Free NYC Summer Concerts and Outdoor Music Festivals for Families

Start the summer with musical entertainment on the waterfront! Bring a blanket and a picnic. Photo courtesy of Hudson River Park
Start the summer with musical entertainment on the waterfront! Bring a blanket and a picnic. Photo courtesy of Hudson River Park
5/19/24 - By Drew Kristofik

Free concerts and music festivals are a summer staple in NYC, and there are always loads of great performances to enjoy. We've rounded up all the best free concerts in New York City this June, July, and August, so this list is guaranteed to keep the kids grooving all summer long.

There are summer concerts in the parks, playgrounds, piers, and plazas from Manhattan to Brooklyn, the Bronx, Staten Island, and Queens, so scroll, click, and set reminders so you don't miss your favorites. Beloved annual summer concert series, like Summer on the Hudson Play Dates, Lincoln Center's Musical Storytimes, Summerstage, and BRIC: Celebrate Brooklyn are all on the schedule, and we have a little something for the whole gamut of musical tastes, from jazz to rock, opera, folk, hip-hop, and classical.

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Places featured in this article:


Central Park - Naumburg Bandshell

Hudson Yards Public Square and Gardens

Hudson Yards - Public Square and Gardens

Brooklyn Bridge Park

Old Stone House at JJ Byrne Playground

Perelman Performing Arts Center (PAC NYC)

Perelman Performing Arts Center (PAC NYC)

Perelman Performing Arts Center (PAC NYC)

West Side Community Garden

Brooklyn Bridge Park - Pier 1

Pier 1 at Brooklyn Bridge Park

Lincoln Center - David Geffen Hall

Lincoln Center - David Geffen Hall

Lincoln Center - David Geffen Hall

Lincoln Center - David Geffen Hall

Lincoln Center - David Geffen Hall

About the Author

Drew Kristofik
Drew Kristofik’s career took a twist from editing teen magazines to a seven-year stint at MacNeil/Lehrer, followed by a long run at Nickelodeon/Viacom as Director of Content for Nick Online and Editor-in-Chief of ParentsConnect.com. A founding member of the Webby Award-winning GoCityKids, she’s written for Family Fun, Vanity Fair, and New York. Her middle school novel, The Time Boat, is available on Amazon Kindle. Drew keeps the MommyPoppins New York Events calendar spot-on and can be reached at events@mommypoppins.com.