Free Things to do Manhattan II - Free SummerStage Concerts in Manhattan
Click here to view our current report of free summer concerts in Manhattan NYC 2022.
SummerStage Concerts in Central Park, East River Park, Tompkins Square Park & Marcus Garvey Park in Manhattan
Free Things To Do In Manhattan NYC Near The Upper East Side UES, Upper West Side UWS, Harlem, West & East Village, SoHo & the Lower East Side LES
August 2, 2018 / Manhattan Neighborhoods / Manhattan Concerts / Manhattan Things To Do / Manhattan Buzz NYC.
Summer is well underway. A number of community and arts groups in collaboration with the NYC Parks Department and frequently some measure of government funding, have put together a summer full of free summer theater in the parks. The free theatre events listed below are designed for young and old alike and most of them are FREE unless otherwise noted.
The Fringe Festival - a festival of avante garde original theater - in the Village in late July / early August may also be of interest. See our weekend posts and things to do calendar for details. Also, the Short Play Lab which is a festival of short, generally modern original works, also runs about the same time period, frequently in and around the Manhattan Theatre District. Neither of these are free, but they don't cost a lot. Tickets at some of the productions go fast and there is frequently limited seating at the various participating venues. The Musical Theatre Festival too.
Music / Concerts in the Park Manhattan. Click here to view our report on free concerts in the parks - summer concerts in Manhattan, Upper East Side UES, Upper West Side UWS, Midtown, West & East Village, SoHo & Tribeca this summer 2018.
Foreign Films / Free Movies in the Park Manhattan. Click here to view our report on free movies in the park - summer movies in Manhattan, Upper East Side UES, Upper West Side UWS, Midtown, West & East Village, SoHo & Tribeca.
Theater in the Park Manhattan. Click here to view our report on free Shakespeare in the park - summer theater in Manhattan, Upper East Side UES, Upper West Side UWS, Midtown, West & East Village, SoHo & Tribeca this summer 2018.
Current Manhattan Things To Do. Click here to view a listing of current Manhattan things to do or click here to view our member submitted Manhattan events calendar.
Directory of Free SummerStage Concerts Manhattan 2018
Click for Each Neighborhood - Performances Organized by Month
1. Central Park Free Summer Concerts NYC - free SummerStage concerts near the Upper West Side UWS, Upper East Side UES, Harlem and Midtown Manhattan
2. East Village Lower East Side LES Free Summer Concerts - Manhattan NYC - free SummerStage concerts near SoHo, Bowery, West Village, Tribeca and Downtown NYC
3. Harlem, Inwood & Washington Heights Free Summer Concerts - NYC - free SummerStage concerts near Washington Heights, Inwood and the UWS
Also Check Our Monthly NYC Events / Manhattan Things To Do Calendar
1. SummerStage Concerts In Central Park
Free Things To Do Manhattan - (mostly) Free SummerStage Concerts near th Upper East Side UES, Upper West Side UWS & Midtown NYC
The paid & free concerts are organized by the City Parks Foundation. All concerts listed in this section are held at the Rumsey Playfield. Free unless otherwise noted.
You can purchase tickets through the City Parks Foundation website - www.cityparksfoundation.org.
- A full SummerStage concert schedule in Central Park begins in June and runs through September of 2018. The following are only those concerts in August & September of 2018. In 2019 we will include the earlier concerts, including one benefit concert in May.
- Wednesday, August 1, 2018 beginning at 8 pm / Free - Special Guest to-be-announced / Movement of the People Dance Company. Free SummerStage concerts in Central Park Manhattan NYC.
- Saturday, August 4, 2018 beginning at 6 pm / Free - The Originals (Stretch Armstrong, Clark Kent, D-Nice, Rich Medina, Tony Touch). Free SummerStage concerts in Central Park Manhattan NYC.
- Sunday, August 5, 2018 beginning at 3 pm / Free - BaianaSystem / Hamilton de Holanda Trio feat. Roberta Sá / Xênia França, in association with Brasil Summerfest. Free SummerStage concerts in Central Park Manhattan NYC.
- Saturday, August 11, 2018 beginning at 6 pm / Free - KOREA GAYOJE: TOKiMONSTA / Kero One, in association with Korean Cultural Center New York and MeanRed. Free SummerStage concerts in Central Park Manhattan NYC.
- Sunday, August 12, 2018 beginning at 7 pm / Free - Music + Revolution: Greenwich Village in the 1960s, hosted by Richard Barone. Free SummerStage concerts in Central Park Manhattan NYC.
- Sunday, August 19, 2018 beginning at 7 pm / Free - Mura Masa / Jessy Lanza, in association with MeanRed. Free SummerStage concerts in Central Park Manhattan NYC.
- Wednesday, August 22, 2018 beginning at 8 pm / Free - “Mr. Gaga” with GALLIM. Free SummerStage concerts in Central Park Manhattan NYC.
- Sunday, August 26, 2018 beginning at 6 pm / Free - Eddie Palmieri La Perfecta / Tony Vega. Free SummerStage concerts in Central Park Manhattan NYC.
- Tuesday, August 28, 2018 beginning at 8 pm / Free - Voices of A People’s History featuring Staceyann Chin, Rachel Dratch, Michael Ealy, Laura Gómez, Celisse Henderson, Viggo Mortensen. Free SummerStage concerts in Central Park Manhattan NYC.
- Thursday, September 27, 2018 beginning at 7 pm / Free - Angelique Kidjo's Remain in Light / Resistance Revival Chorus. Free SummerStage concerts in Central Park Manhattan NYC.
Please note these are the only SummerStage concerts that are NOT FREE.
The proceeds go to support the organization that sponsors these free summer concerts.
- Also see the free CHARLIE PARKER JAZZ FEST by scrolling down to the Village and Harlem sections below.
- Wednesday, August 8, 2018 beginning at 6 pm / Voodoo Threauxdown featuring Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue / Galactic / Preservation Hall Jazz Band / New Breed Brass Band / special guests Cyril Neville, Walter “Wolfman” Washington and Kermit Ruffins. These SummerStage concerts are produced by The Bowery Presents. SummerStage concerts in Central Park Manhattan NYC.
- Thursday, August 9, 2018 beginning at 7 pm / Good Vibes featuring Jason Mraz / Brett Dennen. These SummerStage concerts are produced by The Bowery Presents. SummerStage concerts in Central Park Manhattan NYC.
- Monday, August 13, 2018 beginning at 6 pm / O.A.R. with special guests Matt Nathanson and The New Respects. These SummerStage concerts are produced by The Bowery Presents. SummerStage concerts in Central Park Manhattan NYC.
- Saturday, September 8, 2018 beginning at 6 pm - Mac DeMarco. These SummerStage concerts are produced by The Bowery Presents. SummerStage concerts in Central Park Manhattan NYC.
- Wednesday, September 26, 2018 beginning at 6 pm - Blood Orange. These SummerStage concerts are produced by The Bowery Presents. SummerStage concerts in Central Park Manhattan NYC.
Also see free summer movies on the UES Upper East Side Manhattan and the Manhattan things to do calendar and the things to do section of the UES Upper East Side Neighborhood.
2. Free SummerStage Concerts in the Village NYC
Free Things To Do Manhattan - Free SummerStage concerts & dance in East River Park near the Bowery, SoHo, East Village and Lower East Side LES neighborhoods of Manhattan
Click here to view an East River Park map east of SoHo and the Bowery on the Lower East Side. The photo to your right was taken by Allison Brzezinski, Founder & Artistic Director of CheckItDance, at one of their performances along the East River near Solar One - which is north of the East River Park but gives you a sense of theater along the East River.
- Thursday, August 9, 2018 beginning at 6 pm / Free - Wild Style 35th Anniversary Reunion at The Amphitheater with Special Guest DJ Funk Flex. Free SummerStage concerts in East River Park on the Lower East Side / East Village in Manhattan NYC.
- Friday, August 10, 2018 beginning at 7 pm / Free - Peridance Contemporary Dance Company. Free SummerStage concerts in East River Park on the Lower East Side / East Village in Manhattan NYC.
- Saturday, August 11, 2018 begining at 5 pm / Free - Porches / Sunflower Bean / Crumb, in association with Brooklyn Magazine. Free SummerStage concerts in East River Park on the Lower East Side / East Village in Manhattan NYC.
- Sunday, August 12, 2018 beginning at 4 pm / Free - Jerry Rivera / Nuyorican Poets Cafe: La Bruja and Chembo Corniel. Free SummerStage concerts in East River Park on the Lower East Side / East Village in Manhattan NYC.
The Charlie Parker Jazz Festival - The New School in the Village
- Thursday, August 23, 2018 beginning at 7.30 pm / Free - The Charlie Parker Jazz Festival. These free summer concerts / performances at The New School for Jazz & Contemporary Music in the Village in Manhattan.
The Charlie Parker Jazz Festival - East Village
PLEASE NOTE: The following concert is the only Charlie Parker Jazz Fest concert performed in the East Village at Tompkins Square Park between 7th and 10th Streets and Avenues A & B.
- Sunday, August 26, 2018 from 3 - 7 pm / Free - Gary Bartz Quartet / The Bad Plus / Amina Claudine Myers / UNHEARD: Adam O'Farrill, Immanuel Wilkins and Joel Ross. These free summer concerts / performances in Tompkins Square Park in the East Village in Manhattan were commissioned in association with The Joyce and George Wein Foundation under the artistic supervision of The Jazz Gallery.
Also see free summer movies in Midtown Manhattan and the Manhattan things to do calendar and the things to do section of the Midtown Neighborhood.
3. Free SummerStage Concerts in Harlem
Free Things to do Manhattan - Free SummerStage Concerts in Marcus Garvey Park near Washington Heights, Inwood & the Upper West Side UWS
Click here to view a Marcus Garvey Park map on the west side of Harlem [TBD], not far from Washington Heights, the Upper West Side & Inwood. We'll post a photo at a later date.
The free SummerStage concerts are organized by the City Parks Foundation. All events in this section are free and will be performed in Marcus Garvey Park at Mount Morris Park West and West 122nd Street in Harlem.
- Wednesday, August 15, 2018 beginning at 6 pm / Free - Alice Smith / Akala / DJ Stormin Norman. Free SummerStage concerts in Marcus Garvey Park in the Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan NYC.
- Thursday, August 16, 2018 beginning at 7 pm / Free - Jeremy McQueen's Black Iris Project. Free SummerStage concerts in Marcus Garvey Park in the Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan NYC.
- Saturday, August 18, 2018 beginning at 4 pm / Free - Pape Diouf & la Génération Consciénte. Free SummerStage concerts in Marcus Garvey Park in the Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan NYC.
- Sunday, August 19, 2018 beginning at 5 pm / Free - Rapsody. Free SummerStage concerts in Marcus Garvey Park in the Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan NYC.
The Charlie Parker Jazz Festival - The New School in the Village
- Thursday, August 23, 2018 beginning at 7.30 pm / Free - The Charlie Parker Jazz Festival. These free summer concerts / performances at The New School for Jazz & Contemporary Music in the Village in Manhattan.
The Charlie Parker Jazz Festival - Marcus Garvey Park in Harlem
- Friday, August 24, 2018 from 7 - 9 pm / Free - Charles Tolliver’s 50 Year Anniversary of Paper Man featuring Gary Bartz, Jack DeJohnette, Buster Williams & Surprise Guest / Brianna Thomas. Free SummerStage concerts in Marcus Garvey Park in the Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan NYC.
- Saturday, August 25, 2018 beginning at 3 pm / Free - Monty Alexander - Harlem Kingston Express / Catherine Russell / Keyon Harrold / Matthew Whitaker Trio. Free SummerStage concerts in Marcus Garvey Park in the Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan NYC.
The Charlie Parker Jazz Festival - Tompkins Square in the East Village
PLEASE NOTE: The following concert is the only Charlie Parker Jazz Fest concert performed in the East Village at Tompkins Square Park between 7th and 10th Streets and Avenues A & B.
- Sunday, August 26, 2018 from 3 - 7 pm / Free - Gary Bartz Quartet / The Bad Plus / Amina Claudine Myers / UNHEARD: Adam O'Farrill, Immanuel Wilkins and Joel Ross. These free summer concerts / performances in Tompkins Square Park in the East Village in Manhattan were commissioned in association with The Joyce and George Wein Foundation under the artistic supervision of The Jazz Gallery.
Free SummerStage Concerts In Manhattan NYC
Free Things To Do In Manhattan - SummerStage Concerts Near The Upper East Side UES, Upper West Side UWS, Midtown, West & East Village, SoHo & Tribeca
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