Let the music play!
The free concert series in Coney Island and Wingate Park are back on, Borough President Adams announced on Aug. 1, after organizers abruptly pulled the plug on the summer traditions last month because of a load of debt. Thanks to new organizers taking over, and a dollop of city money, revelers will be able to enjoy the free music during summer nights, said Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito (D–Manhattan), who allocated $225,000 for these and other public shows across the city.
“New York City is home to the most vibrant and artistic cultural community in the world, and home to a billion-dollar industry in this city,” she said. “I’m proud to have supported measures that highlight the City’s cultural communities, like the Wingate Concert Series and the Coney Island Concert Series, and recognize their fundamental importance to the cultural fabric of the City.”
The City Parks Foundation is putting together the free concerts at the Ford Amphitheater in the People’s Playground slated to start early next month, but the organization has yet to announce a lineup or schedule.
But the concerts in East Flatbush’s Wingate Park — organized by Globestar Media and Entertainment, and funded with cash from The Beep, corporate sponsors, and Mark-Viverito — are kicking off on Aug. 7 with a “Gospel Celebration,” featuring artists Anthony Brown, Erica Campbell, Tina Campbell, and the Christian Cultural Center Choir. Up next on Aug. 14 is “The Legends of Hip-Hop,” with headliners Big Daddy Kane, C+C Music Factory, and Chubb Rock. And the series will go out with a bang on Aug. 22 with “Afro-Caribbean Flavor,” including preformances by Dahved Levy, Denroy Morgan, Morgan Heritage, and Rayvon, according to Adams’s office.
The Coney Island concert series is a long-standing tradition that’s sure to bring in a pumped-up crowd — and even more so once the awaited lineup is announced, said Councilman Mark Treyger (D–Coney Island), who worked with Adams, Mark-Viverito, and Mayor DeBlasio’s office to secure new organizers and allocate funding.
“I am proud to have advocated for the return of one of Coney Island’s most beloved traditions: free public concerts,” said the local pol in a press release. “I thank Speaker Mark-Viverito, Borough President Adams, the DeBlasio Administration, and the City Parks Foundation for their partnership in ensuring that residents in Coney Island and beyond can continue to enjoy these free performances. I look forward to joining the other stakeholders in relaying final details to the community as soon as they are available.”
