Celebrate Brooklyn 2016 Concert Lineup Announced

New York City temperatures hit the 70s again this week, which means it's high time we started planning our outdoor music calendars. If you're interested in free concerts, one series that lasts the whole summer, Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival, released its full slate of shows this week.

For those who don’t know, Celebrate Brooklyn! has been a Prospect Park mainstay since 1979. Crowding hundreds of concertgoers into the Prospect Park Bandshell for dozens of shows a year, the festival features a lineup of free musical acts sponsored by nonprofit arts and media organization BRIC. In addition to free concerts, they also host paid benefit concerts in the same space (often with bigger names like The Lumineers and Herbie Hancock).

To that end, we present everything you need to know to plan out your summer in Prospect Park, starting with the list of shows, plus all the things you should being doing when you're not at the shows. Look out for our full guide to NYC's free outdoor concerts coming soon!

Before the show, if you have time...

Kick your day off at Prospect Park Zoo, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, or any of these other cost-efficient destinations either in Park Slope or its surrounding Brooklyn neighborhoods. If this is a date, treat your partner-in-crime to an afternoon at the Brooklyn Museum, a boozy brunch, or just sit in the park and enjoy a discreet beverage. (It IS decriminalized!)

The full, free schedule

Wednesday, June 8th, 8:15pm
Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings

Saturday, June 11th, 4:00pm
Dan Zanes’ Lead Belly Project
Tada! Youth Theater

Thursday, June 16th, 7:30pm
Baaba Maal
Lakou Mizik

Saturday, June 18th, 7:30pm
Violent Femmes
Kristin Hersh

Thursday, June 23rd, 7:00pm
Alvvays
Ducktails
Big Thief

Friday, June 24th, 7:30pm
¡Cubanismo!
Ricardo Lemvo & Makina Loca

Saturday, June 25th, 8:00pm
Philadanco

Thursday, July 7th, 7:30pm
Red Baraat’s Brooklyn Mela

Friday, July 8th, 7:00pm
Josh Ritter
Martha Redbone
Birds of Chicago

Saturday, July 9th, 7:00pm
Carla Morrison
Hurray for the Riff Raff
Buscabulla

Thursday, July 14th, 8:00pm
The Triplets of Belleville (film) with live score by Benoit Charest
Jessica Fichot

Friday, July 15th, 7:30pm
Rachid Taha
Krar Collective

Saturday, July 16th, 7:00pm
The Wood Brothers
Aoife O’Donovan
Hiss Golden Messenger

Thursday, July 21st, 7:30pm
Camille A. Brown & Dancers: Black Girl: Linguistic Play
Brandee Younger

Friday, July 22nd, 7:30pm
Femi Kuti
Bombino

Saturday, July 23rd, 7:30pm
Jon Batiste and Stay Human & Friends

Thursday, July 28th, 7:30pm
Gregory Porter
Marcus Strickland & Twi-Life

Friday, July 29th, 7:30pm
Angelique Kidjo's Celia Cruz Tribute With Pedrito Martinez

Saturday, July 30th, 7:30pm
Digable Planets
Camp Lo

Thursday, August 4th, 7:30pm
Run Lola Run (film) with live score by The Bays (US Premiere)
Joan as Police Woman & Benjamin Lazar Davis

Friday, August 5th, 7:30pm
Morgan Heritage
British Dependency

Saturday, August 6th, 7:30pm
The Hubble Cantata (World Premiere)
Tigue

Wednesday, August 10th, 7:30pm
Labyrinth (film)
Donny McCaslin Group

Friday, August 12th, 7:30pm
Dr. Dog

Saturday, August 13th, 7:30pm
Andra Day
Son Little

The full, paid schedule

Tuesday, June 14th, 7:00pm
Tame Impala
$49.50 advance / $50 day of show

Wednesday, June 15th, 7:00pm
Tame Impala
$49.50 advance / $50 day of show

Wednesday, June 22rd, 7:30pm
Ray LaMontagne
$49.50 advance / $50 day of show

Tuesday, July 26th, 7:00pm
case/lang/veirs
Tickets start at $39.50

Tuesday, August 2nd, 7:30pm
Beirut
$39.50 advance / $45 day of show

Wednesday, August 3rd, 7:30pm
The Lumineers
$39.50 advance / $45 day of show

Thursday, August 11th, 7:00pm
Herbie Hancock
Tickets start at $49.50

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Eric Vilas-Boas has attended more free concerts in New York than doctors’ appointments, and he is fit as a fiddle. Track his medical history and more on Twitter.