SummerStage NYC Arts Festival / Concert / Music Festival Every summer from June-August

SummerStage NYC is a huge concert series put on by the City Parks Foundation – and currently co-sponsored by AT&T – that brings more than 100 performances to eighteen different parks across New York’s five boroughs from June to August every year.

Many of the SummerStage NYC shows are free, providing a forum for emerging and established artists in a huge variety of genres to share their work with the public. SummerStage NYC performances can include World and American music, modern dance, spoken word, electronic music, and family-focused events, as well as a whole host of other musical styles and creative genres. In other words, what goes on stage during SummerStage can be just about anything you can possibly imagine.

There are also several ticketed, big-name benefit concerts on the main stage in Central Park, with proceeds going toward the city’s other free arts-related programs. SummerStage NYC Central Park performers have included an incredible lineup over its long history, from Ladysmith Black Mambazo (fresh from Paul Simon’s “Graceland” tour in 1987) playing before 7,000 fans in 1987, to Santigold, Wiz Khalifa, Florence and the Machine, the XX, and Ratatat in more recent years.

SummerStage NYC also offers guests an abundance of different types of food, wine, and beer vendors at most of its events, making it perfect for a picnic!

SummerStage NYC tickets can vary for the big concerts, with most falling in the $50 range, depending on who is performing. Interested parties can also become SummerStage NYC members, which provides a host of benefits like passes to the ticketed shows, express entry to the free shows, VIP seating, and more. SummerStage NYC memberships starts at $150/year (which includes two tickets to a big concert) and can go as high as $10,000 for those interested in becoming high-level benefactors.

All SummerStage NYC memberships offer tax-deductible benefits as well.