The Apollo in the Hamptons was literally ALL THAT AND A BAG OF CHIPS.

Last year, I covered Apollo in the Hamptons from a distance. I was unable to attend the 2025 event, yet the story still resonated with me because of my Harlem roots and the Apollo’s connection to Black culture, music and history. This year was different. After sharing my 2026 pre-event editorial about the Apollo’s return and the historic connection between Harlem and Sag Harbor, I finally had the opportunity to experience it for myself. On August 1, the Apollo brought the spirit of Harlem to EHP Resort & Marina in East Hampton for an evening filled with music, dancing, great food and familiar faces. I arrived ready to cover the event and was given one simple instruction: Have a great time. How refreshing was that? I took those words seriously.

Before August 1, I would have said the best party I attended this summer was my 60th birthday celebration. I might be slightly biased, of course, but Apollo in the Hamptons came pretty close. Let’s call it a tie.

Brownstone took us back with songs many of us grew up listening to, while Estelle brought her unmistakable sound and energy. DJ Aktive kept the music moving, Bobby Brown brought another level of excitement, and DJ Cassidy’s Pass the Mic turned the evening into a celebration of music across generations.

There is something powerful about hearing a song connected to a particular time in your life. The first few notes play, the memories return, and suddenly everyone around you is singing. Nearly 300 people danced, laughed and enjoyed being together that evening.

The Apollo has understood the power of music to bring people together for generations.

“The Apollo Brought Harlem to the Hamptons”

Seeing so many familiar faces from Sag Harbor made the evening even more meaningful for me. Harlem and Sag Harbor have shared a connection for generations. Black families from New York City came east and established communities where families could own property, gather and create traditions that continue today.

I was born and raised in Harlem and later built a life connected to the East End. Standing in East Hampton celebrating the Apollo while surrounded by people from Sag Harbor felt like two parts of my world coming together.

The Apollo brought Harlem to the Hamptons, yet in many ways, Harlem was already here.

“Growing Up in Harlem, The Apollo Was Part of 125th Street”

This is where Real Talk. Real People. becomes personal.

Growing up in Harlem, the Apollo wasn’t a tourist destination or simply a famous theater we read about. It was part of 125th Street and part of our neighborhood. The marquee, the crowds and the excitement surrounding Amateur Night were woven into the experience of Harlem.

Sometimes you don’t fully understand the importance of the places around you when you are a child. Time gives you perspective, and I understand the Apollo differently today.

Harlem has changed tremendously since my childhood. Change is inevitable, and progress is necessary. Preserving the places that tell the story of a community is equally important.

When I walk down 125th Street today, I still want to see the Apollo marquee shining. I want to see people gathering outside. I want young artists walking through those doors wondering if this might be their moment.

Since 1934, the Apollo has helped shape American music and culture while providing a stage for Black artists, including during periods when opportunities on other stages were limited. Ella Fitzgerald, James Brown, Billie Holiday, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder and countless others became part of its extraordinary history.

Their names are legendary, yet the opportunity the Apollo represented is just as important as the names themselves. It gave artists a place to be seen, heard and celebrated.

“Another Name Deserves the Chance to Appear on That Marquee”

The Apollo’s Historic Theater is undergoing the most comprehensive restoration and modernization in its history. The transformation will improve accessibility and infrastructure while creating greater opportunities for artists, audiences, education and the Harlem community.

The recent relighting of the famous marquee represents more than a renovation. It signals that the Apollo is preparing for its next chapter.

Preserving this historic theater should never mean turning it into a museum where we only talk about who performed there decades ago. Another generation needs to perform on that stage. Another young artist needs the opportunity to experience Amateur Night. Another audience needs to discover someone they have never heard of before. Another name deserves the chance to appear on that marquee.

This year’s Apollo in the Hamptons weekend also included the inaugural Young Patrons Day Party, which welcomed more than 250 philanthropists, entrepreneurs, creatives and community leaders. Bringing a younger generation into the conversation matters. Cultural institutions cannot survive on nostalgia alone. Each generation has to understand why these places matter and decide that their stories are worth carrying forward.

The August 1 benefit supported artistic programming, arts education, artist development, community engagement and the Historic Theater restoration.

The music brought everyone together. The legacy gave the evening its deeper meaning.

“That History Deserves a Future”

I went to Apollo in the Hamptons expecting great music and a fun summer evening. I certainly got both. I danced, laughed, caught up with friends and had an opportunity to simply enjoy myself.

I also left thinking about the little girl I once was growing up in Harlem and how much of our history is tied to places we sometimes take for granted until they are gone.

When I return to 125th Street, I want the Apollo to still be there. I want children growing up in Harlem today to understand what happened inside that building and why it matters. Most importantly, I want a young artist looking at that marquee to believe their name could be up there one day.

That is why supporting the Apollo matters to me.

It isn’t simply about preserving a building. It is about preserving the music, the people, the opportunities, the memories and the Harlem story that lives inside it while making room for stories that haven’t been written yet.

Apollo in the Hamptons gave us one incredible summer evening. The Apollo in Harlem has given us generations of history, and that history deserves a future.

That is Real Talk. Real People.

As for Apollo in the Hamptons? It was absolutely ALL THAT AND A BAG OF CHIPS.