Summer is upon us, and in New York City that means more concerts and events are happening in the open air.
Luckily, for the city’s avid concert-goers, there are tons of (mostly free) summer concerts that you can attend. Here’s a look at where you can catch some outdoor music in Manhattan throughout the summer.
Capital One City Parks Foundation SummerStage
June:
June 1 – Andra Day in association with Blue Note Jazz Festival. Central Park, 6 p.m. Free.
June 8 – KES. Central Park, 5 p.m. Benefit.
June 13 – Kim Gordon / Sun Ra Arkestra / Slauson Malone 1. Central Park, 5 p.m. Free
June 15 – THE AUSSIE BBQ: Jebediah / Last Dinosaurs / Northeast Party House / Sheppard / Sycco / Thelma Plum in Association with Sounds Australia and the American Australian Association. Central Park, 4 p.m. Free.
June 16 – Corinne Bailey Rae / Dixson in association with Blue Note Jazz Festival. Central Park, 6 p.m. Free.
June 18 – The Metropolitan Opera Summer Recital featuring Leah Hawkins, Mario Chang, Michael Sumuel. Central Park, 7 p.m. Free.
June 19 – Masego / Jordan Ward. Central Park, 5 p.m. Benefit.
June 22 – The Yussef Dayes Experience / Aneesa Strings / Dana and Alden in association with Blue Note Jazz Festival. Central Park, 5 p.m. Free.
June 23 – T-Pain’s Mansion in Wiscansin Tour. Central Park, 6:30 p.m. Benefit.
June 24 – The Metropolitan Opera Summer Recital featuring Brittany Olivia Logan, Hannah Jones, Matthew Cairns. Jackie Robinson Park, 7 p.m. Free.
June 26 – Caifanes + Café Tacvba. Central Park, 6 p.m. Benefit.
June 27 – Ethel Cain with Special Guest Teethe. Central Park, 5 p.m. Benefit.
June 28 – Utopia Pride: Above & Beyond and Spencer Brown. Central Park, 6:30 p.m. Benefit.
June 29 – Pride Disco with Trixie Matell, Amanda Lepore, and Jess King. Central Park, 5 p.m. Benefit.
June 30 – Dreamland Pride. Central Park, 3 p.m. Benefit.
July:
July 1 – Madison Cunningham / LA LOM / John-Robert / Corrente: Beatriz Mira & Tiago Barreiros. Central Park, 5 p.m. Free.
July 7 – Ezra Collective / Celeste / Da Chick DJ in association with Blue Note Jazz Festival. Central Park, 5 p.m. Free.
July 10 – LAMC and Latin GRAMMY 25th Anniversary: Fonseca / Israel Fernández / Bruses. Central Park, 6 p.m. Free.
July 11 – Counting Crows. Central Park, 5 p.m. Benefit.
July 13 – LAMC: BRESH. Central Park, 5 p.m. Free.
July 14 – Bastille Day: IAM / Magic System / The Avener / Laurie Darmon / Femi the Scorpion in association with the Consulate General of France. Central Park, 5 p.m. Free.
July 17 – The Saw Doctors/The Coronas. Central Park, 5 p.m. Benefit.
July 21 – Proyecto Uno / Milly Quezada / DJ Miquelito & Excarlet Molina in association with 97.9 La Mega. Central Park, 6 p.m. Free.
July 24 – Arooj Aftab / Sid Sriram / EMEL. Central Park, 5 p.m. Free.
July 27 – Piano People in the Park: Scorpion Kings / DBN GoGo / Kelvin MoMo / DJ Moma / DJ Tunez. Central Park, 3 p.m. Benefit.
July 28 – Catalan Sounds On Tour: Sidonie / Balkan Paradise Orchestra / Lau Noah / DJ Turmix in association with the Institut Ramon Llull. Central Park, 5 p.m. Free.
July 31 – Elevation Worship: Praise Party! Central Park, 6 p.m. Benefit.
August:
Aug. 1 – Blue Note Presents: Robert Glasper Featuring Yebba. Central Park, 5 p.m. Benefit.
Aug. 3 – The Originals. Central Park, 5 p.m. Free
Aug. 4 – Galactic featuring Irma Thomas / The Rumble featuring Chief Joseph Boudreaux Jr. Central Park, 5 p.m. Free.
Aug. 7 – Ballet Hispanico. Central Park. 7 p.m. Free.
Aug. 8 – David Cross and Super Pals featuring Bob Odenkirk, Sarah Silverman, Fred Armisen, Zach Zucker, Sean Patton and more TBA. Central Park, 6:30 p.m. Benefit.
Aug. 10 – VP Records 45th Anniversary. Central Park, 6 p.m. Free.
Aug. 16 – Jazzmobile & Summerstage Present: A Max Roach 100th Tribute with: M’Boom, featuring Warren Smith and Joe Chambers | The Kojo Melche Roney Experience. Marcus Garvey Park, 7 p.m. Free.
Aug. 17 – Palmwine Festival NYC: Show Dem Camp feat. The Cavemen & Friends in association with Move Forward Music. Central Park, 5 p.m. Free.
Aug. 17 – The Soapbox Presents: The Life of the Party. Marcus Garvey Park, 6 p.m. Free.
Aug. 18 – Special Uptown Edition: Celebrating 40 years of Red Alert & Ralph McDaniels Video Music Box. Marcus Garvey Park, 5 p.m. Free.
Aug. 18 – Funk Flex Birthday Party with Live performances by Slick Rick, Dana Dane, Doug E. Fresh, DJ Maseo & Funk Flex. Central Park. Free.
Aug. 21 – The Gaslight Anthem / Joyce Manor / Pinkshift. Central Park, 5 p.m. Benefit.
Aug. 22 – Brazilian Day: Alcione / Larissa Luz / DJ Malfeitona / Film screening: “Gerson King Combo” in association with 28th Inffinito Brazilian Film Festival. Central Park, 5 p.m. Free.
Aug. 23 – Hip-Hop Is The LOML Tour: The Roots ft. Jungle Brothers / Digable Planets. Central Park, 5 p.m. Benefit.
Aug. 23 – Charlie Parker Jazz Festival: Christian McBride Big Band / Wallace Roney Jr in partnership with Jazzmobile. Marcus Garvey Park, 7 p.m. Free.
Aug. 24 – Charlie Parker Jazz Festival: Carmen Lundy / Helen Sung / Isaiah Collier & the Chosen Few / Tyreek McDole / DJ KulturedChild aka Angelika Beener. Marcus Garvey Park, 3 p.m. Free.
Aug. 25 – Charlie Parker Jazz Festival: Louis Hayes / SuperBlue: Kurt Elling & Charlie Hunter ft. Huntertones / Ekep Nkwelle / Alexis Lombre / DJ KulturedChild aka Angelika Beener. Tompkins Square Park, 3 p.m. Free.
Aug. 27 – Snail Mail / Tim Heidecker / Fenne Lily. 5 p.m. Free.
Bryant Park Picnic Performances
Bryant Park, 40th and 42nd Streets and Fifth and Sixth Avenues
May:
May 31 – New York City Opera: Puccini Celebration. 7 p.m., Free.
June:
June 1 – New York City Opera: Puccini Celebration, 7 p.m. Free.
June 6 – Contemporary Dance: Sidra Bell, Ballet Tech, and TBA, 7 p.m. Free.
June 7 – Contemporary Dance: David Dorfman, Soles of Duende, and Joffrey Concert Group, 7 p.m. Free.
June 14 – Contemporary Dance: Ronald K. Brown/EVIDENCE, Robin Dunn, and Kevin Wynn Tribute, 7 p.m. Free.
June 21 – Jazzmobile: Sarah Vaughan Centennial, 7 p.m. Free.
June 28 – Emerging Music Festival Day One, 7 p.m. Free.
June 29 – Emerging Music Festival Day Two, 7 p.m. Free.
July:
July 5 – Carnegie Hall Citywide: Tania León and The Harlem Chamber Players, 7 p.m. Free.
July 12 – Carnegie Hall Citywide: Thandiswa Mazwai, 7 p.m. Free.
July 19 – Carnegie Hall Citywide: Louis Cato, 7 p.m. Free.
July 26 – Carnegie Hall Citywide: Michael Olatuja & Lagos Pepper Soup, 7 p.m. Free.
August:
Aug. 2 – Carnegie Hall Citywide: La Excelencia, 7 p.m. Free.
Aug. 9 – Joe’s Pub: Broadway en Spanglish: Jaime Lozano and Florencia Cuenca, 7 p.m. Free.
Aug. 10 – New Victory Theater: Ephrat Asherie + Barkin/Selissen Project, 5 p.m. Free.
Aug. 16 – World Music Institute: Gyedu-Blay Ambolley, 7 p.m. Free.
Aug. 17 – Jalopy Theatre: Cristina Vane, Slavic Soul Party!, and Guachinangos, 7 p.m. Free.
Aug. 23 – New York City Opera: Tosca, 7 p.m. Free.
Aug. 24 – New York City Opera: Tosca, 7 p.m. Free.
Aug. 30 – Asian American Arts Alliance: Vijay Iyer Trio, 7 p.m. Free.
Aug. 31 – Contemporary Dance: Mark Morris Dance Group, Blacks in Ballet, and Reed Luplau, 7 p.m. Free.
New York Philharmonic’s Concerts in the Parks
June 12, 8:00 p.m.
Central Park, Great Lawn, Manhattan
Westside entrances: West 81st or 86th Streets at Central Park West
Eastside entrances: East 79th or 85th Streets at Fifth Avenue
Battery Park City River & Blues Festival
Rockefeller Park, Battery Park City
July 11 – Los Lobos, 6:30 p.m. Free.
July 18 – Hooray for the Riff Raff, 6;30 p.m. Free.
July 25 – Leela James, 6:30 p.m. Free.
Aug. 1 – Abraham Alexander, 6;30 p.m. Free.
Backyard at Hudson Yards
Doors open at 5 p.m., concert at 6 p.m. Free.
June 19 – Chayce Beckham
June 26 – David Archuleta
July 10 – Brynn Cartelli
July 17 – Ray Bull
July 31 – Beach Weather
Aug. 7 – Keke Palmer
TSQ LIVE
Times Square all summer
DJ Sets: Tuesdays, 5 p.m. Broadway Pedestrian Plaza between 45th & 46th Streets
Jazz in Times Square: Thursdays, 5 p.m. Broadway Pedestrian Plaza between 45th & 46th Streets.
Summer Friday Concerts: Fridays, 6 p.m. Broadway Pedestrian Plaza between 45th & 46th Streets.
Live Music: Click here to see the full schedule.
Free concerts at Hudson River Park
Sunset on the Hudson: Every Friday from May 31-June 28, 6:30 p.m., Pier 45.
- May 31 – AERI, Ashni & treya lam
- June 7 – Batalà New York
- June 14 – Viva Deconcini & People’s Champs
- June 21 – Resistance Revival Chorus
- June 28 – The Bad Judies & Randy Jones
Jazz at Pier 84: Every Wednesday from June 5-Aug. 28, 7 p.m., Pier 84. Click here for the full schedule.
Blues by the Boardwalk: Every Thursday from June 6-29, 6:30 p.m., Pier 97.
- June 6 – Robert Kimbrough, Sr. Blues Connection
- June 13 – Jonathan Kalb
- June 20 – Jimmy Hill and the Allstarz
- June 27 – Seydurah Avecmoi
Blues BBQ Festival: Aug. 10, 1 – 8 p.m., Pier 76.
Lincoln Center’s Summer for the City
A few highlights:
- June 12 – Soundcake: Aural Confections by Sapphira Cristál & Monét X Change, 7:30 p.m. Damrosch Park
- June 22 – Mykal Kilgore, 12 p.m. Hearst Plaza
- June 30 – 20th Annual NYC In C, 8 p.m. Damrosch Park
- July 7 – Passing the Crown, Celebrating the Queens of Hip Hop, 8 p.m. Damrosch Park
- July 14 – SAZ Sunrise Concert, 5 a.m. Hearst Plaza
Click here for the full schedule of events.
