NEW YORK, NY.- Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (LCPA) announces the fourth annual Summer for the City, welcoming all New Yorkers and visitors from around the world to a season grounded in the city’s global cultural traditions, innovative spirit, and deep sense of community—all for free or Choose-What-You-Pay.

Now an anticipated summer tradition, the festival has served more than 1 million visitors since launching in 2022.

The 2025 festival offers a bold lineup of multidisciplinary performances across the Lincoln Center campus, including world and New York premieres, participatory events, and more—all within transformed outdoor spaces that are destinations for a range of artistic experiences and spaces for respite for New Yorkers during the summer months.

“The live performing arts are fundamental to who we are and to summer in New York City,” said Mariko Silver, President and CEO of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. “Nowhere do the rhythms of the world come together like here in New York. Summer for the City is such a beautiful expression of the international cultural crossroads we call home.”

“Summer for the City is a celebration of Lincoln Center’s founding promise to always enliven the city with arts for all New Yorkers. We invite you to experience the inspiration and artistry of incredible performers from around the country and around the world,” said Shanta Thake, Ehrenkranz Chief Artistic Officer of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.

Thake continued, “This year’s festival brings artists whose visions of the future inspire and bring joy. Just as the energy of New York City connects us, we hope New Yorkers of all ages will feel moved by this reminder of shared humanity in an interconnected world. We invite you to come as you are, experience global rhythms, and embrace new perspectives—all without ever leaving New York.”

Lincoln Center’s outdoor spaces once again transform through designs by Artist-in-Residence and Summer for the City Visual Director Clint Ramos—creating a quintessential NYC summer destination, welcoming New Yorkers to come together, relax, and enjoy unforgettable experiences together.

“For this year’s Summer for the City festival, we continue our reflection on nature and what wisdom it could impart on our urban lives,” said Clint Ramos, Visual Director and Artist-in-Residence. “Birds are the main inspiration this year. We meditate on the freedom of their flight and the collective importance of the flock. Birds remind us all to look up and imagine how we, ourselves together, could take flight. This summer is an invitation to soar.”

“What began as an experiment in reinvigorating public space so quickly became an indispensable part of New York summers by creating a joyful opportunity for human interaction, artistic discovery, and creative exuberance,” said Andreas Dracopoulos, Co-President of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF), Lead Supporter for Summer for the City Community Programming. “If Central Park is New York’s backyard, during Summer for the City, Lincoln Center becomes its front porch, welcoming one and all to come on in, and SNF is very proud to help support it.”

Events throughout the summer are inclusively designed, integrating access needs with a range of accommodations for select performances and upon request—from ASL interpretation to audio description, live captioning, haptic suits, relaxed performances and more. This season once again shines a light on Deaf and disabled artists and audiences with the return of Deaf Broadway, Big Umbrella Day, and performances centering disability artistry from guest curator Ryan J. Haddad.

Summer for the City features a plethora of outdoor food offerings throughout the summer with Festival Food Trucks presented by Chase in collaboration with restaurant discovery platform, The Infatuation. The rotating food options feature international cuisines reflective of the cultural traditions within particular events, and a focus on local restaurateurs who use traditional methods, small-batch preparation, and an artisanal approach. Participating food trucks to be announced in the coming weeks. Additional support for Festival Food Trucks provided by United Airlines. Chef Kwame's Patty Palace food truck will also be featured throughout the summer, a version of his new fast-casual stand that focuses on Caribbean patties.

“Lincoln Center’s Summer for the City is the most joyous, vibey, extraordinary way to experience a wide range of amazing cultural programming in the summer months when our city feels most alive,” said New York City Cultural Affairs Commissioner Laurie Cumbo. “I applaud Lincoln Center and their partners for connecting New Yorkers with the breadth and excellence of the performing arts through the hundreds of free performances included in the festival. Culture is at the heart of what makes our city great, and I encourage all New Yorkers to celebrate Summer for the City this year at Lincoln Center!”

“Summer for the City represents the innovation and ingenuity of our renowned New York State creative sector—having brought together our community after lockdown with stellar music, dance, film and spoken word—for affordable prices or even free,” said Erika Mallin, Executive Director of the New York State Council for the Arts (NYSCA). “Gathering over a million people over the past four years to experience great art, NYSCA proudly supports Lincoln Center and another amazing summer filled with hundreds of incredible performances.”