TV Shows offer free music performances in the summertime all over the city.

• ABC Good Morning America Concerts every week in Central Park (used to be at Bryant Park) at 7am. Performances are usually at 8:30am.
• NBC Today Show Concerts every week at Rockefeller Plaza at 7am.

Excellent nationally-known artists perform and they usually play one or two songs! Admittance is first come first served.

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The South Street Seaport holds a summer music festival full of free outdoor shows.  Starts with a Guest DJ and bands go on around 7pm.  Bands this year include Superchunk, Polvo, Obits, and The Pains of Being Pure at Heart.

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We recommend you bring your own chair for popular musical acts (like Lauryn Hill and Boyz II Men performed last year).

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The Metropolitan Opera offers free summer events in parks of NYC and New Jersey.

This year, the company will present a six-performance series of recitals in the parks of all five boroughs for the Summer Recital Series.  Performances include Tony Award winner Paulo Szot and opera singers Lisette Oropesa and Alek Shrader with accompaniment by pianist Vlad Iftinca. Actor/conductor Damon Gupton will host several of the concerts. All performances are free and no tickets are required, except for the concert at SummerStage. For information on how to obtain free SummerStage tickets, please visit their website beginning June 1.

Starting August 29, the Met will present its first-ever Summer HD Festival, featuring screenings of ten productions from the company’s Peabody and Emmy Award-winning Live in HD series. The HD productions will be shown in Lincoln Center Plaza on consecutive nights—for free.  Start times will range from 7:30pm to 8:00pm.  The screenings are free with no tickets required; 2800 seats will be available each night on a first-come, first served basis. There are no rain dates.

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Actually it’s pool-less. The concerts have now been moved to the Williamsburg waterfront, just a few blocks from McCarren Park Pool. This is because the $50 million makeover of McCarren Pool was approved to turn it from a concert venue back into a swimming pool by the Landmarks Preservation Commission.

To guarantee admission please RSVP online.  One of the most popular and exciting free events all summer long.  You are not permitted to bring chairs, bicycles, food/drink, or professional video/photography equipment. This year will include the popular slide-n-slide and dodgeball games as well as a few surprises to be announced.

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Performances of jazz, folk, bluegrass, soul, and popular music. The park also holds numerous programs including Kid Fest, Mad. Sq. Kids, and Playground activities (with water sprinklers).

Concerts held rain or shine and end by 8:30pm.  Bring a lawn blanket because no chairs are allowed.

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