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SUMMER 2008 IN NEW YORK CITY
The summer is the most active time for the arts in New York City, and in particular, there are scores of free concerts, festivals and cultural events taking place in parks throughout all five boroughs.
Visitors and New Yorkers en masse take to the parks, beaches, zoos, sculpture gardens and theaters for cultural delights of every stripe and color.
Details about the outdoor events below and their venues can be found here on NYC-ARTS.org, along with hundreds of other listings.
CONCERTS IN THE PARKS
CityParks Concerts (212) 360-8290 | JULY–AUG This free series of concerts in neighborhood parks in all five boroughs presents distinguished artists working in genres from jazz to reggae and more.
Metropolitan Opera | MET IN THE PARKS JUNE–JULY The opera performs at parks in all five boroughs. FREE
New York Philharmonic | CONCERTS IN THE PARKS MAY–JULY The orchestra plays music under the stars in a festive atmosphere at parks in all five boroughs. The series kicks off with its May 26 Memorial Day concert at the cathedral of St. John the Divine.
FESTIVALS
Celebrate Brooklyn! | JUNE–AUG The annual celebration at the Prospect Park Bandshell features music, dance, film and theater in New York’s oldest free, summer-long outdoor performing arts festival.
Central Park SummerStage | JUNE–SEPT Since 1985, this music festival run by City Parks Foundation, has been presenting an eclectic mix of the finest musicians, dancers and spoken word artists from around the world in an exciting series of both free and benefit performances at the Rumsey Playfield (entrance near 72nd Street and Fifth Avenue). FREE
Harlem Week | JULY–AUG The festival celebrates its 34th anniversary. FREE
HOWL! Festival of East Village Arts A week-long festival to celebrate the East Village as the epicenter of counterculture and the avant-garde, with Art Around the Park, the Howl Film Festival and more.
Lincoln Center Festival The three-week festival features opera and music from around the world.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Concert Series | JULY–AUG, MONDAYS 7:30 PM, This concert series at Wingate Field near Kings County Hospital in Crown Heights/Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, sponsors themed nights of contemporary, R&B, oldies, gospel and Caribbean music. FREE
Mermaid Parade | JUNE 21 Participants dressed as mermaids, sea-inspired floats and marching bands make their way down the Coney Island boardwalk to the beach in this annual tribute to sea and salt air. FREE
Midtown International Theatre Festival The annual festival of plays, musical, performance art and dance ranging from avant-garde to classical. At various Midtown venues.
New York International Fringe Festival | AUG 4–24 The largest multi-arts festival in North America brings more than 200 companies and artists from around the globe to downtown Manhattan for dance, theater and performances.
River to River Festival The Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, Alliance for Downtown New York, South Street Seaport Marketplace and the World Financial Center Arts & Events Program team up with the Battery Park City Authority, Battery Parks City Conservancy and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to present this festival of festivals. River to River includes a host of events as well as special series such as the Hudson River Festival, which features free musical performances in and around the World Financial Center's Winter Garden, and the Evening Stars Music and Dance Festival, which festures free outdoor performances by leading dance companies and music ensembles.
Seaside Summer Concert Series 2008 | JULY–AUG, THURDAYS 7:30 PM Brooklyn’s Asser Levy Park (West Fifth Street at Surf Avenue) in Coney Island/Brighton Beach is enlivened by performances of classic rock, contemporary, pop, oldies and Latin music.
SPF: Summer Play Festival A monthlong showcase of works by emerging playwrights returns to Theatre Row for a fifth year.
Village Voice Siren Music Festival More than 150,000 music fans converge on Coney Island for the annual all-day, all-ages music festival featuring a host of national and local indie bands on two stages. FREE
West Indian Festival Five days of celebrations in Brooklyn pay homage to Caribbean heritage with intricate floats, ornate costumes, pulsating music, dynamic dancing and authentic roti, jerk chicken, peas and rice. Highlights include Brassfest, the Steel Band Panorama and the Caribbean Day parade down Eastern Parkway, the largest parade in the city. FREE
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