The 2024 season of the Capital One City Parks Foundation SummerStage, the iconic outdoor performing arts festival in New York, has just been announced and will bring dozens of free and benefit shows to Central Park and 12 neighborhood parks across all five boroughs of New York City.
Returning for its 38th year, the festival will once again showcase established and emerging artists from around the world, highlighting innovative women who push boundaries, and will feature a multitude of genres, including jazz, hip-hop, indie rock, salsa, reggae, Afrobeats, soul, pop, global, and contemporary dance, to name just a few.
The opening day of the season, June 1, will feature a free performance in the park by Grammy-winning and Oscar-nominated soul and R&B singer Andra Day, in association with the Blue Note Jazz Festival.
In total, an impressive 85 shows will bring music and art to 13 neighborhoods across all five boroughs. Most shows are free, while some are benefit performances to help support the Foundation and the festival and will require tickets.
Celebration of Brazilian Culture
Traditionally part of SummerStage, there is a day to celebrate Brazilian culture. In association with the 28th Inffinito Brazilian Film Festival, Black women artists will take center stage to present Brazilian music this year on August 22.
The headliner is the legendary singer Alcione, known as the “Queen of Samba,” one of Brazil’s most successful samba singers, with 19 gold records and five platinum certifications. Supporting her will be Latin GRAMMY-nominated singer Larissa Luz, a self-proclaimed afro-punk artist with an ethic rooted in Afrofuturism. She has also gained national recognition in Brazil as an actress, starring as the Brazilian legend Elza Soares in the musical Elza and as the host of a popular talk show on TV. DJ Malfeitona will explore Brazilian music, especially from Bahia, and will subvert tropical sounds by mixing rock with pagodão baiano.
The night will include a screening of the documentary Gerson King Combo, about the legendary singer and songwriter Gerson Cortez, known as the “Brazilian James Brown” for his magnetic personality and legacy to the Brazilian Black community.
For more information and the complete schedule, visit: https://www.centralpark.com/things-to-do/concerts/summerstage-festival/