Photos: Spike Lee Celebrates 'Do The Right Thing' 30th Anniversary At Annual Brooklyn Block Party
July 1, 2019, 1:18 p.m.
This year's event was a celebration of the 30th anniversary of Lee's classic film 'Do The Right Thing,' taking place on one of the very blocks where the movie was shot in Bed-Stuy.
Spike Lee was in London on Saturday with actor Rami Malek watching the Yankees pummel the Red Sox 17-13—but he made sure to fly back afterwards to attend his annual Block Party in Brooklyn on Sunday. This year's event was a celebration of the 30th anniversary of Lee's classic film Do The Right Thing, taking place on one of the very blocks where the movie was shot in Bed-Stuy.
Hundreds of people came out to Do The Right Thing Way for the free event. "We appreciate you," Lee told the crowd. "Every year we come out and it’s just peace, it’s love, it’s fun. Everybody’s having a good time. These are the block parties I grew up on. This is us — summertime, block party, DJ, fire hydrants, barbecue, weed, nutcrackers."
In previous years, the Block Party was often an excuse to celebrate the life and music of Michael Jackson coinciding with his birthday—this year's event had far less emphasis on Jackson, who was the subject of an explosive documentary on his alleged child abuse, Leaving Neverland, earlier this year. Nevertheless, DJ Spinna and DJ Sketch played plenty of MJ classics throughout the day at the party. (Lee also recently posted a photo of him and Jackson on his Instagram.)
If you're looking for more about Do The Right Thing, check out this New Yorker article about its enduring legacy. We hope Lee had a great time at the event, since Sunday night proved to be pretty traumatic for Knicks fans, as his five Instagram posts today about the Knicks/Nets show.
