Central Park SummerStage

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SummerStage is New York's premiere outdoor concert stage in Central Park (New York City), founded in 1985 as a joint partnership of Creative Times and The New York Department of Parks and Recreation, and then taken over by the Central Park Conservancy in 1988, its management was transferred to City Parks Foundation in 1994. It continues to present performances of outstanding artistic quality, free of charge, including music, dance, spoken word, and film events in the summer months. The performers include all genres and spectrums of arts including emerging artists and more established performers.

In order to support the multitude of free performances every summer, there are also a handful of benefit shows at SummerStage. Past acts have included The Strokes, The Killers, Fiona Apple, Bonnie Raitt, The Indigo Girls, and many others.

Although it takes a number of paid staff members and a large crew to put on SummerStage every year, a major part of the concert series' success is its volunteer base. New Yorkers of all ages come out to the park to set up, hand out programs, sell t-shirts, and do a number of other jobs. This element of SummerStage makes it an event that truly belongs to the public.

In August 2003, during the famous Eastern Seaboard blackout, The Indigo Girls were scheduled to perform. The band showed up to play and did, after the technical staff rewired the venue to work off a single of generator, the concert went on as scheduled with a packed house.

In 2005, SummerStage celebrated its 20th Anniversary season, having presented over 750 free concerts in its first 19 years.

The artists represent a breadth of cultures and perform in an outdoor setting accessible to people of all ages and backgrounds. Over 1600 individual artist performances have taken place in the 21 year history of SummerStage, reaching a cumulative audience of more than 2.5 million people.

Central Park SummerStage is one of several free performing arts festivals offered by City Parks Foundation. Others include CityParks Concerts, CityParks Dance, CityParks Theater, and the Charlie Parker Jazz Festival, all offered free in parks across New York City.