Lincoln Center announces hundreds of free events as part of ‘Summer for the City’ festival
Credit: Lawrence Sumulong
Lincoln Center has announced the lineup for its fourth annual Summer for the City festival, with hundreds of free events and performances at the world-renowned cultural hub. Running from June 11 through August 9, the festival features a slate of events spanning dance, theater, opera, and more that celebrate the diversity of New York City’s cultural landscape. Summer for the City will activate every corner of the Lincoln Center campus, with events held across indoor and outdoor spaces at the famed arts center.
“The live performing arts are fundamental to who we are and to summer in New York City,” Mariko Silver, president and CEO of Lincoln Center, said. “Nowhere do the rhythms of the world come together like here in New York. ‘Summer for the City’ is such a beautiful expression of the international cultural crossroads we call home.”
The vibrant dance floor at Josie Robertson Plaza, complete with its sparkling 10-foot disco ball, is set to return this year, once again transforming the space into a colorful, open-air disco. Similarly, the speakeasy-inspired venue Underground at Jaffe Drive, which debuted in 2022, will once again take part in the fun.
Artist-in-Residence and “Summer for the City” visual director Clint Ramos designed the outdoor spaces for the program to be a relection of nature and urban life.
“Birds are the main inspiration this year,” Ramos said in a press release. We meditate on the freedom of their flight and the collective importance of the flock. Birds remind us all to look up and imagine how we, ourselves together, could take flight. This summer is an invitation to soar.”
The Garden, a greenhouse-inspired space near Damrosch Park, offers a quiet retreat, featuring lush greenery and landscaping designed in collaboration with Donyale Werle Design. This area also includes vibrant lights and designs with outdoor games, dining options, and a performance space.
Highlights of this year’s roster include the American Modern Opera Company’s Lincoln Center debut as part of their largest Run AMOC Festival to date, featuring 12 productions over four weeks, 10 of which are New York premieres.
A weeklong celebration of Brazil’s artistry and cultural traditions will showcase concerts, interactive family-friendly performances, an art installation, and more.
In addition, a weeklong event series will celebrate the 60th anniversary of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, inviting New Yorkers to explore its cultural legacy through film screenings, children’s storytimes, reading parties, dance recitals, exclusive library tours, participatory workshops, play readings, pop-up shops, concerts, silent discos, and more.
“I Am The Band” will celebrate the women who often go unrecognized despite their immeasurable contributions to popular music, including bands from the 80s, 90s, and after. Featured performers include Bobbye Hall, Bridget Everett, Lisa Fischer, Wendy & Lisa, Vanessa Carlton, Scarlet Rivera, Yasmin Williams, and more.
Deaf Broadway, the performance series presented entirely in American Sign Language by Deaf actors, returns with a production of “Waitress: The Musical,” directed by Sandra Mae Frank.
The fifth anniversary of the BAAND Together Dance Festival will bring five of NYC’s most iconic dance companies—Ballet Hispánico, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, and Dance Theatre of Harlem—together on one stage.
“Mahabharata,” a retelling of the classic Sanskrit epic produced by Why Not Theatre, explores its rich philosophical and spiritual themes across two distinct parts: Karma and Dharma.
The Underground at Jaffe will host several series, including stand-up comedy nights, jazz nights with Jazz at Lincoln Center, performances centering disability artistry from guest curator Ryan J. Jaddad, and the return of Music Underground curated by Nadia Sirota.
The Festival Orchestra of Lincoln Center will celebrate its second season under Renée and Robert Belfer Music & Artistic Director Jonathon Heyward with electrifying premiers and commissions complemented by classic works. The lineup includes pieces by Beethoven, Robert Schumann, Mozart, and more.
Additional highlights include a three-part conversation series exploring Schumann’s symphonies through the lens of health, presented in collaboration with the Jameel Arts & Health Lab. Established with the World Health Organization (WHO), the series focuses on the intersection of the arts and well-being.
Most events are free on a first-come, first-served basis, with select performances available for choose-what-you-pay prices.
Summer for the City had a successful debut in 2022, uniting more than 1,000 artists across 10 outdoor stages for 300 unique events.
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