Bryant Park Picnic Performances 2024

FREE

20 24

Shows at 7pm

Except Jun 29, Aug 10 (5pm)

SCHEDULE

MAY JUNE

31 New York City Opera Puccini Celebration 1

New York City Opera Puccini Celebration

6

Contemporary Dance Naomi Funaki + Jared Alexander featuring Ayodele Casel, Sidra Bell, It's Showtime NYC!, National Dance Institute

7

Contemporary Dance David Dorfman Dance, Soles of Duende, Joffrey Concert Group, Frank Sinatra School of the Arts

14 Contemporary Dance Ronald K. Brown/EVIDENCE, Robin Dunn's 'SHOUT,' Kevin Wynn Tribute, Brooklyn Arts 21 Jazzmobile Sarah Vaughan Centennial featuring Charenée Wade 28 Emerging Music Festival Chanel Beads, Mei Semones, Los Esplifs 29 Emerging Music Festival Horsegirl, Hannah Jadagu Greg Mendez, Bloomsday, @

JULY

5

Carnegie Hall Citywide Tania León and The Harlem Chamber Players

12 Carnegie Hall Citywide Thandiswa Mazwai 19 Carnegie Hall Citywide Louis Cato 26 Carnegie Hall Citywide Michael Olatuja and Lagos Pepper Soup

AUGUST

2

Carnegie Hall Citywide La Excelencia

10 New Victory Theater Ephrat Asherie Dance + Barkin/Selissen Project 16 World Music Institute Natu Camara + Samir LanGus 17 Jalopy Theatre Cristina Vane, Slavic Soul Party, Guachinangos 23 Joe’s Pub Jaime Lozano and The Familia 24 New York City Opera Tosca 30 Asian American Arts Alliance Vijay Iyer Trio 31 Contemporary Dance Mark Morris Dance Group, Blacks in Ballet, Reed Luplau

SEPTEMBER

5

Accordions Around the World Dwayne Dopsie and The Zydeco Hellraisers, Afro Dominicano, Lakou Mizik

6

American Symphony Orchestra Beyond the Hall

12 Harlem Stage Eddie Palmieri Salsa Orchestra 13 The Town Hall + Belongó The Man With the Golden Horn

Watch the livestream @bryantparknyc

Friends, We are so excited to welcome you back for the 2024 season of Picnic Performances!

This is our most ambitious season yet of free outdoor music, theater, and dance. The festival kicks off with a massive two-night Puccini celebration, to mark the 100th anniversary of his death, and culminates with a major Afro-Latin concert of the music of James Bond. In between, we honor the centennial of jazz legend Sarah Vaughan, celebrate acclaimed composer Tania León, and present some of the most admired companies in the world of dance.

We are thrilled to share our stage once again with some of the city’s iconic cultural institutions, including Carnegie Hall, Harlem Stage, The Town Hall, and New York City Opera. This year brings the first Picnic intended for kids and their parents, in partnership with New Victory, which will close the first-ever ‘Family Day’ at Bryant Park.

We also continue to expand the reach of the series beyond the park. Last summer more than 75,000 people attended the series in-person, and nearly half a million people globally watched a livestream of a performance. Tens of thousands more watched on PBS, and new hour-long TV episodes of select concerts will air this summer.

None of this would be possible without our neighbors and partners at Bank of America. This summer marks our fifth Picnic Performances season with Bank of America, and their funding has allowed us to expand our artistic ambitions, improve production quality, and broadcast our shows to the world.

Whether you join us on the lawn or watch from home, we look forward to sharing New York City’s extraordinary performing arts with you!

Sincerely,

Dan Biederman Executive Director, Bryant Park Corporation

Welcome to Bryant Park – a jewel in the crown of Midtown Manhattan!

We’re excited to be the presenting sponsor of the 2024 season of Picnic Performances, marking 11 years of partnership between Bank of America and our neighbor, Bryant Park. We share a commitment to strengthening our City and reaching thousands by providing green spaces and engaging programming – all while fueling the NYC economy.

At Bank of America, we believe the arts are a unifying force that promote cultural understanding and enrich societies.

Picnic Performances celebrates the City’s diverse cultural scene and makes it possible for all New Yorkers and visitors to experience world-class art for free. And, when art is complimented by nature, it’s a powerful combination!

We hope to see you back in the park soon – if not this summer then to eat, shop and skate when Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park opens this fall!

Sincerely,

José Tavarez President, Bank of America New York City

Bank of America, N.A. Member FDIC. © 2024 Bank of America Corporation

New York City Opera

Friday, May 31 Saturday, June 1

Angelito Jusay

Honoring the 100th anniversary of the passing of Giacomo Puccini, opening weekend features selections from each and every Puccini opera, performed by the New York City Opera Orchestra and Chorus conducted

by Maestro Joseph Rescigno.

Angelito Jusay

Saturday, August 24

Angelito-Jusay

Continuing the summer of Puccini, City Opera presents a concert version of Tosca, the world-renowned three-act opera, featuring chorus and renowned singers.

Thursday, June 6

Naomi Funaki + Jared Alexander featuring Ayodele Casel

Cat Evans

Sidra Bell It's Showtime NYC! National Dance Institute

The first night of Contemporary Dance features extraordinary tap dancers with special guest Ayodele Casel, rising choreographer Sidra Bell, and street dance

by It's Showtime NYC!

Friday, June 7

David Dorfman Dance Soles of Duende Joffrey Concert Group Frank Sinatra School of the Arts The renowned David Dorfman Dance closes the second Contemporary Dance, alongisde all-female percussive dance ensemble Soles of Duende.

Friday, June 14

Ronald K. Brown/EVIDENCE Robin Dunn’s ‘SHOUT’ Kevin Wynn Tribute Brooklyn Arts

Marc Royce

Acclaimed dancers honor the late choreographer Kevin Wynn as part of this special evening of dance feauting Ronald K. Brown's EVIDENCE and hip hop choreographer Robin Dunn.

Saturday, August 31

Mark Morris Dance Group Blacks in Ballet Reed Luplau

Internationally acclaimed Mark Morris Dance Group headlines an extraordinary lineup of ballet and modern dance companies.

Jazzmobile

featuring CHARENÉE WADE

Friday, June 21 Celebrating the 100th birthday of legendary jazz singer Sarah Vaughan with acclaimed vocalist Charenée Wade and her septet.

Watch full, multi-camera livestreams of 16 of this season’s Picnic Performances at bryantpark.org as well as on Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook at @bryantparknyc.

Ryan Muir

Follow us on TikTok too for more of our favorite summer moments.

Friday, June 28

Saturday, June 29 (5pm)

Chanel Beads Horsegirl Mei Semones Hannah Jadagu Los Esplifs Greg Mendez Bloomsday @

Edwina Hay

The park’s annual celebration of young indie, rock, folk, soul, and global bands returns with eight groups over two nights. Lineup will be announced in May.

Chris Lee

Edwina Hay

Edwina Hay

Photos from past festivals.

Gail Hadani Bob Curtis

Friday, July 5

Tania León and The Harlem Chamber Players

Pulitizer-Prize-winning composer Tania León leads the renowned Harlem Chamber Players.

Friday, July 12

Thandiswa Mazwai

Shervin Lainez

South Africa’s Thandiswa Mazwai is a chart-topping singer, songwriter, and bandleader with a passionate worldwide following.

Friday, July 19

Louis Cato

Grammy Award-nominated multi-instrumentalist and bandleader of The Late Show Band, Louis Cato performs with special guests.

Friday, July 26

Michael Olatuja and Lagos Pepper Soup

Bassist Michael Olatuja highlights music from his release Lagos Pepper Soup: his soulful, highenergy blend of Afrobeat, jazz, and funk.

Friday, August 2

La Excelencia

The award-winning salsa dura band invigorates traditional salsa with their modern and unapologetic sound.

Joe’s Pub

Friday, August 9 See why Lin-Manuel Miranda calls Jaime Lozano “the next big thing on Broadway” at this bilingual performance of iconic show tunes with special guest stars.

Matthew Murphy

New Victory Theater

Saturday, August 10 (5pm) In collaboration with New Victory's summer dance series, two renowned companies join for an interactive dance event curated specifically for kids and families.

World Music Institute Friday, August 16 A celebration of West African music featuring the extraordinary Guinean singer Natu Camara and Moroccan Gnawa music from Samir LanGus.

Saturday, August 17

Cristina Vane Slavic Soul Party Guachinangos Celebrate dance music from around the world with the Honky Tonk tunes of Cristina Vane, the Balkan brass beats of Slavic Soul Party!, and the Latin American rhythms of Guachinangos.

Ebru Yildiz

Asian American Arts Alliance

Friday, August 30 Three-time Grammy nominee and MacArthur 'Genius', pianist Vijay Iyer brings his renowned jazz trio.

Thursday, September 5

Dwayne Dopsie and The Zydeco Hellraisers Afro Dominicano Lakou Mizik This year’s festival features 2024 Grammy nominee Zydeco star Dwayne Dopsie and Latin funk from Afro Dominicano.

Chris Lee

American Symphony Orchestra

Friday, September 6 Leon Botstein conducts the orchestra, performing music sourced from dance salons, opera houses, cabaret, and the silver screen.

Harlem Stage Thursday, September 12 The legendary pianist, NEA Jazz Master, and 10-time Grammy winner, Eddie Palmieri performs with his 13-piece Salsa Orchestra.

Laura Mariet

The Town Hall + Belongó

Friday, September 13 Arturo O’Farrill and the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra, Steven Bernstein, and all-star special guests perform the iconic music of James Bond films.

The lawn opens at 5pm. Come early for a front row seat, or drop-in at any time.

Blankets Bryant Park lends out hundreds of free blankets on a first-come, first-served basis – or bring your own cotton or fleece blanket. To protect the lawn, please do not sit on waterproof materials such as plastic tarps, yoga mats, or inflatable chairs.

Chairs Take a seat in one of the pre-set chairs on the lawn or grab a chair from the gravel. You can use a chair anywhere in the park except for the center-lawn blanket zone.

Food and drink Bring your own picnic, or purchase food and drinks from tents on the east side of the lawn. Look for the Stout NYC and Hester Street Fair vendors, and be sure to visit the Bryant Park shop, too!

Games Find a parachute, giant Jenga, and more on the east side of the lawn.

Dogs We love dogs, but dog urine can leave bald spots on the lawn. Dogs are welcome on the gravel and bluestone, but please no dogs on the lawn.

Weather and rain Performances are cancelled when it is unsafe to be outdoors. In some cases, the lawn may be too wet to open but the performance may continue. Follow @bryantparknyc for day-of event updates.

PREMIER PARTNER

ADDITIONAL PARTNERS