New York’s City Parks Foundation has announced the Capital One City Parks Foundation SummerStage series will return with 80 free and benefit shows in Central Park and 12 neighborhood parks across the five boroughs.
Returning for its 37th year, the festival will showcase established and emerging artists from across the globe, including a variety of genres from jazz, hip-hop, and salsa to indie rock, reggae, and Afrobeat. This season will also celebrate the 50th anniversary of hip-hop with a series of events highlighting all elements of hip-hop culture, including live performances, DJ sets, and dance and graffiti exhibitions.
“SummerStage is back for another exceptional year of free programming,” said Heather Lubov, Executive Director of City Parks Foundation. “It’s an honor to bring to parks artists that are reflective of each neighborhood’s rich cultural fabric, whether these performers are familiar or completely new discoveries. Feeling the joy and wonder of live music with other New Yorkers is an experience that is unmatched and should not be underestimated. At a time when we are increasingly isolated, SummerStage uses our city’s parks — vital resources in every neighborhood — to connect audiences with each other in a very emotional and magical way and, ultimately, to create community.”
Among the neighborhood parks and outdoor spaces hosting SummerStage events are Marcus Garvey Park in Harlem, Tompkins Square Park in the East Village, Von King Park and The Coney Island Amphitheater in Brooklyn, Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in Queens, Crotona Park in the Bronx, Stapleton Waterfront Park in Staten Island, and SummerStage’s flagship venue at Rumsey Playfield in Central Park. All performances will be free and open to the public, with the exception of some ticketed benefit concerts in Central Park.
The festival will kick off on Saturday, June 10th with free performances by St. Paul and The Broken Bones, with opening sets by Brooklyn soul band Say She She and Harlem-based jazz/soul/blues band Mwenso and The Shakes, with DJ sets by WFUV’s Alisa Ali. The schedule also includes Regina Spektor, Vance Joy, Carl Cox, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Buddy Guy, Grandmaster Flash, Kool & The Gang, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds with Garbage, Manchester Orchestra with Jimmy Eat World, New York Sings Yiddish! The Klezmatics and Special Guests, The AUSSIE BBQ, Stanley Clarke N 4Ever, Kenny Garrett, Brandee Younger, a Canada Day singer-songwriters showcase, Marisa Monte, Queralt Lahoz, Juanes, Julia Jacklin, Black Belt Eagle Scout, Waa Wei, Dinosaur’s Head, Mdou Moctar, The Comet is Coming (featuring Shabaka Hutchens, formerly of Sons of Kemet), Ibeyi, Show Dem Camp, Emicida, Goyo, Hippo Campus with Gus Dapperton, Indigo Girls with Larkin Poe, Tanya Tucker, and many more. The series will also host a Hip-Hop 50 Special Edition Showcase and the Charlie Parker Jazz Festival with Orrin Evans and the Captain Black Big Band featuring Dianne Reeves, The Cookers, Charles McPherson with Terell Stafford, and many others
Watch the official SummerStage 2023 season announcement video below, and head here to view the full schedule.
City Parks Foundation SummerStage 2023 Announcement Video