Summer officially began on Sunday, June 21 at 4:24 a.m. EDT, marking the astronomical summer solstice. This date features the most hours of daylight for the year in the Northern Hemisphere. It is once again time to enjoy live music under the sun and stars. Here is a guide to some of the best outdoor concert sites in New York City.
| The Black Crowes headlined at Forest Hills Stadium on June 13 |
Thanks to favorable weather, the outdoor concert season has already begun. The photographs here were taken in the past week.
Many of the upcoming concerts are free and require no tickets or reservations. Just get out there and enjoy!
BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! (Prospect Park)
BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! 2025 explores the interconnectedness of global music, presenting the vibrant tapestry of artists whose work resonates from around the world and within its own borough. The majority of the concerts are held at the Lena Horne Bandshell in Prospect Park, and many are free admission. Upcoming highlights include Patti LaBelle, Royel Otis, Cindy Blackman Santana Group, Yola and Liz Phair.
TSQ LIVE hosts free, open-air events across two stages in Times Square. Upcoming highlights include Vincint, Chanese Elifé, Greg Banks, Jason Green, and Gabriel Aldort.
| Britton & the Sting at Bryant Park on June 18 |
| Joan as Policewoman at Bryant Park on June 18 |
Bryant Park Picnic Performances
Located in midtown Manhattan, Bryant Park Picnic Performances, presented by Bank of America, is a free outdoor festival that welcomes New Yorkers to experience the city’s vibrant arts and culture. The collaborations are with an array of New York’s cultural institutions. Upcoming highlights include the Knights, Nathan & the Zydeco Cha Chas, the NYC Ska Orchestra and the New York City Opera.
Carnegie Hall Citywide is a free outdoor concert series bringing performances to parks and public spaces across New York City. The \summer 2026 season features a diverse lineup, including classical, jazz, and Latin music, in collaboration with local organizations. The summer 2026 schedule includes performances by TONEWALL at Wave Hill (June 25), Ivan Llanes at Denny Farrell Riverbank State Park (June 27), and The Knights at Bryant Park (July 3). Other highlights include the Ivalas Quartet (July 8) and American Patchwork Quartet (July 15) at Madison Square Park, as well as performances by Aisha Jackson (July 10) and Arturo O’Farrill (July 11).
If you are not going to this Queens stadium for the New York Mets, you can see Noah Kahan, Fuerza Regida, and/or My Chemical Romance.
This Bushwick venue has several performance spaces under one roof, and also one on its rooftop! Upcoming highlights include the Bug Club, Elohim, Florry, Vivian Girls, Wombo, Billie Martin. Bodega and Nuovo Testamento.
| Whiskey Myers at Forest Hills Stadium on June 13 |
| Southall at Forest Hills Stadium on June 13 |
Forest Hills Stadium has hosted live music in Queens for over 100 years. The 13,000-capacity stadium has no obstructed views. Upcoming highlights include Kes, Paul Simon, Sarah McLachlan, Bob Dylan, Caamp, Jon Batiste., King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, the Zac Brown Band, Empire of the Sun, Hayley Williams, Erykah Badu, and David Byrne.
| Bill Saxton & the Harlem All-Stars at Pier 84 on June 17 (photograph by Seth Okrend) |
Hudson River Park
Hudson River Park hosts several free concerts series at various areas along the Hudson River. The Blues BBQ Festival will return to Pier 76 near West 34th Street on August 15. Boardwalk Blues will be at Pier 97 between West 55th and 59th Streets. Broadway by the Boardwalk takes place at Clinton Cove. Jazz at Pier 84 is near West 44nd Street. At press time, Little Island near West 14th Street had not yet announced its summer concert schedule.
Jazzmobile (Grant’s Tomb and Marcus Garvey Park)
The Harlem-based jazz organization begins its season of free outdoor concerts to the steps of the General Grant National Memorial on Riverside Drive and West 122nd Street and the Richard Rodgers Amphitheater in Marcus Garvey Park. The schedule of free jazz concerts continues weekly at both locations throughout the summer.
Lincoln Center’s Summer for the City
Lincoln Center’s fifth annual Summer for the City offers hundreds of free and choose-what-you-pay performances and cultural activities in various areas of the Lincoln Center campus. Upcoming highlights include Tabou Combo, AfriCarnaval, Pabllo Vittar, globalFEST, Hurray for the Riff Raff and Black Uhuru.
A park in Staten Island hosts outdoor, all-ages, and free concerts and arts festivals organized by Maker Park Radio. Notable upcoming performances include the 9th Annual Music & Art Fest on August 1, with Fishbone, Pinkshift and Cat Crash.
| Psychic Lines at Mama Tried on June 13 |
| Life in a Blender at Mama Tried on June 13 |
Located in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, this bar has an outdoor space for free live music. Upcoming highlights include Faith NYC, Mighty Fine, Sloppy Heads, Krisin Flamio & the Pretty Bitchin’ and Weeping Icon.
The series Naumburg Orchestral Concerts is the world’s oldest continuous classical concert series. Since 1905, the Naumburg Orchestral Concerts has presented free classical music at the Naumburg Bandshell in the middle of Central Park. This summer’s presentations include the Knights on June 23, Delirium Musicum on July 7, an all-Mozart program by the Orchestra of St. Luke’s on July 21, and Nosky’s Baroque Band on August 4.
Located between the Bronx, Manhattan, and Queens, Randall’s Island will host three festivals. Zedd in the Park on August 14–15 will feature Zedd, DJ Snake, Knock2, Porter Robinson, Madeon, and Louis the Child. The Experts Only Festival, curated by John Summit on September 19–20, will be a house and dance music festival. Punk Island on August 14 will be a localized community punk event featuring Modern Natives, No Grudges and other acts.
The River & Blues Concert Series has featured global and American folk, roots and blues music for more than 25 years. Held every Thursday in July at Robert F. Wagner Jr. Park in Battery Park City, set against the backdrop of the Hudson River and scenic sunsets, all shows will be free to the public. This summer’s performers will be Rebirth Brass Band, the War and Treaty, Allen Stone and Amelia Day
A burger shack, bar and live music venue on the boardwalk at Rockaway Beach will host free shows by Nick & the City Slicks, Gift, Steve Gunn, Discovery Zone, Simon Chardiet & the Mooks and others.
Concerts this summer include Wilderado, Sam Burchfield, Fortunate Youth, the Budos Band, the Heavy Heavy, Magic City Hippies, Allah-Las, Thee Sinseers, Cimafunk, Babe Rainbow, Neal Francis, the Record Company, the 502s and Ripe.
| The Warning at the Rooftop at Pier 17 on June 11 (photograph by Kevin Keane) |
| Charlotte Sands at the Rooftop at Pier 17 on June 11 (photograph by Kevin Keane) |
| Jimmy Eat World at the Rooftop at Pier 17 on June 17 (photograph by Kevin Keane) |
The Rooftop at Pier 17 at Manhattan’s South Street Seaport provides views of the financial district’s skyline, downtown Brooklyn’s riverfront, and the Statue of Liberty in the harbor. Upcoming highlights include the Breeders, Dark Star Orchestra, Poppy, Trombone Shorty, Billy Currington, Greensky Bluegrass, Passion Pit, Wolf Alice, Jesse Welles, Kaleo, Houndmouth, Thomas Dolby, Koe Wetzel, Max McNown, Acidbath, Sam Barber, Jeff Rosenstock, Gov’t Mule, LP and Modest Mouse.
In Maspeth, Queens, hidden behind Knockdown Center’s massive indoor space lies a smaller outdoor area called the Ruins. Upcoming performances there this summer include Tortoise, Claptone, Honey Dijon, Spirit of the Beehive, and bar italia,
The Stuyvesant Cove Park Association will again host free concerts near NYC Ferry’s Stuyvesant Cove landing along the East River. Upcoming highlights include the Seth Okrend Band, Hiro, New York City Salsa All Stars, Emy & the Epix, and the Wayne Henderson Group.
The 2025 season of Capital One City Parks Foundation SummerStage returns with more than 60 shows in 13 parks across all five boroughs of New York City. The higher profile concerts often take place in Rumsey Playfield in Central Park. Upcoming highlights include Goose, Black Country New Road, Laurie Anderson, Spoon, Shaggy, Bilal, Mavis Staples, De la Soul, Yeat, Andrew Bird, Blues Traveler, Chance the Rapper, Simple Plan, Angelique Kidjo, Myles Smith, and the Marcus King Band.
Located in Bushwick, Brooklyn, the Sultan Room adds the roof to its entertainment schedule during the summers. Upcoming highlights include Emergency Tiara, OK Tyler, and Kaleta & the Super Yamba Band.
| Telescreens at Tompkins Square Park on June 13 |
| MDC at Tompkins Square Park on June 14 |
| Urban Waste at Tompkins Square Park on June 14 |
All ages and free, Tompkins Square Park will host concerts this summer headlined by Leftover Crack. First president of japan, Ted Leo & the Pharmacists, Ravi Coltrane, among others.
Under the K Bridge Park transforms a once-overlooked industrial site beneath the Kosciuszko Bridge into a dynamic, seven-acre public space along Newtown Creek in Queens. The live music is usually a rave, with upcoming highlights including Tiesto, Charlotte De Witte, and Levity. Tove Lo also performs in late summer
Aside from its nightly shows at the indoor bar, Union Pool also hosts free outdoor shows on Sunday afternoons as part of its Summer Thunder series. The headliners of this year’s outdoor show include Joe Bataan, Angel Du$t, Toody Cole and Sun Ra Arkestra.
Free concerts are held regularly at Washington Square Park, most notably through the annual Washington Square Music Festival, which typically features live performances on Tuesday evenings. Upcoming highlights include the Itai Kriss and Telavana Ensemble on June 23, a punk concert led by Spike Polite & SewAge NYC on June 29, and the Festival Chamber Orchestra on June 30.
West Harlem Summer Jazz Festival
The West Harlem Summer Jazz Festival brings free jazz concerts to four parks in uptown Manhattan. See live jazz at Morningside Park, St. Nicholas Park, Montefiore Square Park and Jackie Robinson Bandshell.
Most of the summer, this Bronx stadium hosts the New York Yankees, but look for three nights of Jay-Z concerts in July.
***
The Manhattan Beat covers New York City’s live music circuit. All articles are written by Everynight Charley Crespo. All photographs are taken by Everynight Charley Crespo, except when noted otherwise.
For a list of Manhattan venues that are presenting live music regularly, swing the desktop cursor to the right of the home page and click on the pop-up tab “Where to Find Live Music.”
For a more complete listing of upcoming performances in the New York City area, visit The Manhattan Beat’s June calendar.
Bluesky Discussion
View on BlueskyNo replies yet. Be the first to comment on Bluesky!
Comments are closed.