Bryant Park announces the 2024 lineup for its free summer performing arts series: Bryant Park Picnic Performances presented by Bank of America. The annual festival will feature 25 live music, dance, and theater events between May 31 and Sept. 13. All shows are free and casual with no tickets required with more than 700 picnic blankets for audience members to borrow and ample chairs available.
Picnic Performances has grown to become one of New York City’s foremost outdoor performing arts festivals. Last summer, more than 75,000 people attended the series and nearly half a million enjoyed the free performance livestreams. Bryant Park Picnic Performances has become a vital outdoor platform for the City’s arts institutions, showcasing long-standing partnerships with Carnegie Hall, New York City Opera, Harlem Stage, The Town Hall, and Joe’s Pub, as well as new partnerships with New Victory Theater, World Music Institute, and Belongó.
The Bryant Park 2024 season features GRAMMY winners, world-class dance companies, theater stars, celebrations of centenaries in jazz and opera, a James Bond-themed finale, and dozens of local artists and spotlight performers from Ghana, New Orleans, Mexico, and South Africa.
“Thanks to Bank of America’s support, Picnic Performances has become a summer tradition for tens of thousands of New Yorkers. There is no easier way to enjoy this city’s exemplary arts and culture: just join us on the lawn” said Bryant Park’s president Dan Biederman.
Highlights of the Bryant Park 2024 Picnic Performances include the New York City Opera honoring the 100th anniversary of the death of Giacomo Puccini with a two-night celebration of his music featuring orchestra, chorus, and star vocalists. The summer of Puccini continues with a fully staged production of Tosca in August. Internationally acclaimed dance companies – including Mark Morris Dance Group, Ronald K. Brown/EVIDENCE, and David Dorfman Dance – headline multiple evenings of Contemporary Dance alongside established, rising, and student companies.
Jazzmobile celebrates the Centennial of legendary jazz vocalist Sarah Vaughan, “The Divine One,” with a jubilant performance by the acclaimed vocalist Charenée Wade and her septet. Carnegie Hall Citywide presents five concerts in July and August, beginning with a special evening with Pulitzer-Prize-winning composer Tania León and The Harlem Chamber Players with special guests. Carnegie Hall will also present the acclaimed South African musician Thandiswa Mazwai, GRAMMY Award-nominated bandleader of The Late Show Band Louis Cato, the high-energy Afrojazz trailblazer Michael Olatuja and Lagos Pepper Soup, and red-hot salsa dura band La Excelencia.
Joe’s Pub brings rising theater stars Jaime Lozano and Florencia Cuenca for Broadway en Spanglish, featuring bilingual performances of iconic show tunes with Mariachi Real de Mexico and more guest stars TBA. As part of New Victory Theater’s summer series New Victory Dance, Ephrat Asherie and Barkin/Selissen Project join for an interactive dance event curated specifically for kids and families. World Music Institute welcomes Ghanaian highlife band Gyedu-Blay Ambolley (NYC debut).
Asian American Arts Alliance features MacArthur ‘Genius’ pianist Vijay Iyer and his trio. The beloved Bryant Park tradition Accordions Around the World returns with 2024 GRAMMY nominee Zydeco star Dwayne Dopsie and Latin funk band Afro Dominicano. American Symphony Orchestra kicks off its season with Beyond the Hall, a program highlighting music from beyond the confines of the traditional concert hall.
Finally, The Town Hall and Belongó celebrate John Barry’s iconic James Bond music with an all-star lineup of musicians led by Arturo O’Farrill with the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra, and composer arranger and slide trumpet master Steven Bernstein, together with exciting surprise special guests.
The Picnic Performances are one of the best ways for New Yorkers to get outdoors and celebrate the arrival of Spring and Summer. We believe that the arts are a unifying force that promote cultural understanding, and we are thrilled to continue our support of one of the most iconic green spaces in the city. We are excited to be, once again, the presenting sponsor of the Picnic Performances, marking a more than 10-year-long partnership with Bryant Park.
José Tavarez, president, Bank of America New York City.
This season, 16 shows will be live-streamed for free on Bryant Park’s social media channels and website, reaching national and international audiences. Additional media support is provided by public radio stations WBGO and WQXR.
Food and drink are available for purchase from a curated lineup of local vendors near the lawn. At all performances, attendees can discover new dishes and celebrate classics from the five boroughs with a rotating line-up of artisanal vendors by Hester Street Fair. Stout NYC offers light bites and beer, wine, and non-alcoholic beverages for purchase.
Additional artist and performance information will be available in the coming months. For the most current information please visit here.
Bryant Park Picnic Performances 2024 Lineup
May
May 31: New York City Opera – Puccini Celebration
June
June 01: New York City Opera – Puccini Celebration
June 06: Contemporary Dance – Sidra Bell, Ballet Tech, TBA
June 07: Contemporary Dance – David Dorfman Dance, Soles of Duende, Joffrey Concert Group, National Dance Institute
June 14: Contemporary Dance – Ronald K. Brown/EVIDENCE, Robin Dunn, Kevin Wynn Tribute, Brooklyn Arts
June 21: Jazzmobile – Sarah Vaughan Centennial Featuring Charenée Wade
June 28: Emerging Music Festival Day 1 – Artists TBA
June 29: Emerging Music Festival Day 2 – Artists TBA
July
July 05: Carnegie Hall Citywide – Tania León and The Harlem Chamber Players
July 12: Carnegie Hall Citywide – Thandiswa Mazwai
July 19: Carnegie Hall Citywide – Louis Cato
July 26: Carnegie Hall Citywide – Michael Olatuja & Lagos Pepper Soup
August
August 02: Carnegie Hall Citywide – La Excelencia
August 09: Joe’s Pub – Broadway en Spanglish: Florencia Cuenca and Jaime Lozano
August 10: New Victory Theater – Ephrat Asherie + Barkin/Selissen Project
August 16: World Music Institute – Gyedu-Blay Ambolley, Artists TBA
August 17: Jalopy Theatre – Artists TBA
August 23: New York City Opera – Tosca
August 24: New York City Opera – Tosca
August 30: Asian American Arts Alliance – Vijay Iyer Trio
August 31: Contemporary Dance – Mark Morris Dance Group, Blacks in Ballet, Reed Luplau
September
September 05: Accordions Around the World – Dwayne Dopsie and the Zydeco Hellraisers, Afro Dominicano, Artist TBA
September 06: American Symphony Orchestra – Beyond the Hall
September 12: Harlem Stage – Artist TBA
September 13: The Town Hall + Belongó – The Man with The Golden Horn
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