You know it’s summer when all the best shows are outdoors.
Here’s our guide to the biggest concerts series and events in Brooklyn — that are free to boot — so you don’t miss a sound.
SummerStage
The long-running Central Park concert series comes to Brooklyn this June, with three parks hosting concerts, plays and dance performances. The diverse lineup includes Roy Ayers (June 2, Betsy Head Park), rapper Doug E. Fresh (June 3, Von King Park) and indie electronic artist Dan Deacon (June 15, Red Hook Park).
Betsy Head Park (Struass Street at Livonia Avenue in Brownsville), Red Hook Park [Clinton Street at Lorraine Street], Von King Park [Lafayette Avenue at Greene Avenue in Fort Greene]. For info, visit www.summerstage.com.
Northside Music Festival
Three days of shows at a variety of Williamsburg locations featuring independent, underground music artists. Highlights include a June 26 performance from critics’ darlings Titus Andronicus on the MetroPCS Stage at Newtown Barge Park.
Northside Music Festival [various locations in Williamsburg and Greenpoint], June 24-27. For info, visit www.thelmagazine.com/blogs/NorthsideFestivalNews.
Seaside Summer Concert Series
This weekly series, a Brooklyn institution now in its 32nd year, has brought such big names as Blondie and Pat Benatar, Hall & Oates and Donna Summer to Coney Island. This summer’s no different, as Brooklyn son Neil Sedaka and Brenda Lee open the series on July 15 for a whole summer of rock in Coney Island.
Seaside Summer Concert Series at Asser Levy/Seaside Park [W. Fifth Street and Surf Avenue in Coney Island, (718) 222-0600], Thursdays from July 15-August 26. For info, visit www.brooklynconcerts.com.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Summer Concert Series
Another Brooklyn institution, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Summer Concert Series enters its 28th year at Wingate Field in Crown Heights. Anita Baker and Robin Thicke have played the stage in the past, and this year, the colorful George Clinton and the Ohio Players kick things off on July 12.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Summer Concert Series at Wingate Field [Brooklyn Avenue between Rutland Road and Winthrop Street in Crown Heights, (718) 222-0600], Mondays from July 12-August 23. For info, visit www.brooklynconcerts.com.
Siren Music Festival
Brooklyn-based pop-rock duo Matt and Kim will headline this free all-day festival on July 17 on the Coney Island Boardwalk. Spectators can jump back and forth between two stages, featuring such acts as acclaimed indie heartthrobs Ted Leo and the Pharmacists.
Siren Music Festival (Coney Island Boardwalk on Surf Avenue), July 17. For info, visit www.villagevoice.com.
Williamsburg
Waterfront
Last year, the popular McCarren Park Pool Parties moved to the Williamsburg Waterfront, and the fans followed. The series returns this year, with eight weeks of free shows (that schedule yet to be announced as of press time), as well as several paid concerts that feature some of the biggest names in the indie scene.
Here’s that list:
June 20, Band of Horses, with Grizzly Bear and Karen Elson
June 25, Silversun Pickups
July 2 and 5, Faith No More
July 16, Weezer
July 23, Modest Mouse
July 30, Primus / Gogol Bordello
July 31, Nas and Damian Marley
August 6, Keane
September 19, Pavement
East River State Park [Kent Avenue between N. Eighth and N. Ninth streets, no phone]. For info, visit www. thepoolparties.com.
