The lineup has officially been announced for this season's SummerStage performance festival, featuring over 60 free and ticketed shows at 13 parks across the five boroughs.
The annual outdoor performance event, now in its 40th year, reliably brings a swath of fresh and established musicians to green spaces around New York City, and 2026 will be no exception.
Highlights of this year's schedule, which goes from May to October, includes benefit concerts by the Gin Blossoms, Spin Doctors, Charley Crockett and Simple Plan. Free programming highlights include performances by Laurie Anderson, Spoon, Mavis Staples, Doug E. Fresh and multiple opportunities to experience both the Charlie Parker Jazz Festival and the Metropolitan Opera Summer Recital series.
Although SummerStage 2026's first show of the season will be a benefit concert by the rock group Dance Gavin Dance on May 30, the festival’s official opening night will be a jazz show by Ledisi on June 10 (both in Central Park).
Country singer Charley Crockett will headline the last show of the season, a benefit concert taking place in Central Park on Oct. 1.
There will also be various programming tied to the festival’s 40th anniversary: It was founded by Joe Killian back in June 1986, when the first-ever SummerStage event — a Sun Ra Arkestra concert – took place at the Naumburg Bandshell in Central Park. In the years since, it has presented thousands of global artists and hundreds of free live performances to an estimated 7 million-plus audience members.
“Forty years ago, I had a simple idea: that world-class music and performing arts belonged to everyone, not just those who could afford a ticket,” Killian said in a release. “Four decades later, I'm genuinely moved by what SummerStage has meant to our city and what we helped build together with our fans.”
For the full lineup, check out SummerStage’s website.
