Get in tune with the best places to see a show in NYC this summer.

Much like Frampton in 1976, New York City in the summer comes alive. The days are long, and that’s a beautiful thing, a fantastic excuse to spend hours Rockaway Beach hopping, fire up a grill somewhere with friends, or finally make that excursion to the wonders of Coney Island. But another treasured tradition emerges from this warmest season, and we’re not talking cicadas. Summer in the city means outdoor concerts galore.

NYC’s connection to music is long, storied, inextricable, and a million other adjectives. It only makes sense this sprawling metropolis would further secure that link with a list of summer outdoor concerts — many of which are free — longer than the line at Katz’s. For everyone from folk connoisseurs to indie tastemakers to the most dedicated of stans, here are our picks for the city’s top venues to concert al fresco.

Prospect Park

With its annual BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! festival, Prospect Park puts on a summer-long series of spectacular shows that rock Park Slope. In fact, BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! is the city’s longest-running free performing arts festival. Hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers flock to the Lena Horne Bandshell, host for countless outdoor concerts dating to Benny Goodman’s and Cab Calloway’s heydays. Many of these shows are free, undoubtedly a key allure for prospective concert-goers. Each year, there are also a few ticketed benefit shows whose proceeds help support future gratis programming.

Indulge in the sonic panoply of Southwest Asia and North Africa region via the Habibi Festival (June 20), get caught up in the rapturous punk of Gogol Bordello (August 2), or vibe with a season-closing evening of psychedelia meets R&B meets soul headlined by Nick Hakim (August 16) — all for nothing more than time well spent. Benefit concerts include an avalanche of aura and star power courtesy of Grace Jones and Janelle Monáe (June 9) and alternative rock across the generational gap provided by Dinosaur Jr. and Snail Mail (July 17).

Lest we forget to mention another staple of NYC summer living, outdoor movie viewing, the bandshell will host two free screenings in tribute to the legend Quincy Jones — The Greatest Night in Pop on June 27 and The Wiz on July 26.

Central Park

Since its 1986 founding, Central Park’s SummerStage Festival at Rumsey Playfield has become a beloved seasonal ritual. Central Park’s enduring aura becomes that much more alluring when you add live music to the mix. Like its verdant Kings County sibling, Central Park’s roster of summer musical guests divides between free and benefit offerings. The City Parks Foundation organizes SummerStage, as well as free events across the five boroughs at greenspaces such as Herbert Von King Park in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Marcus Garvey Park in Harlem, and Tompkins Square Park in the East Village.

Eclecticism defines SummerStage’s programming this year. On the free end of things, you can stop by Rumsey Playfield on a given night and get treated to the famed folk music stylings of the Grammy-winning, MacArthur Genius Grant-receiving Rhiannon Giddens (June 25), equal parts entrancing and empowering Afrobeat by Fema Kuti & the Positive Force (July 27), or an indie rock triple-scoop featuring Soccer Mommy, Hurray for the Riff Raff, and Dummy (September 16). The ticketed benefit shows similarly run the gamut, wrapping in exuberant South American supergroup Astropical (June 1), the generally impressive, oft-interactive prowess of Jacob Collier (August 1), and the kind of exciting act liable to be your favorite band’s favorite band, Wet Leg (September 17).

Aside from SummerStage, Central Park is due to host the Good Morning America Summer Concert Series and the 2025 Global Citizen Festival in the warmer months to come.

The Rooftop at Pier 17

If you’ve ever wanted to pair sunset views with an outdoor concert experience, you’ll find no better spot to do so. The Rooftop at Pier 17 sits on the South Street Seaport waterfront in Lower Manhattan and peers east toward the always picturesque Brooklyn Bridge.

Pier 17’s fun has already begun as the weather’s been warming, but there is still plenty of summer left and numerous great concerts to go. Ascend to this seaside upper deck to make sure the 1990s never fade (Barenaked Ladies, Sugar Ray, and Fastball, July 9), get a little bit weird (Primus, July 21), or learn once and for all that punk’s not dead (Dropkick Murphys and Bad Religion, August 9).

Forest Hills Stadium

Some of the most important names in music and tennis history have performed at Forest Hills Stadium. Whether it was The Beatles or Arthur Ashe, Diana Ross or Billie Jean King, Frank Sinatra or Chris Evert (and oh so many more), this Neoclassical arena was a prestigious center stage and court. Eagle-eyed cinephiles also might recognize the setting from scenes in Alfred Hitchcock’s Strangers on a Train or Wes Anderson’s The Royal Tenenbaums, the latter immortalized by a plaque and pair of sneakers hanging on one of the stadium’s many stone pillars.

Although they’re not Grand Slam champions, acts like Bloc Party performing their beloved debut Silent Alarm in full (May 31) or a reunited and rejuvenated Pulp (September 11) are sure to serve nothing but aces. Bands known to jam like Phish (July 22–23) and King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard (August 1–2) are appropriately given two nights each, while the festival All Things Go brings Lucy Dacus, Doechii, Clairo, and more to the Forest Hills stage across three days (September 26–28).

Flushing Meadows Corona Park

The largest park in Queens — number four by size in all of NYC — has a whole lot going on across its nearly 900 acres. It’s home to the New York Mets and tennis’ U.S. Open, the Queens Museum, the Queens Zoo, and the New York Hall of Science. Flushing Meadows was also the site of the 1939 and 1964 World’s Fairs, still bearing the iconic Unisphere and New York State Pavilion to prove it. Cuisine-minded New Yorkers adore the park this time of year for the equally spirited and delicious Queens Night Market.

Verdant environs plus top-tier performers make Flushing Meadows a must-visit for music fans this summer. The three-day Governors Ball will grace the grounds again from June 6–8. Top-line acts for this edition of the long-running city-based festival include Olivia Rodrigo, Hozier, Tyler, the Creator, and Benson Boone. Fold in Citi Field as part of the broader park’s concert offerings, and more star power takes the plate than a Mets–Yankees Subway Series: Post Malone with Jelly Roll on June 4; several nights of K-pop marvels like Stray Kids on June 18–19, ATEEZ on July 13, and BLACKPINK on July 26–27; Billy Joel and Sting on August 21.