SummerStage 2019 Lineup Brings Free Concerts To 5 NYC Boroughs

NEW YORK, NY — The 2019 season of SummerStage, one of New York City's largest free concert series, is set to launch on June 1, organizers announced Tuesday.

This year's SummerStage festival will feature more than 200 artists playing about 100 free and benefit concerts in 18 city parks. This year is also significant due to the opening of a brand-new SummerStage facility in Central Park following a $5.5 million renovation.

"This is a very big year for SummerStage. Not only are we reopening our storied Central Park venue, modernizing it for its next 30 years, but we are also partnering with our new title sponsor and looking to the future by launching the season with young musicians representing the next generation," Heather Lubov, executive director of City Parks Foundation, said in a statement.

"Of course, throughout the summer, we will present a line-up that is reflective of our city’s population, focusing not only on gender equality, but also on the huge diversity of cultures and backgrounds that make New York so special and exciting."

Some highlights from this year's SummerStage lineup include: Bronx rap legend Slick Rick performing in Soundview Park, Queens rapper Pharoahe Monch celebrating the 20th anniversary of his album "Internal Affairs," multiple Grammy-award winner Corinne Bailey Rae, Latin Grammy winner Buika and indie rocker Kurt Vile. New-wave pioneers The B-52s are penciled in to headline SummerStage's final concert.

Many past SummerStage concerts have been organized to appease to fans of a specific genre and this year is no different. The festival is bringing back its Charlie Parker Jazz Festival, which brings five days of live jazz music to the neighborhoods where Parker worked and lived. Concerts will be held in Harlem's Marcus Garvey park and in Lower Manhattan's Tompkins Square Park. This year's Charlie Parker Jazz Festival will also serve as a celebration of the 100th birthday of the Harlem Renaissance, organizers said.

"This season’s lineup is thoughtfully curated to celebrate community across all five boroughs by bringing distinctly New York artists to neighborhoods where they have personal history. The Festival also acts as a platform for global talent to perform for New Yorkers, and a place to see some of the most diverse and exciting talent around," Erika Elliott, Executive Artistic Director of City Parks Foundation, said in a statement.

For more information about the festival, including the complete lineup, visit the SummerStage website.