Right before school starts, tennis fans young and old can have one last fantastic weekend with the family. On Saturday, August 27, come out to Flushing, Queens and kick off the 2016 US Open (August 29-September 11) at Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day! As one of the largest single-day tennis and entertainment events in the world, the event features big names from the court and the concert stage, promoting tennis and fitness for kids and raising money to help fund the National Junior Tennis & Learning Network.
The day beings at 9:30am with free interactive games and activities, such as face painting, juggling workshops, storytelling and of course, tennis for ages 10 and under. There will also be live performances by breakout musical talents like Jacob Sartorius, Sophie Beem, and Citizen Four from 10-12:30pm. The gates open at noon for the ticketed show inside Arthur Ashe Stadium, which runs from 1-3pm and will feature performances by rapper Flo Rida, Swedish pop star Zara Larsson, and up-and-coming R&B artist Jordan Fisher. Tennis fans will get a kick out of seeing champions Rafael Nadal and 2015 US Open-winner Novak Djokovic play exhibition matches and engage in skills competitions.
The true tennis maniacs out there will have the opportunity to watch a variety of other pros practice throughout the day at the Louis Armstrong Stadium.
In true celebration of Arthur Ashe’s legacy, the whole event is for a good cause: Proceeds go to the USTA Foundation, which helps fund free or low-cost tennis and education services for more than 225,000 kids across the country each year through the National Junior Tennis & Learning Network. In addition to being a tennis great, Ashe was a humanitarian who fought to end apartheid in South Africa and founded the Arthur Ashe Foundation to Defeat AIDS, to fight the disease that took his life.
Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day 2016 will be held on Saturday, August 27 from 9:30am-4pm at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, Queens. Activities and events on the grounds are free; tickets to the Arthur Ashe Stadium Show currently start at $14. To learn more and purchase tickets, visit arthurashekidsday.com!
