Love seeing music outdoors? You’re in luck: New York City offers that opportunity—in abundance—every summer. Celebrate Brooklyn and SummerStage may be the best-known examples, but there are all manner of concert series that bring musical acts to outdoor venues across the five boroughs, along with with festival events like Governors Ball. Each year is different but consistent, with a mix of big names, up-and-comers and those with cult followings ready to put on a show in a scenic setting. Kim Gordon, Earl Sweatshirt, Justin Vivian Bond and Khruangbin are just a few acts you can see this season; fans of jazz, theater, opera, soca and pretty much every other musical genre are catered to as well. Read below for selected highlights and start planning your next open-air, tune-filled good time.
Note: Most of the shows below are free; we’ve indicated which ones are and which require ticket purchases. We’ve also indicated the ongoing series they are a part of; click through to see those full lineups.
Kim Gordon. Photo: Danielle Neu
Kim Gordon and Sun Ra Arkestra
June 13, Rumsey Playfield, SummerStage, Central Park, Manhattan
Gordon, former bassist of noise rock heroes Sonic Youth and still the coolest person in whatever room she happens to be in, co-headlines this show; she has released two solo records, including 2024’s The Collective. The Arkestra, meanwhile, has been transporting people on an Afrofuturistic jazz space journey for nearly three quarters of a century. Free; SummerStage
Met Opera Recital Series. Photo: Sean Jamar
Met Opera Recital Series
June 18, 20, 24, 26, 28, various locations
Each summer the Met Opera performs concerts in parks across the boroughs. A mix of established singers and up-and-comers take part in these shows, which take place in Central Park, Brooklyn Bridge Park, Jackie Robinson Park, the Williamsbridge Oval and Socrates Sculpture Park. Free
Toshi Reagon
June 19, Damrosch Park, Upper West Side, Manhattan
Hear Reagon’s investigation into songs of freedom at this Juneteenth concert, which features a choir and full band; nearby Hearst Plaza, on the Lincoln Center campus, hosts additional artists to celebrate the day. Free; Summer for the City
Horsegirl. Courtesy, Emerging Music Festival
Emerging Music Festival
June 28–29, Bryant Park, Midtown, Manhattan
Catch young bands before they’ve made it big at Bryant Park’s two-day celebration. Eight bands will perform, including Chicago indie-rock darlings Horsegirl; previous iterations have featured such ascendant artists as Madison McFerrin. Free; Bryant Park Picnic Performances
Fishbone
June 29, Lena Horne Bandshell, Prospect Park, Brooklyn
If you’ve never experienced the excitement of these funk-punk-ska pioneers live, it’s time to change that. Expect a good time and a dance-along when they kick into “Party at Ground Zero” and “Ma and Pa” (and basically every song). Mexico City’s Son Rompe Pera open. Free; Celebrate Brooklyn
Terry Riley’s In C
June 30, Damrosch Park, Lincoln Center, Upper West Side, Manhattan
It’s been 60 years since Riley composed In C, a minimalist, improvisational jazz piece based on short melodies and loops that is designed to be played by any number of musicians. A big group will gather for their take on a work that, like a river, is never the same twice. Free; Summer for the City
Staten Island Philharmonic
July 7, Conference House, Tottenville, Staten Island
The borough’s Philharmonic will wait till the weekend to celebrate the country’s birthday, with a concert on the park grounds of a site that dates back well before the country’s founding.
Earl Sweatshirt. Courtesy, City Parks Foundation
Mike’s Young World IV
July 13, Herbert Von King Park, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn
Earl Sweatshirt headlines the fourth installment of this hip-hop festival, which will also feature Stacy Epps, Myaap and Sideshow. The organizer is local rapper Michael Bonema—stage name “Mike”—who started the Slums collective and has released much of his music via Bandcamp. Free; SummerStage
Hurray for the Riff Raff
July 18, Rockefeller Park, Lower Manhattan
The second of four concerts in Battery Park City’s River & Blues Festival features this rootsy band, which is fronted by Bronx-born singer Alynda Segarra. They have a new album, The Past Is Still Alive, that has a road-weary feel conveying a lot of hard-won truths. Free
DJ Rekha. Courtesy, City Parks Foundation
DJ Rekha’s Basement Bhangra Beyond
July 20, Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Queens
London DJ Rekha Malhotra helped introduce bhangra music to these shores with their Basement Bhangra party, which ran at SOB’s for 20 years. It’s back for a night in Queens. Free; SummerStage
Bab L’Bluz. Photo: Brice Bottin
Habibi Festival
July 20, Lena Horne Bandshell, Prospect Park, Brooklyn
Check out the sounds of the Southwest Asia and North Africa region at this festival, courtesy of Bab L’Bluz, Yacine Boulares and other musicians of the diaspora. It serves as a preview of the festival at Joe’s Pub, which takes place October 8–12. Free; Celebrate Brooklyn
Justin Vivian Bond
July 24–28, Little Island, Meatpacking District, Manhattan
Mx. Bond, a downtown nightlife mainstay (frequently as part of the act Kiki & Herb), does a week of cabaret at the Glade in Hudson River Park’s Little Island. Arrive early, as it’s a relatively small space and seating is first come, first served. Free; Little Island Summer Shows
Chuck Chillout. Courtesy, City Parks Foundation
Chuck Chillout 40th Radio Anniversary Party
August 1, Crotona Park, the Bronx
Old-school hip-hop enthusiasts should put their Filas on and head to this all-star concert. Hosted by Video Music Box impresario Ralph McDaniels, the show will feature Schoolly D, Ice T, Lord Tariq & Peter Gunz, Ultramagnetic MCs and an array of other acts from the genre’s early ascendant days. It’s in honor of radio DJ Chuck Chillout, who played a lot of these acts on his shows starting in the mid-1980s. Free;SummerStage
Courtesy, Hudson Yards
Keke Palmer
August 7, Hudson Yards, Manhattan
This westside neighborhood holds a string of free summer performances, including this one featuring Emmy winner and R&B singer Palmer. Free; Hudson Yards Summer Concert Series
Def Leppard and Journey
August 7, Citi Field, Flushing, Queens
Maybe it’s not actually better to burn out, as these ’80s heavyweights still keep the rock of ages rollin’. The hits will be plenty, the sing-alongs frequent and the lighters raised high. Now is not the time to stop believin’. (Also, did we mention the Steve Miller Band is joining for this show? Well, abracadabra, it is so.) Ticketed
Charlotte Adigéry & Bolis Pupul. Courtesy, Celebrate Brooklyn
Charlotte Adigéry & Bolis Pupul, Sinkane and Ushka
August 8, Lena Horne Bandshell, Prospect Park, Brooklyn
Belgium-based electropop duo Adigéry and Pupul released Topical Dancer in 2022 to near-universal acclaim. Their light touch on serious topics will be on display at the concert, though equally compelling is Sinkane, a Sudanese American artist whose stew of influences and loves—funk, worldbeat, Krautrock, the Grateful Dead—makes his music familiar yet impossible to pin down. Free; Celebrate Brooklyn
Florencia Cuenca. Courtesy, Bryant Park
Jaime Lozano and Florencia Cuenca
August 9, Bryant Park, Midtown West, Manhattan
This husband-and-wife team brings its show, Broadway en Spanglish, to an outdoor setting. They delivery bilingual versions of Broadway songs, influenced by their theater background and upbringing in Mexico. Free; Bryant Park Picnic Performances
Stray Cats. Photo: Suzie Kaplan
Stray Cats
August 15, Rooftop at Pier 17, The Seaport, Manhattan
There might not be a more scenic spot for an outdoor concert than Pier 17, with the Brooklyn Bridge and East River as a backdrop. On this night, the Stray Cats will be ready to rock this town with their throwback brand of rockabilly. Will Slim Jim Phantom show up with more than a snare, bass and crash cymbal as his kit? You’ll have to head to The Seaport to see. Ticketed
Kid Congo Powers
August 18, Union Pool, Williamsburg, Brooklyn
The spirit of post-punk, cowpunk and just punk is alive with Kid Congo Powers, who was a member of seminal bands the Gun Club, the Cramps and Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds back in the day. He now fronts the Pink Monkey Birds, perhaps a happier sounding name but still with garage rock attitude. The show takes place on Union Pool’s outdoor patio, as do all the free shows in the venue’s Sunday afternoon series. Free; Summer Thunder
Khruangbin
September 20–21, Forest Hills Stadium, Forest Hills, Queens
Who says summer vibes end on Labor Day? Just in time for the end of the season, the Texas trio Khruangbin arrives with its warm, soulful psychedelia grooves. Fall can wait. Ticketed
