The Harlem Meer Performance Festival is Back in Central Park

This is a paid post contributed by a Patch Community Partner. The views expressed in this post are the author's own, and the information presented has not been verified by Patch.

There’s no better place to be than Central Park in the summer. Everything is lush and green, the lawns are filled with people, and there are plenty of family-friendly events to keep everyone entertained. One event you won’t want to miss is the Harlem Meer Performance Festival, a vibrant cultural event that spans six summer Sundays. New Yorkers of all ages can head to the north shore of the Harlem Meer to enjoy music, dancing, and other captivating performances along the scenic waterfront.

The 2024 Harlem Meer Performance Festival, now in its 32nd year, will feature Latin jazz from Music on the Inside, salsa gorda with Aurora & Zon del Barrio, and Greenhouse Arts Center performing contemporary, jazz, and hip-hop dance. Other artists in the lineup this year include the rock/soul/blues group, The Collective Individuals; The Rakiem Walker Project with GLRYA; and Cuban charanga with Típica 73.

In addition to being entertaining, the festival provides an important opportunity for cultural expression and community gathering, particularly among residents who live near the north end of Central Park. Through the performances and other programming, visitors will feel more connected to their neighbors, the Park, and New York City as a whole.

This year’s festival is part of the Central Park Conservancy’s Summer on the Harlem Meer programming. In addition to multicultural performances, Park visitors can also enjoy guided nature walks around the Meer, educational waterside chats about the Meer’s ecology, and nature-themed arts and crafts projects. Visitors can also check out other kid-friendly games and activities from the Conservancy, like The Central Park Time Machine, an immersive audio guide designed for children and their adults alike.

Since 1993, the Harlem Meer Performance Festival has been a mainstay of New York City summer. In addition to celebrating the diverse communities who live near the Park’s north end, the festival also commemorates the Central Park Conservancy’s restoration of the Harlem Meer and revitalization of the surrounding areas in the 1980s and ‘90s. This was a major moment in the Central Park Conservancy’s history, and one of the organization’s first major projects. Today, the Conservancy continues to work with surrounding communities on projects in the Park’s north end, such as the new center at the Harlem Meer. This complete restoration of the Lasker Rink and Pool site will offer new and enhanced outdoor activities, re-establish waterways, and allow for better pedestrian access to this area of the Park.

All of the Summer on the Harlem Meer programming—including the Harlem Meer Performance Festival—is completely free, though donations are always welcome. Events will take place every Sunday from July 14 to August 18. Nature walks will depart at 11:00 am, family games and activities will be available at 12:00 pm, and the Harlem Meer Performance Festival will happen from 2:00 to 4:00 pm. The programming takes place on the plaza of the Charles A. Dana Discovery Center, inside Central Park at 110th Street (Central Park North) between Malcolm X Boulevard and Fifth Avenue. This is an accessible area of the Park for people with wheelchairs or other mobility aids. The Conservancy also provides a limited number of chairs for people who need them.

For up-to-date information on the Harlem Meer Performance Festival and other happenings in this part of Central Park, sign up for the Conservancy’s Harlem Meer newsletter or visit the website.

This post is an advertorial piece contributed by a Patch Community Partner, a local brand partner. To learn more, click here.