Central Park SummerStage Benefit Concerts Shape Up For 2023

CENTRAL PARK, NY — As the city awaits the full lineup of the 2023 SummerStage concert series, over 15 special benefit shows have been announced over the past month by organizers City Parks Foundation.

The benefit concerts at Central Park's Rumsey Playfield, which will benefit the City Parks Foundation, feature an array of artists, from hip hop to classic blues, kicking off on Saturday, June 3 with indie rockers Hippo Campus and Gus Dapperton.

Later summer benefit shows will feature artists like Regina Spektor, Michal Franti & Spearhead, Jimmy Eat World, Café Tacvba, Noel Gallagher, Garbage, Cautious Clay and the Indigo Girls.

Also stopping by will be blues legend Buddy Guy on his Damn Right Farewell Tour.

On June 19, SummerStage will host a Juneteenth Celebration of Hip Hop, featuring DJ Premier, Grandmaster Flash, DJ Kid Capri and DJ SpinKing.

Last year, SummerStage hosted over 90 concerts across the city, featuring artists like Herbie Hancock, Modest Mouse, Caribou, Big Freedia, George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic and many others. City Parks also hosts the annual Charlie Parker Jazz Festival at SummerStage, which celebrated their 30th anniversary last year.

While the SummerStage concerts are largely known for being free, those shows are made possible by these so-called benefit concerts, where tickets can be as high as $120 each.

Those free shows should be announced any day now.

To see the current lineup of the SummerStage benefit shows, click here.