NYC’s ultimate festival Summer for the City is officially returning this summer for its third year!
Over the course of three months, Lincoln Center will turn into the ultimate go-to spot for summer fun, featuring hundreds of free events, thousands of artists, and food from across the city for New Yorkers to browse and enjoy.
Shanta Thake, Ehrenkranz Chief Artistic Officer of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, stated:
The ethos that drives all we do for New York is to live up to our founding mission that the arts are for everyone. It is in service of this democratic ideal that we offer a summer with artistry from so many perspectives and lived experiences—all for free or Choose-What-You-Pay.
This year Lincoln Center’s full campus will undergo a total transformation designed by visionary artist Clint Ramos and inspired by flora and fauna of the American prairie–think: greenery and plants galore and stunning projection designs–creating multiple outdoor spaces for visitors to come together and celebrate the city’s vibrant community.
“Life, Liberty, and Happiness” is this year’s theme, highlighting how active participation in the arts helps strengthen civic bonds and grow strong community.
Even more, this year’s highly anticipated festival will feature new fun, bringing together thousands of artists from across the world in celebration!
Programming highlights for this year’s Summer for the City include:
Outdoor Movies
Film at Lincoln Center is expanding out of the theater to under the stars with an exciting selection of free outdoor movie screenings. Over four evenings on select Thursdays and Fridays in June and July, New Yorkers will be treated to FLC-curated picks on a massive screen in Damrosch Park. Learn more here.
Several events celebrating Pride Month throughout June
- Soundcake: Aural Confections by Sapphira Cristál & Monét X Change
- Sissy Elliott Live at Lincoln Center
- Kumbia Queers Live
- DJ Papi Juice Featuring Oscar Nñ
- ABT Silent Disco
India Week
Building off the success of Korean Arts Week during last year’s Summer for the City, this year’s festival immerses audiences in a range of festivities that highlight the depth of India’s cultural landscape during India Week (July 10-14), showcasing the country’s music, dance, art, cuisine, and more.
Big Umbrella Day
A one-day iteration of Lincoln Center’s Big Umbrella Festival, creating relaxed spaces which specifically welcome neurodivergent audiences through multi-sensory experiences, performances, installations, and workshops.
Lincoln Center Night Market Presented by Chase
New this summer, this is an outdoor food emporium featuring a wide range of cuisines at affordable prices including Jerrell’s Betr Brgr, Maya’s Snack Bar, Harlem Seafood Soul, Yakitori Totto, Manousheh, and Taqueria al Pastor.
The Wedding: New York’s Biggest Day
Hundreds of couples will be invited to Lincoln Center’s 16-acre campus to celebrate love. The celebration brings couples together for a multicultural ceremony with music, poetry, social dance and more.
Andreas Dracopoulos, Co-President of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF), stated:
In reaching people from all five boroughs and beyond with its warm welcome, Summer for the City has established itself as a New York tradition, but—as this year’s lineup shows—it’s a tradition as dynamic and inclusive as the city itself. When public space comes alive, it’s a whole that’s greater than the sum of its parts, and we can’t wait to experience that anew this summer.
The majority of the 200+ Summer for the City events are free, with select indoor performances having a Choose-What-You-Pay ticketing model starting at $5. These tickets go on sale to the public Thursday, May 16 at 12 pm.
Summer for the City will run from Wednesday, June 12 and run through Saturday, August 10. The full calendar of events can be found here.