Lincoln Center has announced its second annual Summer for the City, offering hundreds of free events across its campus from June 14 – August 12.
All of Lincoln Center will be transformed by Summer for the City’s Visual Director Clint Ramos, who will be incorporating greenery and colorful botanical patterns throughout – “a departure from the busy cityscape with multiple opportunities for visitors to come together, day or night.” This is the first time one designer’s vision will take over all of Lincoln Center’s major outdoor spaces.
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Hearst Plaza will be equipped with outdoor games like cornhole, a new performance space, and al fresco dining courtesy of Lincoln Ristorante, Tatiana by Kwame Onwuachi and nearby food trucks. The redesigned space will host performances for kids, teens, and families on Saturday mornings, dance festivals, concerts and more.
Hearst Plaza design by Clint Ramos; rendering by Evan Alexander
The Dance Floor at Josie Robertson Plaza – the city’s largest outdoor dance floor – will also return (this time colorful botanicals) to play host to dance nights, silent discos and more.
Photo: Sachyn Mital
The Garden at Damrosch Park – a new, greenhouse-like space filled with plants – will be used for morning storytelling sessions for children and meditation events throughout the summer.
The Garden at Damrosch Park, designed by Clint Ramos; rendering by Evan Alexander
The Underground at Jaffe Drive will also be returning. The speakeasy-inspired venue, now expanded for greater capacity, will offer free comedy shows with NY Laughs, jazz sets presented by Jazz at Lincoln Center, and spoken word and poetry slams curated by Mahogany L. Browne.
The Underground at Jaffe Drive by Clint Ramos; rendering by Evan Alexander
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Indoor venues will also be activated for events and as spaces to rest and refresh from the summer heat—including the David Rubenstein Atrium, the Clark Studio Theater, and multiple spaces inside the newly reimagined David Geffen Hall.
A few additional highlights:
- Korean Arts Week, a full-campus takeover with a K-Indie Music Night, DJs, a film festival, silent discos, K-pop, wellness events, family programs and more, along with a feature program with the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra.
- An outdoor film festival at Damrosch Park, complete with popcorn and drinks, and transmitted via Quiet Event headphones, in collaboration with Film at Lincoln Center.
- A campus-wide celebration honoring Hip-Hop’s 50th Anniversary – spotlighting the “music, fashion, dance, poetry, and global cultural influence of Hip-Hop” with appearances by Rakim and Big Daddy Kane.
- Wedding: New York’s Biggest Day, inspired by the first ever (Re)Wedding in 2022, inviting hundreds of couples to Lincoln Center to celebrate love. Conceived by Tony, Grammy, and Olivier Award-winning Director Scott Wittman, the celebration brings hundreds of couples together for a multicultural ceremony with music, poetry, social dance and more, for a wedding that could only happen at Lincoln Center.
Learn more and view the full calendar of events at summerforthecity.org.
READ MORE: Summer on the Hudson 2023: Outdoor Movies, Music, Dancing & More
the disco dance floor last summer was horrid. The open plaza is wonderful. The dance floor was a wall and a slap in the face of the neighborhood. I am so insulted that Lincoln Center would opt to bring this back!
I certainly hope you get through this. Hang in there.