ECMAA’s annual Summer Kickoff Picnic brings together families and friends at Sakura Park in Manhattan for an afternoon of food, music, and community celebration. (Photo via @ecmaa_ny)
Tadias Magazine
May 2026
New York (TADIAS) — The Ethiopian Community Mutual Assistance Association Inc. (ECMAA), a longtime pillar of the Ethiopian community in the New York tri-state area, is inviting families and friends to gather once again for its annual Summer Kickoff Picnic at Sakura Park in Manhattan.
The family-friendly community event, which has become a beloved seasonal tradition for many Ethiopian New Yorkers over the years, will feature food, games, music, and outdoor activities for all ages as community members come together to welcome the beginning of summer.
Guests are encouraged to bring foldable chairs, picnic blankets, family members, and friends while enjoying a relaxed afternoon overlooking Riverside Drive at Sakura Park. Organizers say the event reflects ECMAA’s longstanding mission of strengthening community ties through cultural, educational, and recreational programming.
Founded more than four decades ago, ECMAA has served Ethiopians across New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut through a wide range of volunteer-led initiatives, including youth programs, cultural celebrations, educational forums, health awareness events, and historic commemorations.
Tadias Magazine has previously highlighted ECMAA’s role in organizing community gatherings in New York City, including Ethiopian Day picnics and annual Adwa and Yekatit 12 commemorations hosted at universities and public venues throughout the city.
In recent years, ECMAA has also continued to create intergenerational programming that brings together older and younger members of the diaspora while encouraging civic engagement, cultural preservation, and community dialogue.
According to the organization, yearly events such as the Summer Kickoff Picnic are made possible through continued community support and volunteer participation. ECMAA notes that community members can support the organization by attending events, donating, volunteering, and sharing programs with family and friends.
The organization is a nonpartisan nonprofit 501(c)(3) committed to empowering and strengthening the Ethiopian community by leveraging collective expertise and community participation.
Additional information about ECMAA and upcoming programs is available on the organization’s website.
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If You Go:
RSVP. Admission is free: ECMAA Summer Kickoff Picnic
Sakura Park
Riverside Drive & West 122nd Street
New York, NY
For more information visit: www.ecmaany.org.
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