Summerstage is Bringing The Alchemist, Laila!, Styles P, and More to Brooklyn

By Michael Gonik

Don’t look now, but Summerstage is back, and this year’s slate is as hot as ever.

The annual city-wide reclamation of city parks by (mostly) free live music and arts programming will commence, with an “opening ceremony” of sorts, on June 4 in Central Park with performances Marcus Miller, The Soul Rebels, and Tank and The Bangas. But this is a season-long effort with more than 70 shows across 13 parks in all five boroughs. And Brooklyn’s share of the calendar is stacked, particularly on one mid-July weekend in Bed-Stuy, when Herbert Von King Park will become even more of a cinematic experience than usual.

On Thursday, July 10, you van catch the spirit from NOLA bounce empress Big Freedia and iconic ballroom mother Courtney “Balenciaga” Washington in a Gospel Revival show. The following night (July 11,) COLORSxSTUDIO is presenting a performance from Talia Goddess, as well as a rare live appearance from rising regional royalty Laila!. And finally, on Saturday, July 12, MIKE will reconstitute his annual Young World festival, which features its own regal rap line-up this year, including appearances from Roc Marciano, The Alchemist, and more.

If three days in Von King feels like a lot (it’s not and you should be so lucky), there are plenty of other highlights from the program to consider. On June 14, you can catch an installation of The Metropolitan Opera’s summer recital with downtown Manhattan as a backdrop in Brooklyn Bridge Park or see the LOX’s own Styles P in Coney Island. Speaking of the People’s Playground, Gorilla NEMS will take over Coney Island Amphitheater on July 26 with his own never-to-be-disrespected festival GORILLAFEST, the details and line-up for which are soon to be announced.

There’s also a ton of workshops, outdoor theater performances, volunteer events, and dance shows for all ages tucked into this year’s docket. See the full calendar for Brooklyn and all other boroughs here.