New York City’s largest free outdoor performing arts festival, Capital One City Parks Foundation SummerStage, returns this summer with nearly 100 performances across Central Park and 17 neighborhood parks. The season features about 200 artists working in diverse genres, and the festival emphasizes gender balance among its lineup.
The 2019 season opens in Central Park on June 1 with R&B singer-songwriter Emily King and the soul revival band Durand Jones & the Indications. Over the course of the summer, SummerStage will mark several major New York City anniversaries—highlighting the 100th anniversary of the Harlem Renaissance, the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, and other cultural milestones.
This year the Central Park flagship venue reopens after a $5.5 million renovation, which upgraded lighting, seating, and sound systems to improve the audience and artist experience. In addition to Central Park, SummerStage events take place at neighborhood locations such as Brooklyn Bridge Park, Jackie Robinson Park, Socrates Sculpture Park, Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, and several other community parks across the city.
Programming typically spans music, dance, spoken word, and family-friendly performances, with a mix of established artists and emerging talent. As a free festival, SummerStage aims to make arts access equitable across neighborhoods while showcasing the city’s cultural diversity and historic moments through curated performances and community-focused events.
Attendees can expect outdoor stages, daytime and evening concerts, and programming that reflects New York City’s rich artistic traditions. With improved production facilities at Central Park and a wide neighborhood footprint, SummerStage offers a broad, accessible schedule of events for residents and visitors seeking live performance throughout the summer season.