Gospel Mass in Harlem: hours and duration

Harlem is a district full of ethnic diversity. An essential visit to return from New York having known all the ins and outs of the city.

And one of the main attractions of this neighborhood is to visit a Baptist church and enjoy a live gospel mass, a show that, in principle, you can only enjoy on Sunday mornings and you already have some clues in How to go to a Gospel Mass in Harlem.

Even so, there are certain Sundays that tourists are not allowed to enter and schedules vary depending on the church you go to. Do not stop reading because, below, I leave all the details for you to live an experience to remember.

If you are wondering what is the best day to attend a gospel mass in Harlem, you should know that most of them take place on Sunday morning.

The sessions vary depending on the church. In fact, there are churches that hold two sessions on the same morning, but the usual starting time is between 9:00 and 11:00 a.m.

Alternative schedules

As I mentioned, there may be exceptions to the usual Sunday masses, and there are a few churches that also hold gospel mass on Wednesday evenings around 7 p.m.

An example is Abbyssinian Baptist Church and Bethel Gospel Assembly that hold a gospel mass session open to the public on Wednesday evenings at 7 p.m.

If you are going to attend a gospel mass on a Sunday you have to keep in mind that there are certain Sundays of the year when access is limited to tourists and visitors who are not regular parishioners.

• Women's Day, which falls on the second Sunday in March.
• Palm Sunday
• Easter Sunday
• Mother's Day
• Homecoming, which corresponds to the second Sunday in September.
• Men's Day, which falls on the second Sunday in October.
• Limited access days include Christmas Day and New Year 's Day when they fall on a Sunday.
• There are some churches that during the month of August interrupt the admission of visitors to the Sunday gospel masses and move it to another day of the week, usually Wednesdays.

To see a gospel mass in Harlem you can either go on your own, in which case it will last around two to two and a half hours depending on the participation of the congregation, or you can attend a mass by booking a tour. In this case, the time you will stay inside the temple will be one hour.

• Duration if you attend a free gospel mass: Two hours or two and a half hours.
• Duration if you attend a gospel mass as part of a sightseeing tour: One hour.

If you do not go to the service as part of a tour, you will have to wait in line to get in, which does not ensure that you will be able to get in depending on the number of people attending that day. Therefore, it is very important to arrive at the church early.

Visiting a gospel mass is an excuse to go to Harlem but in this district you can enjoy a myriad of proposals.

See a show at Apollo Theater, visit the Morris Jumel Mansion, walk along Sylvan Terrace, see a show at Cotton Club, stroll through the residential neighborhood Strivers' Row, go to the Schombur Center for Research in Black Culture or walk through the neighborhood of Sugar Hill are just some of the wonders that this area offers.

• Apollo Theater Hours: Shows usually start between 7:00 and 8:00 pm.
• Morris Jumel Mansion Hours: The museum is open from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Thursday through Sunday.
• Coton Club hours: The club opens at 8:00 p.m. for dinner and cocktails. The brass band plays from 20:00-20:30 h. and the show starts at 21:00-21:45 h. For brunch, the Cotton Club is open from 12:00 noon until approximately 2:30 pm.
• Schombur Center for Research in Black Culture Hours: The library is open daily except Sundays, from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm.