Perfect fusion of hip-hop and hoops: 1st Dunk Street Festival held in New Delhi
Perfect fusion of hip-hop and hoops: 1st Dunk Street Festival held in New Delhi
The single-day on December 24 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium combined 3x3 basketball, a dunk contest, rap battles and 3v3 breaking competitions, besides other activities
Christmas came early for hip-hop fans in the Delhi/NCR region.
On December 24, the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium witnessed a first-of-its-kind festival combining kindred spirits - hip-hop and hoops - called ‘Dunk Street Festival’.
Conceptualized by Artkonnect Management, the festival witnessed 1 Vs 1 HipHop battles, 3 vs 3 breaking battles, dunk & dribbling contests, rap cyphers & battles, graffiti wall for interaction, epic artists lineup, live DJs, food stalls, lifestyle brands & sneaker stalls.
40 teams register for basketball
A total of 40 teams registered in the 3x3 basketball event - across three categories: Open (Men), Open (Women) and U19 boys.
Winning Teams:-
- Open Men - S4A, Cash Prize : Rs. 30000/-; Runners Up - Team Prince, Cash Prize : Rs. 10,000/-
- Open Women - Geetanjali Academy, Cash Prize : Rs. 15000/-; Runners Up: Underdogs, Cash Prize: Rs. 5000/-
- Under 19 Boys - Sherrr, Cash Prize: Rs. 15,000/-; Runners Up: BWCS, Cash Prize: Rs. 5000/-
‘Dunk Street Festival brought an electrifying vibe’
Speaking exclusively to Ekalavyas.com, Abhishek Tyagi, the captain of the Open Men’s category champion team S4A, said:
“The Dunk Street Festival brought an electrifying street vibe to India, a place where such madness on the court was unheard of. The thrill, the excitement – it was a crazy experience. Events like this need to happen more often, shaping the streets into courts. Can't wait to throw it down again in the next editions. It was an incredible festival that left us all hungry for more slam dunks and street madness.”
Delhi based dancer ‘360’ who won the 1v1 hip-hop battle - and earlier who also competed in Season 1 of dance reality show Hip Hop India - had this to say:
“Dunk Street Festival was off the hook! Picture this: 3 on 3 basketball battles, sick hip-hop showdowns, Rap Battles and crazy b-boying face offs. Everywhere you looked, there was something dope going on – shopping, tasty eats, graffiti, you name it. The whole vibe was just perfect, like a mashup of everything cool. It wasn't just a festival; it was a wild ride through street culture, and I can't wait for the next one!”
‘Excited about the journey ahead’
Anand Kanwar, the Founder & Director Artkonnect Management highlighted that this is just the beginning and his team is excited about growing the Festival in both size and stature:
“Two years back we had a dream of creating a common platform for this beautiful game merged with hip hop and street culture and with the first edition of Dunk street festival we have achieved that. This event is more than a celebration, it's a platform where enthusiasts of street culture come together. With Dunk Street Festival, we wanted to create an immersive experience that resonates with the cool vibes and dynamic energy of both the street culture & basketball. This is just the beginning, and we're excited about the journey ahead.”
The full video interview with Mr Kanwar can be viewed here:
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Disclosure: Ekalavyas was the media partner for this event.