Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day 2015 Kicks Off!

Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day is the biggest single-day event in the world, filled with grassroots tennis and entertainment. The event takes place the Saturday before U.S. Open. This annual tradition to continue the legacy of Arthur Ashe, who strove to help young people through tennis started in 1993, the year that he died.

Initially, proceeds from Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day were used to raise AIDS awareness and support treatment of the disease. They now help fund National Junior Tennis & Learning Network (NJTL), a nationwide group of more than 500 non-profit youth development organizations that provide free or low-cost tennis, education, and life skills programming to more than 225,000 children each year. NJTL was founded 45 years ago by Arthur Ashe, Charlie Pasarell and Sheridan Snyder, who envisioned it “as a way to gain and hold the attention of young people in the inner cities and other poor environments.”

On Saturday from 9:30 am to 1:00 pm visitors to Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day will have an opportunity to play games with their families and win prizes at the Grounds Festival. There will also be opportunities to watch the professional tennis players practice. During the festival, there will be free live performances by Alessia Cara, Carson Lueders, Forever In Your Mind, Jena Rose Raphael, Radio Disney, and Sweet Suspense in addition to many other activities and giveaways. Click here to check the concert schedule. All the events are free and open to the public.

After 1pm the grounds close down for the stadium show. General admission promenade tickets are $10 and loge tickets $25. Among the tennis giants who have participated are Andre Agassi, Kim Clijsers, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Anna Kournikova, Rafael Nadal, Andy Roddick, and Venus and Serena Williams.  

Over the years, Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day has been a launching pad for numerous popular singers including Backstreet Boys and Hanson, Britney Spears, Carly Rae Jepson, Demi Lovato, Fifth Harmony, Hunter Hayes, Jessica Simpson, Jonas Brothers, Justin Bieber, Ne-Yo, Rihanna, among many others. This year’s line-up will feature the music of American Authors, Bea Miller, Jacob Whitesides, Kalin Myles, and Natalie La Rose.

The annual event will be held this Saturday, August 29th at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadow, NY, running from 9:30 am to 4pm. The 2014 US Open exceeded 700,000 attendees for the seventh time, with the final tally of 713,642 ranking fourth-most attended US Open in history.

For more information, please visit the Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day site at www.arthurashekidsday.com