ST. PAUL, Minn. — Celebration — the four-day festival of all things Prince — will return to Paisley Park after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic.
So far, the only information Paisley Park has revealed are the dates, June 2 through 5, with more details set to roll out on Thursday when tickets go on sale. In previous years, only four-day tickets were made available at $500 and $1,000.
The first Celebration took place in April 2017. It offered fans — who flew in from around the world to attend — four days of live concerts, tours and panel discussions. It was inspired by Prince: A Celebration, a weeklong party Prince hosted in 2000 during his 42nd birthday. He must have been pleased with the results, as he followed it up with similar affairs in 2001 and 2002.
The first three Celebrations saw performances from Prince’s various backing bands (the Revolution, New Power Generation, 3rdEyeGirl), affiliated acts (Morris Day and the Time, Sheila E., Jessie Johnson) and at least one surprise (George Clinton and his band Parliament-Funkadelic).
Originally planned for 2020, the fourth Celebration will be the first timed to his birthday in June rather than his death in April. That shift may not be the only thing that changes given the museum is now managed by Prince’s estate. The folks behind Elvis Presley’s Graceland ran operations from 2016 through through September 2019, when the contract between Graceland and the estate was completed.
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