Huffington Post New York reports that Unsilent Night in New York City will take place this coming Saturday, December 18th beginning at 6:45 p.m. at Washington Square Park under the Arch. The event was started by artist Phil Kline 18 years ago. On the Unsilent Night site, Kline explains the event: “Every year I present Unsilent Night, which is like a Christmas caroling party except we don’t sing, but rather carry boomboxes, each playing a separate tape or CD which is part of the piece. In effect, we become a city-block-long stereo system.”
To participate, you can bring your own boom box and get music there in cassette or CD form or download the music in advance at the site and place on your own CD. A limited # of boom boxes as well as cassettes and CDs will be handed out. The group will then proceed through the city streets ending at Tompkins Square Park. Unsilent Night has expanded from its New York City beginnings to cities across the U.S. and the world. In the past few years, several hundred people have walked the stretch together between the West Village and East Village parks holding boom boxes playing the same ambient music. They look very happy! You can see video of the 2008 event here.