Raulin Rodriguez has been a fixture of bachata since the genre crossed from rural Dominican Republic to international dancefloors, and playing an outdoor patio in Washington Heights puts him in front of the audience that made him. The uptown crowd dances rather than watches, and a late-afternoon Sunday start means the whole thing unfolds in daylight and dusk. If you want the most genuinely local big show of the weekend, come north.
What to expect
An open-air patio deck with a stage at one end, a bar running along the side and a crowd that turns most of the floor into a dance space. Frias opens before the headline set. The late-afternoon start means the show runs from daylight into evening, and the audience arrives dressed for it.
Good to know
- Take the 1 to 191st Street or the A to 190th Street; both are a short walk from Amsterdam Avenue.
- The patio is outdoors, so check the forecast and bring a layer for after sunset.
- This is a dancing crowd rather than a standing-and-watching one, so wear shoes accordingly.
- Washington Heights has excellent Dominican food within a couple of blocks, which is worth building into the trip.
- The venue is a hotel rooftop patio, so entry is through the hotel and can bottleneck at peak arrival.
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Common questions
Is the venue outdoors?
Yes, the show is on the open-air patio at Radio Hotel, so weather affects the experience.
Who is opening?
Frias is billed as the special guest ahead of Raulin Rodriguez.
What kind of music is it?
Bachata, the Dominican guitar-driven dance genre, from one of its most established performers.
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