Updated: SummerStage 2016 To Host Over 100 FREE Performances Across New York City

City Parks Foundation has officially announced 2016 season of SummerStage — New York City’s largest FREE performing arts festival.

The summer program is set to bring over 100 events to Central Park and 15 neighborhood parks throughout the five boroughs. In Brooklyn, the festival will span across the borough, with 23 show dates in four different parks. From indie music to jazz to African dance, the diverse programming has something to satisfy everyone.

“At City Parks Foundation, we believe culture should be convenient and affordable for everyone. Our SummerStage festival removes the barriers to culture, bringing world-class artists, topical and popular, to neighborhood parks across all five boroughs, free of charge,” said Heather Lubov, Executive Director of City Parks Foundation, in a statement. “SummerStage brings together New York’s diverse communities in authentic and meaningful ways, making high quality performing arts — from music to spoken word, circus and contemporary dance — truly accessible.  We are thrilled to bring another season, filled with exceptional artistry, to communities across the City.”

This season in Brooklyn, SummerStage will feature artists of all genres including indie-rock band Chairlift, socially-conscious hip-hoppers Public Enemy and vocalist Lisa Simone Kelly, daughter of the late American vocalist and civil rights activist, Nina Simone.

The festival will also welcome back Comedy Central for an evening of stand-up from The Daily Show with Trevor Noah. Accompanying a screening of A Ballerina’s Tale, the 2015 documentary on African-American principal ballerina Misty Copeland, award-winning choreographer Jeremy McQueen will present “The Black Iris Project,” a premier ballet collaborative celebrating diversity in art
and dance.

Update: SummerStage events in Red Hook Park will now take place in Coffey Park due to field closures in the Red Hook recreation area. Coffey Park is located at Verona Dwight Streets, a few blocks northwest of the Red Hook Recreation Center.

See the full SummerStage schedule for Brooklyn below.  For the most up-to-date scheduling and line-up for all SummerStage programming, visit SummerStage.org.