With this week’s announcement of Billy Joel as the headliner for the upcoming Greenwich Town Party; Ray Dalio, Ray Rivers, Scot Weicker and the entire GTP team have once again set the stage for an amazing time. The Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend, the Piano Man will be rocking Roger Sherman Baldwin Park. We thought last year’s GTP was pretty amazing with Zach Brown and The Eagles. This year is going to be even better.
Of course, the GTP is more than just a concert, it is a community-wide celebration. The idea of Ray and Barbara Dalio – after witnessing community festivals in Spain- the GTP was meant to be more like a potluck super where everyone contributed something. Eventually Ray Dalio and Ray Rivers would get together to launch the first GTP with Chicago Bluesman Buddy Guy performing.
And then the demand grew. The following year, New Canaan resident Paul Simon headlined the event. Challenges needed to be addressed. Roger Sherman Baldwin Park only allows so many people in for safety reasons. With its popularity growing, tickets sales would sell out very quickly. To give more people an opportunity to purchase steeply discounted tickets a lottery system was put in place. It was the right thing to do.
Gates typically open at 10 a.m. and from then until 2 p.m. the park is packed with families enjoying face painting, caricature artists, roaming performers, bouncy houses and arts and crafts. This is when the GTP feels most like a community festival. There are multiple generations, live music, food, and laughing kids everywhere.
As the afternoon progresses the vibe of GTP changes. If it is a warm sunny day, there seems to be an almost siesta feel to the park as parents and children head home for a rest. Slowly the park begins to fill again as people return for an evening of amazing music, great food, and dancing under the stars.
The GTP team has created an experience that every year leaves us amazed and wondering how they could possibly top it for the following year. Last year was described as “like Woodstock, but without the childbirth.” The downpour did little to dampen people’s enthusiasm for the day. Our boots stayed muddy on the back porch all weekend long as we continued to play Zach Brown music and The Eagles in our house, not wanting the great vibe to end too soon.
While Tuesday morning there were still sponsor opportunities available for those who wished to purchase them, however, with the announcement of Billy Joel, they sold out by the end of the day, and there is now a wait list. This is great on the one hand as it means more people are supporting the event. The GTP, our community festival, can only continue if we as a community continue to support it. On the other hand, if now that you know who the headliner is going to be, if you want tickets, you are most likely out of luck. We encourage everyone to purchase neighbor or sponsor tickets as soon as they can next year. Don’t wait until the headliner is announced. After what will have been 12 amazing GTP’s, we know that Ray Dalio and Ray Rivers are going to put on an incredible show.
It is too far out to predict the weather, but we are going to go out on a limb and say it will be mid 70s and sunny, or it might rain. Either way it will be a great day. As Ray Rivers said to the Greenwich Sentinel: “Everyone has a favorite Billy Joel song and memory, and we’re excited to be able to host such a legendary musician. We can’t wait for the giant sing-along at Roger Sherman Baldwin Park on Memorial Day Weekend!”
See you there!
