Full List of Free Outdoor Concerts Coming to New York this Summer

In the Big Apple, it will again be possible to listen to live music for free. New Yorkers and visitors to the metropolis are treated to a host of performance venues, from multi-year festivals such as SummerStage in Central Park and BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! in Prospect Park to the recently announced Summer City Festival at Lincoln Center. Music lovers will be able to enjoy a wide range of performances covering many genres for free in all five districts of the city. 6sqFT.

Capital One City Parks Foundation SummerStage

Beginning June 11, SummerStage returns to New York City with a host of free and benefit concerts. This year's festival, taking place in 12 parks across the city, includes about 90 shows. It will showcase new and established artists, as well as reveal genres such as salsa, jazz, hip-hop, indie rock, soul, pop and more. The festival will include: Marcus Garvey Park in Harlem, Herbert Von King Park and the Coney Island Amphitheater in Brooklyn, Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens, Crotona Park in the Bronx, Corporal Thompson Park in Staten Island and the flagship SummerStage on Ramsey Playfield in Central Park.

Bryant Park Picnic Performances

This year's event season at Bryant Park Picnic includes 26 live performances featuring music, dance and theater performances. The festival will open on May 27 with Rossini's The Barber of Seville staged by the New York City Opera. Other performers include Carnegie Hall, the Asian American Arts Alliance, Harlem Classical Theater and many more. The event will end on September 17 with a concert dedicated to the 60th anniversary of the American Symphony Orchestra. All performances are free. Visitors will be provided with picnic blankets that they can rent.

New York Philharmonic Concerts in the Parks

Since its inception in 1965, the New York Philharmonic's concerts in the park have become a place where residents of the Big Apple come to enjoy live classical music on summer evenings. The festival returns this year after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic. Concerts begin June 14 at Van Cortland Park in the Bronx. These will be followed by individual performances each evening in Central Park, Cunningham Park, Prospect Park and at the St. George's Theater on Staten Island. Performances in Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn and the Bronx will end with festive fireworks. Each show starts at 20:00 pm, except for the Staten Island show, which is scheduled for 16:00 pm.

Naumburg Orchestral Concerts

The oldest continuously running free open-air classical music concert returns to Central Park. Since 1905, the Naumburg Orchestral Concerts have given free concerts to New Yorkers. In this way, orchestra members share classical music with those who are not familiar with it. This season of performances, taking place in the Naumburg Orchestra Hall of the Central Park, starts on June 14 and will last until August 2.

Summer on the Hudson: Amplified Sundays

Located on Pier 1 in Riverside Park South, Summer on the Hudson: Amplified Sundays features dance music with spectacular sunset views over the Hudson River. The concerts will begin on July 3 with the performance of Afro-Caribbean soul artist Afro Dominicano. It will be followed by The Big Takeover, which will showcase the influences of reggae, rocksteady and ska next week. On July 17, Danny Jonokuchi & The Revisionists will share their take on New York swing. On July 14, rock singer from the Sahara Desert and West African blues artist Molly Tigre will perform. And on July 31, the psychedelic Afro-soul band Gentleman Brawlers will close the summer season.

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34th Street Midtown Music

34th Street Midtown Music, a series of pop-up shows scattered throughout the 34th Street area, aims to share the joy of live music with New Yorkers. The event starts on May 5 and will last until May 13.

Backyard at Hudson Yards

This summer, Hudson Yards will host many exciting events. A series of free outdoor concerts organized by The Bowery Presents will begin every Wednesday at 18:00 pm for 10 weeks, from June 1 to August 3, at Public Square and Gardens. In addition to live music, guests will enjoy watching sports and movies on the big screen, enjoying treats from the many local food trucks and attending fitness classes.

TSQ Live in Times Square

TSQ Live, hosted by the Times Square Alliance, invites New Yorkers to watch free outdoor art performances. Events include live music, DJ sets, public art installations, dance workshops, comedy hours and more. TSQ Live kicks off in May on a new stage at 46th Street and Broadway. Every Thursday from May 5 to June 16, Jazz at Lincoln Center will share their love of jazz music on Broadway. Jazz performances will be held according to the following schedule:

• May 12 - Clotter Prime Time Band;
• May 19 - Summer Camargo Quintet;
• May 26 - New Jazz Underground;
• June 2 - Jeremy Bosch Sextet;
• June 9 - Immigrantet featuring Juan Diego Villalobos, Nicola Caminiti, Hamish Smith and Timothy Angulo;
• June 16 - Josanne Francis.

Lincoln Center's Summer for the City

This summer, Lincoln Center will host a three-month festival dedicated to bringing New Yorkers together through the arts. The festival called "Summer for the City" includes 300 events with the participation of more than 1000 artists. It will run from May to August and will take place at 10 different outdoor venues on the Lincoln Center campus. The Summer for the City program includes the city's largest outdoor dance floor, which will be used for special events, film screenings, as well as a pop-up bar and performance space. The event is divided into three separate messages: rejoice, restore and remember. Each stage of the festival includes performances and activities that emphasize the importance of the themes.

BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn!

For over 40 years, BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn has provided New Yorkers with an all-summer opportunity for outdoor performing arts. The festival features a wide variety of performers ranging from international superstars to local legends. Most of the performances held at Prospect Park at the Lena Horne Bandshell are free. The festival kicks off on June 8 with performances by multi-instrumentalist and producer Kamasi Washington, Ravin Lenae and DJ Reborn. Invitations are not required, but encouraged. Admission to free shows is on a first come, first serve basis. The full list of festival participants can be found here.