SummerStage unveils lineup of free shows in Central Park and across NYC

New York City's SummerStage festival is back this year, and the list of 85 free or benefit shows is now here.

The festival's 38th iteration will be spread across 13 parks in all five boroughs, including a main stage at Rumsey Playfield on Central Park's east side, at 71st Street.

SummerStage kicks off June 1 with a free concert from Andra Day, the Grammy-winning R&B singer who portrayed Billie Holiday in Lee Daniels’ 2021 biopic.

Later that month, local no-wave legend Kim Gordon, formerly of the band Sonic Youth, will play the Central Park stage with jazz band Sun Ra Arkestra in a free show.

Corinne Bailey Rae, T-Pain, Ethel Cain, and many more round out the main-stage artists.

The summer lineup also includes regular recitals from the Metropolitan Opera, multiple Pride Month shows, and a comedy night with David Cross, Bob Odenkirk, Sarah Silverman, Fred Armisen and others.

Heather Lubov, executive director of the City Parks Foundation, which puts on SummerStage, said that hosting diverse events across the city is a key goal of the festival.

“What we program in one park is very different from what we program in another park,” Lubov said. “We really program to each community, and that’s really important to us.”

This season will feature a night celebrating J Dilla and The Pharcyde at Herbert Von King Park in Brooklyn, “Golden Oldies on the Boardwalk” at the Coney Island Amphitheater, and multiple jazz shows, including the Charlie Parker Jazz Festival at Marcus Garvey Park in Harlem.

In September, WNYC will present a free live radio broadcast at Central Park as part of the station's centennial celebration. Brian Lehrer will host, and the celebration will feature music, games and surprise guests. WNYC, like Gothamist, is owned by New York Public Radio.

A handful of the shows are not free but are benefit concerts in support of the City Parks Foundation and its mission. Prices vary for the benefit shows, as they are set by entertainment giant Live Nation, Lubov said. Those start around $45 per attendee.

Neither tickets nor reservations are required for the free concerts, whose admission is on a first-come, first-served basis. However, attendees should be aware that lines form early for the most popular shows.

SummerStage runs from June through August. The list of shows is available here .

An earlier version of this story misstated the organization that benefit shows support. It is the City Parks Foundation.