Central Park SummerStage
Central Park - New York, NY 10019
Phone: (212) 360-2777
- Directions:
- 1, 2, 3; B; C at 72nd St; 6 at 68th St-Hunter College
- Hours:
- Wed 7:30pm-9pm, Thu-Fri 8:30pm-10pm, Sat-Sun 3pm-6pm
Editorial Review for Central Park SummerStage – by Citysearch Editors
In Short
Everyone from Upper East Side dowagers to downtown retro-punks to savvy tourists makes it to Central Park's Rumsey Playfield for at least one of SummerStage's myriad events, including 32 free events such as concerts by major world music, rock and jazz musicians, as well as poetry readings and dance and opera performances. To help pay for it all, the venue puts on six benefit concerts each year featuring big-name musicians.
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User Reviews for Central Park SummerStage
07/05/2007 Posted by mau1
Summerstage USED to be fun. Even when they moved it on top of the hill into that "state of the art" TINY space. That was a really stupid idea and has caused all kinds of issues they never had before. There were much better plans and designs, you just know this was some kind of suck-up payoff. It was ok to go to, cuz the music was great. Then they put all those crowd control rails in. Now you have to wait in line to go in because there is no room for anyone. If you DO get in and aren't sitting on the overcrowded bleachers, it gets really hot--Like the subway but you are outdoors! There are fences all over the place so you can't walk up an view from the outside. Now you really have sit all the way down the hill to just listen. If you can't get in, you can't see anything. The new, improved 300 lb. M/F bouncers are the weirdest touch ever. But they seem to be everywhere these days--even at art gallery openings. The music program has become as homogenized and sanitized as the rest of the strip mall NYC has become. I will never go here again. Celebrate Brooklyn has it down--great stage design and placement, no overwhelming, self-important security, places to sit and see if it gets too crowded inside, and most importantly, MUCH better music. Their free music program is usually what is here for $$ a couple of years later.
Pros: Sometimes they do have some good music and performance
Cons: Very "safe" programming, oppressive entry and viewing, overpriced F&B
10/04/2002 Posted by pt109
I saw Natalie Merchant here two summers ago. We had to wait a looooooong time for her to come on, and the opening acts weren't very good. Also we had to sit on the ground which was incredibly uncomfortable.
