Make Music Day festival returns to New York City Wednesday with free live music performances

Make Music Day festival is returning to New York City’s public spaces and plazas Wednesday with day-long, free performances and activities. 

The festivities will include open jam sessions; a “Sousapalooza” featuring large groups of brass and wind musicians playing the music of “March King” John Philip Sousa; colossal piano shows with musical arrangements designed for five-plus pianos; and even music played by an unusual instrument: a flowerpot. 

The New York City Department of Transportation is partnering with Make Music New York, a non-profit organization with a mission to celebrate music, to bring live performances and concerts, free of charge, to more than 15 different public spaces across all five boroughs on June 21. Some of these locations include Union Square, Cooper Square Plaza, Parkside Plaza, Morrison Plaza, Diversity Plaza, and Corona Plaza.

DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez announced the performances as part of the city’s public space programming initiative on Tuesday. Rodriguez said in a statement that the initiative is meant to celebrate the creativity of New Yorkers and New York City’s beautiful public plazas.

“Many of these events will reach a diverse range of communities and showcase a wide variety of New York-based artists,” Rodriguez said.

The public space programming initiative aims to bring free activities — ranging from the arts, culture, fitness, and education — to public spaces, plazas, and car-free Open Streets. The DOT is also partnering with Concerts in Motion, Honk NYC, Queens Theatre, and Tilted Axes to produce the shows. 

Aaron Friedman, executive director of Make Music Alliance, told amNewYork Metro that he loves to see people who have never performed in public spaces give it a shot.

“It’s not a traditional music festival, by any means,” Friedman said. “It’s an opportunity to make the whole city into your stage.”

Jennifer Carnahan, founder and executive director of Concerts in Motion, said that the nonprofit — which primarily serves older adults, veterans, people with disabilities, and underserved communities — has connected musicians who have enjoyed meeting with their audience members. 

“We are so thrilled to bring music to all five boroughs in the same day,” Carnahan said. “We can’t wait to see our friends out in the community, and welcome new ones to the CiM family.”

Sara Valentine, artistic director of HONK NYC, which was started by an ensemble band from Brooklyn, gave a sneak peek to Wednesday’s HONK NYC-hosted performance at Parkside Plaza. 

“HONK NYC is delighted to bring our immersive block party,” Valentine said. “Musicians, dancers, and craft makers will take over the plaza, celebrating contemporary street band music and spectacle culture in NYC.”

Make Music Day was inspired by France’s Fête de la Musique, a day of music and celebration that originated in 1982 and takes place every year on June 21. Now in more than 100 cities across the United States, Friedman pointed to the American iteration’s beginnings: New York City.

“When New York started, that was the only one,” Friedman said. “The one in New York is still going strong, but the ripple effect is stronger than ever.”

Jackson Chabot, director of advocacy and organizing at Open Plans, a nonprofit aimed at transforming New York City’s streets and advocating for car-free public spaces, said the Make Music New York performances will hit the nail on the head.

“This program is a shining example of the community and connection we can create when we prioritize our public spaces as sites for shared joy,” Chabot said.

Below are the scheduled locations for the free concerts and performances planned for tomorrow:

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