Smyrna resident Bobbi Jones anticipates House in the Park every Labor Day weekend.
She has attended every House in the Park event since 2008, and said it’s her chance to have a good time and catch up with old friends. Jones also calls the daylong outdoor party, which attracts a mostly Black crowd and plays dance music by mostly Black recording artists, her favorite event in Atlanta.
“I always dance my butt off because it’s an infectious vibe that you can feel in your chest,” she said.
The annual house music event, held rain or shine in Grant Park on the Sunday before Labor Day, is celebrating its 20th anniversary Sunday.
House is a style of dance music credited as having come from Chicago. Its pulsating rhythms, gospel-inspired vocals and lyrics are often themed around love and liberation.
Atlanta DJs Ramon Rawsoul, Kai Alce, Kemit and Salah Ananse provide the soundtrack the entire day. Rawsoul, House in the Park’s co-founder, said the event’s atmosphere and supportive community create anticipation.
“It’s the perfect combination of good music and seeing everybody you know at once,” he said.
Credit: House in the Park
Credit: House in the Park
Rawsoul moved to Atlanta to attend Georgia State University from Chicago in 1992. A dancer, he wanted a taste of home, but couldn’t find venues that regularly played house music.
In 1997, Rawsoul’s roommate took him to Earwax Records for Second Saturday, an in-store event spotlighting house music each month. There, he met Kemit, who later introduced him to Alce, a regular DJ at MJQ Concourse.
Six years later, Rawsoul taught himself to deejay. He asked Alce if he could entertain a crowd at MJQ but was told he wasn’t ready to perform in front of the crowd, so he created The Gathering, a monthly party for deep house and dance music, and asked Alce to be his co-resident.
Months later, he drove around Atlanta to scout parks for an outdoor afternoon event he wanted to produce. He called it House in the Park.
In 2005, the first House in the Park was held in Candler Park, with four other DJs joining Rawsoul, Alce, Kemit and Ananse. It drew over 100 people in attendance.
Rawsoul and Alce funded the event themselves, bartering services and borrowing equipment. “We had to bring our own port-a-potties and power,” Alce recalled.
House in the Park moved to Perkerson Park, near Sylvan Hills, the following year, downsizing to five DJs. Word-of-mouth caused attendance to grow and by its fifth year, House in the Park exceeded 10,000 people, causing Rawsoul and Alce to relocate.
Credit: Marcus Whitehead
Credit: Marcus Whitehead
In 2007, Rawsoul, Kemit, Alce and Ananse became House in the Park’s only performers after a fifth DJ based outside Atlanta didn’t show up to perform.
“We made a pact that we would never bring in guests [again] and [would] keep it in our hometown,” Alce said.
Keeping it to four DJs caused their bond to develop into friendly competition, said Rawsoul. “Each of them provides something different. You don’t have to worry about hearing the same song over and over.”
By 2010, House in the Park had become a Labor Day destination event for people traveling to Atlanta from across the world. Rawsoul and Alce stood on top of a hill, saw thousands of people dancing on the field, and realized they needed to create a business from their idea.
“I needed to make sure I was setting up the infrastructure to make it sustainable,” Rawsoul said.
A year later, Ananse created ATL Weekender, a five-day festival primarily hosted this year at Westside Motor Lounge programmed around House in the Park to give visitors more dance music-themed options.
Credit: Marcus Whitehead
Credit: Marcus Whitehead
He prepares for Sunday by observing crowds at each of his events.
“Atlanta is a destination every Labor Day weekend because of dance music from the Black community. I listen, see what people are vibing to, look at their faces and dances,” Ananse said. “It gives me the energy and vision to take it where I need to take it — to give them a spiritual experience on the dance floor.”
Credit: House in the Park
Credit: House in the Park
Kemit, who’s performing at ATL Weekender’s “Come Together” dance party at Westside Motor Lounge with Ananse Saturday night, plays anthems that celebrate women, gospel and disco classics during House in the Park.
“It touches the soul, empowers people and keeps the momentum on the dance floor,” he said.
Credit: Marcus Whitehead
Credit: Marcus Whitehead
Typically, the festival takes place on the gazebo side of Grant Park, adjacent to Zoo Atlanta, but construction in the park created a new challenge this year. Rawsoul said he tried scouting other open spaces but returned to Grant Park because of accessibility and support from the local community.
The organizers started collecting donations the first year at Perkerson Park to help cover expenses but eventually added a cover charge to manage attendance. “It started to attract people that weren’t necessarily into house music, so we had to do something to get it back to its core,” Alce said.
Credit: Marcus Whitehead
Credit: Marcus Whitehead
Songwriter Kipper Jones, who moved to Atlanta from Dallas in 2006, started regularly attending House in the Park in 2014 after seeing Black people of all ages and sexual orientations singing and dancing together.
“I couldn’t believe I was seeing that many Black people in one space mashed up on each other. It’s a community of love and acceptance,” he said.
This year a hospitality lounge was added behind the main stage. A second stage, on the baseball field, features disco music, dance lessons, a photo booth and frozen pops station.
“It’s an opportunity for everybody to get something,” Kemit said. “Some people want more classics, and other people want new music.”
Bobbi Jones said she and other dedicated attendees appreciate House in the Park’s longevity, and its continued mission to bring joy to people.
“It’s a family affair for music lovers, and I’m proud that it’s still around,” she said.
12-8 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 1. Grant Park. 537 Park Avenue SE, Atlanta. Houseinthepark.org
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