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This year the annual Paisley Park Celebration open house will take place from 20th to 24th June to honour the date of the 40th anniversary of the movie and Oscar winning soundtrack Purple Rain. The actual date of release of the original album was 25 June 1984. During the 1985 award season the LP won two Grammys and three AMAs and is the most successful album of Prince’s career.
Early Bird packages for the event are available from 18 March to 15 April offering reduced rates for VIP and General admissions ahead of the announcement of the full programme which will be published on 18 April. What we do know so far is that The Revolution will be performing at the home of Purple Rain the iconic First Avenue, on Friday 21st. Morris Day and “Special Guests” perform the event’s second concert on Saturday 22nd, with New Power Generation also joining the bill. Further details to be confirmed later.
The theme of Celebration 2024 is naturally Purple Rain, the celebrity guests forming the discussion panels are to be revealed in the 18 April announcement. VIP ticket holders are also promised a boat trip on Lake Minnetonka made famous in the 1984 movie, and some may even be brave enough to purify their naked selves in the icy waters – once they have double checked they’ve found the correct lake, of course.
There will be also screenings of unreleased concert footage. The reissue of Purple Rain is The Estate’s major release of 2024 and will be released as a Super Deluxe Edition this summer, upgrading the standard Deluxe three-disc issue of 2017. Many fans express hope the 2024 release will this time include restored footage of the concert filmed on 3 August 1983, which was not only Prince’s public debut performance with The Revolution, this historic show was captured on tape via a rented mobile studio parked outside. Three live recordings from this show would be included in the LP itself.
It will no doubt be a joy to also see Morris Day back on the bill at Paisley Park, following The Estate serving a trademark infringement notice against him in 2022 warning to “no longer use Morris Day and the Time in any capacity.” Celebration 2024 also promises showcase performances from emerging artists and the usual DJ dance parties.
VIP packages are priced $1,200 and General Admission $600, plus 8% tax, and transport and local accommodation. Prices rise to face value ($1,350 and $750) on April 15 when the full scheduling is been confirmed. The year also brings a plethora of big birthdays with Come reaching 30, Musicology 20 and Art Official Age 10. Naturally, 2024 will be dedicated to Purple Rain. Releases begin with a specially produced book Prince and Purple Rain: 40 Years authored by The Estate’s official podcaster Andrea Swensson, it drops on 20 June. The Super Deluxe Edition of the album is expected to landing also around late June, although no release date on that has been confirmed. The release of the Purple Rain movie on 4K UHD arrives on 24 July, making it the first occasion the movie is issued in this format. Its double-disc Steelbook version follows on 29 July packaging both 4K and regular Blu-ray formats. It is also expected to receive a limited theatrical release.
Event Programming
Thursday, 20 June
- Exclusive listening session (unreleased vault material) at Paisley Park
- Exclusive concert footage and tour of Paisley Park Studios
- Celebration 2024 Kick-Off DJ Dance Party
Friday, 21 June
- Concert Footage at State Theatre
- Screening of Purple Rain movie in high definition at State Theatre
- Panel session at State Theatre: The Revolution
- The Revolution in concert at First Avenue
- DJ Dance Party at First Avenue
Saturday, 22 June
- All day Block Party at the Prince Mural in downtown Minneapolis
- Screening of concert footage at the State Theatre
- Panel sessions, State Theatre: Billy Sparks and Morris Day
- Broadway musical presentation, State Theatre: Creative & Production Team
- Morris Day, NPG, and Prince Celebration special guests in concert
Sunday, 23 June
- Sunday gospel brunch at Paisley Park
- Guest Speaker: Susan Rogers
- Exclusive concert footage and tour of Paisley Park
- Outdoor live music at Paisley Park
Monday, 24 June
- Cruise on Lake Minnetonka
- Outdoor live music at Paisley Park
There is no substitute for the real thing, but Prince left a legacy of thirty-nine studio albums, released 100 singles, as well as created many albums for other artists. Prince is one of the most prolific and successful songwriters in history.
