Lincoln Center’s ‘Summer for the City’ Starts June 14

By Lisa Kava

Mark your calendars! Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (LCPA) has announced the schedule for its second annual summer festival, Summer for the City. It will run from June 14 – August 12, 2023, and feature hundreds of free events, thousands of artists, and food from all over town to celebrate New York City and those who live here.

While this summer’s festival will be the second one for LCPA, it will be the first time Lincoln Center’s outdoor spaces will be completely transformed by visual director Clint Ramos. Open green space, dining and performance spaces, and a dancing area with a “mega disco ball,” are all planned as part of the 2023 festival.

“Infused with greenery and colorful botanical inspirations, the campus becomes a departure from the busy cityscape with multiple opportunities for visitors to come together day and night,” a press release says.

Here is some of what you can expect to see at Summer for the City 2023:

The Garden will turn into a “greenhouse-like retreat,” for relaxing and contemplation. Hearst Plaza will feature outdoor games, a new performance space, and dining options from Tatiana by Kwame Onwuachi and nearby food trucks. A display of 200 flamingos will be situated in the Paul Milstein Reflecting Pool. The Underground at Jaffe Drive, a speakeasy-inspired venue will return, newly expanded to accommodate more visitors. The Dance Floor at Josie Robertson Plaza, the centerpiece of the festival, will turn into the city’s largest outdoor dance floor, hosting “social dance nights, silents discos, and more.”  The mega disco ball will be placed over the central fountain, and there will be “colorful botanicals” surrounding the dance floor. The Plaza will be home to dance performances and classes, representing a variety of dance styles including: Cuban salsa, swing, hip-hop, merengue, line dancing, and lindy hop.

Indoor spaces such as the David Rubenstein Atrium, the Clark Studio Theater, and David Geffen Hall will feature events, performances and provide an escape from the summer heat. Accessibility is an important aspect of the festival, and Summer for the City events will have accessible seating and entrances, all gender and gendered restrooms with accessible stalls, and FM Assistive Listening Devices. Access Concierge Service will also provide guests in need with representatives trained to support guests with disabilities. This service can be requested and arranged in advance.

Summer for the City highlights will include the following events and performances, among many others. For more detailed information and a complete event calendar go to www.summerforthecity.org

BAAND Together Dance Festival:  Five NYC dance companies — Ballet Hispanico, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, American Ballet Theater, New York City Ballet, and Dance Theatre of Harlem — will perform together on one stage for five nights.

Deaf Broadway:  an exciting new rendition of Stephen Sondheim’s Company performed entirely by Deaf actors in American Sign Language.

Wedding: New York’s Biggest Day: inviting hundreds of couples to celebrate love in a multicultural ceremony with music, poetry, social dance, and more.

The Art of Wellbeing: movement and mindfulness sessions, harnessing the power of the arts to engage the mind, body and spirit, presented in collaboration with New York Presbyterian Hospital.

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 a feature program with the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra.

The debut of Sydnie L. Mosley Dances PURPLE: A Ritual in Nine Spells, a choreographed series of poems highlighting older adults, created in community with senior residents of NYCHA neighboring Amsterdam Houses. A pre-show multimedia art installation will be on view.

“We are blessed to be in the heart of the most diverse city in the world, and to have sixteen acres of outdoor space to celebrate the magic of this bustling global city,” Shanta Thake Ehrenkranz, Chief Artistic Officer of LCPA said. “This summer builds on a city reimagining itself — finding hope in community, and planting seeds for the future.”