape Verdean star Elida Almeida, known for her blend of batuque and Latin-infused rhythms, headlines the event. Joining her is Pawtucket’s own Chachi Carvalho, a multi-hyphenate local artist and youth advocate whose roots run deep in the local Cape Verdean community.
“This incredible summer series brings world-class talent to our community,” says Bonnie Nickerson of the Roger Williams Park Conservancy. “We’re thrilled to see it grow.” For more details and the full concert listings, visit FirstWorks.org.
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