Capital One City Parks Foundation SummerStage will return to live, in-person performances this summer. Pending adjustments to current NYC restrictions, free music and dance performances will return to Rumsey Playfield in Central Park this summer and performances will also be held in Harlem’s Marcus Garvey Park/Richard Rodgers Amphitheater. Performances will follow all state and local regulations regarding large-scale outdoor events, including limited capacity, masks and socially distanced seating. Admittance will require a free ticket, proof of vaccine and/or negative COVID test, and health screening – such as a questionnaire and temperature checks. All in-person performances will be live-streamed on SummerStageAnywhere.org, rights permitting.

Free performances will feature distinctly New York genres including hip-hop, Latin, indie rock, contemporary dance, and global, and will also include a celebration of jazz at the annual Charlie Parker Jazz Festival. Artists, performance schedules, and free ticket reservation details will be announced at a later date.

Although SummerStage neighborhood locations will be more limited this summer, the CityParks PuppetMobile will present free, family-friendly marionette theater performances in parks throughout the city. Additionally, City Parks Foundation will soon launch a special micro-grants program for grassroots arts organizations, individual artists, community parks groups, and local community-based organizations to provide funding for free cultural programs in parks and neighborhood plazas in the city’s most under-resourced communities. Both of these efforts will help ensure that free cultural programs are available around the city’s public spaces.

The first benefit show of the SummerStage season to be announced is scheduled for Friday, September 16 with folk-rock band, Dawes, as part of their 2021 tour to support their new album, “Good Luck with Whatever.” Tickets — assuming full venue capacity — will be on sale through AXS Ticketing this Friday, April 16 at 10:00 AM ET on www.axs.com. Should health and safety guidelines continue to require more limited seating capacity, tickets may be refunded or modified by The Bowery Presents.

Rock band Barenaked Ladies Last Summer On Earth tour benefit show on July 8, 2020 that was postponed due to the pandemic has also been rescheduled for July 6, 2022. All previously purchased tickets will remain valid for 2022.

“The last year has been enormously difficult for our city. Live performance, with the energy that is generated by experiencing it with others, will be a balm for our collective soul,” said Heather Lubov, City Parks Foundation’s Executive Director.  “SummerStage has been an active member of the NYS Nonprofit Outdoor Performing Arts Coalition, working with fellow outdoor venues and the NYS Department of Health to ensure that we are well-prepared to provide a safe and comfortable concert-going experience that follows strict health protocols. SummerStage will help restore vibrancy to our city through free performances in parks, which have been such important public spaces for New Yorkers seeking safe respite during the pandemic.”

In 2020, SummerStage launched its first-ever digital festival, SummerStage Anywhere, presenting over 100 digital performances. Continuing into 2021, SummerStage Anywhere is presenting weekly digital performances and will offer live streams of all in-person performances, pending artist permission, on SummerStageAnywhere.org.

Capital One City Parks Foundation SummerStage is a proud member of the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA).