Today, New York City’s City Parks Foundation has announced the initial performers for the 2018 season of SummerStage—an outdoor performing arts festival that brings over 100 live shows to Central Park and more than a dozen other neighborhood parks across the five boroughs. This year, SummerStage has curated a lineup featuring over 200 artists, spanning genres as diverse as rock, indie, hip-hop, Latin, jazz, R&B, salsa, opera, contemporary dance, spoken word, and more.
While the five-month festival has announced its performers with confirmed dates, in a press release, SummerStage festival noted that it will host a number of ticketed benefit shows in Central Park in support of the City Parks Foundation’s free programs. Thus far, former Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher, Mac DeMarco, Trombone Shorty, Dispatch, Jason Mraz and Brett Dennen, O.A.R., have been confirmed with many other artists to be announced in coming weeks.
The free SummerStage in Central Park series will kick off on Saturday, June 2nd, with jazz legend Gregory Porter and rising star Victory Boyd. The park will also host performances by 2017 MacArthur Genius, Carolina Chocolate Drops co-founder Rhiannon Giddens, iconic hip-hop group Jungle Brothers, famed dancehall artist Sister Nancy, Canadian indie-rock collective Broken Social Scene, electronic standout ToKiMONSTA and MC Kero One, and many others.
However, outside of Central Park, City Parks Foundation will continue to spread the joys of music, with a veritable eclectic and exciting lineup at parks around the city. Brooklyn rappers Talib Kweli, Big Daddy Kane, and Young M.A. will perform a hometown shows in Brownsville’s Betsy Head Park on June 30th and the Ford Amphitheater at Coney Island on June 20th and July 29th, respectively. These performances come in addition to a number of concerts falling across a full range of genres.
Additionally, the City Parks Foundation has paired the SummerStage announcement with the confirmation of the Charlie Parker Jazz Festival, which is entering its 26th year. As a tribute to the late and legendary saxophonist, the Charlie Parker Jazz Festival will offer three days of live jazz in the Manhattan parks nearby Parker’s home—including Harlem’s Marcus Garvey Park as well as Tompkins Square Park. Across August 24th through 26th, the festival will host Monty Alexander, Buster Williams, Jack DeJohnette, Catherine Russell, and many more.
Head over to the SummerStage website for more information and a look at the extensive and full upcoming event calendar.