Solstice Party

Waitlist for the Block Party (with food ticket)

Registration is free and required.

Food tickets were snapped up fast, but general tickets are still available! Try your hand with the food ticket waitlist. We will contact you if we receive a cancellation.

We are unable to accommodate dietary restrictions.

Please note, food tickets have now sold out.
Join us for music, artmaking and the atmosphere!

Spend the year’s longest day at this old-school block party at Agnes! Music by local DJs, family-friendly artmaking, and Brown Butter chefs Marissa Leon-John and Rawan Ali sharing the grill for this one-time community celebration! This day is a revival of the neighborhood party—where all are welcome to dance in the street and eat on the grass. The evening ends with a Solstice Sunset Walk to soak in the latest dip the sun will take all year.

Please note, food tickets are limited. A full menu is shared closer to the date. We are not able to accommodate dietary restrictions.

Schedule:

Take part in button making, chalk drawing and a live painting demonstration at the art making station between 3 and 7 pm.
Listen and dance to DJ sets all afternoon into the evening.
Grab a beverage at the bar from 3 to 8 pm.
Between 5 and 7 pm chefs Marissa Leon-John and Rawan Ali will be at the grill, sharing their menu with those with food tickets.
End the evening with a Solstice Sunset Walk at 8:30 pm.

Meet the chefs

RAWAN ALI

Rawan is an Egyptian baker/artist, who currently lives on the unceded Algonquin territory of Anishnaabeg people (Ottawa, Canada). Navigating the world through multiple political intersections, Rawan has developed an interest in the social sciences, history, indigeneity studies, and art. She has dabbled in different visual arts ﬁelds and is currently particularly curious about the creative energies of baking and cooking to build and maintain community and connection. For her, food is not merely sustenance; it’s a tradition as old as humanity. Through her work, she aspires to bring people together, emphasizing that in the simple act of eating, we are all welcome at the table.

MARISSA LEON-JOHN

Marissa is a completely self-taught chef. Born and raised in Montreal, Marissa’s kitchen reflects the multicultural food haven she hails from. Her Caribbean heritage is the foundation of her passion for honoring tradition and you taste this in every bite of food she prepares. A proud MasterChef Canada alumni, Marissa uses her voice and platform to provide more visibility for other young, black LGBTQ+ members of the culinary community.

Portrait of Ali Rawan

Portrait of Marissa Leon-John

Brown Butter is part of a year-long series of projects staged in Etherington House as part of “Rehoming Agnes.” These projects anticipate our closure and foreshadow our reopening, marking the transition of the house back to its original use as a residence. Brown Butter will smooth this transformation, grounding Agnes’s re-emergence as a living space in Agnes Reimagined.