This NYC Outdoor Concert Series Has More Than 70 Free Shows

CENTRAL PARK, NY — New York City's favorite summer tradition is back.

Capital One City Parks Foundation SummerStage, a mostly free outdoor concert series in public parks around the city, will kick off its summer lineup of more than 70 concerts this June.

This year, 14 neighborhood parks will host shows, including SummerStage's flagship amphitheater in Central Park, featuring emerging and established artists alike.

Among the headliners are The Roots, Soccer Mommy, Femi Kuti, James Blunt, Noname, Morgan Freeman’s Symphonic Blues, Big Freedia, Rakim, The Head & The Heart, and many more.

All concerts, ranging from indie rock to afrobeats, will be free, except for a few ticketed concerts which will benefit Central Park, SummerStage organizers said.

"The huge variety of artists we’re presenting and the parks where we’re located reflect our city’s demographic and cultural diversity, but they also serve to unite us as neighbors and as lovers of music, regardless of our differences," Heather Lubov, Executive Director of City Parks Foundation, said.

Here's what's on the lineup

The 39th season will kick off on June 4 with a New Orleans-themed concert featuring star jazz bassist Marcus Miller, Tank and the Bangas, and a genre-bending brass ensemble called The Soul Rebels.

There are a lot of curated concerts over the course of the summer that will feature lineups of similar music styles, like the Charlie Parker Jazz Festival from Aug. 22-24, which will bring jazz performances to parks near where the jazz legend lived.

Other concerts bring together musicians of similar backgrounds, like the Latin Alternative Music Conference on July 9 and July 12, featuring a series of artists across genres rooted in South America.

The following month, legendary Nigerian musician Femi Kuti will headline Central Park on July 27 with poet Maryam Bukar Hassan.

At Herbert Von King Park in Bed-Stuy on July 10, New Orleans bounce queen Big Freedia will perform from her energizing new project, and on July 20, genre-bending hip hop legends The Roots will perform at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park.

On Aug. 8, salsa legend Tony Vega will perform in Coney Island, and on Aug. 9, New York's highly influential hip-hop MC Rakim will hit the stage in Staten Island.

The closing free show in Central Park will feature Soccer Mommy and Hurray for the Riff Raff on Sept. 16.

The 2025 SummerStage season will also feature ticketed benefit shows in Central Park to help underwrite the festival’s free performances produced by Live Nation, including English singer-songwriter James Blunt on June 17, rapper Noname and R&B singer Ravyn Lenae honoring Juneteenth on June 18, and indie-folk band The Head & The Heart on July 30.

See the full concert schedule here.

For questions and tips, email Miranda.Levingston@Patch.com.