Celebrate Brooklyn! announces its in-person return this July

The beloved Prospect Park concert series will kick off with a performance by R&B singer-songwriter Ari Lennox on July 31

By Amelia Anthony

Celebrate Brooklyn! is back. The beloved summer concert series will return to Prospect Park’s bandshell beginning in July, after its 2020 run of shows had been taken virtual due to the pandemic.

R&B singer-songwriter Ari Lennox will headline the season’s kick-off on July 31. Brooklyn-based rapper Kamauu and Queens-based R&B artist Nesta will also perform. Entry will be free to those who RSVP through the site, starting July 31. Glass Animals, a British rock band, are also coming to the bandshell this summer for a benefit concert on August 31. The rest of the summer’s lineup is still being hammered out.

“BRIC was proud to bring hundreds of thousands of people the opportunity to connect with artists from across the world, safely from their homes, during a pandemic,” Kristina Newman-Scott, BRIC’s president, tells Billboard. “But, there’s nothing like the energy of Brooklyn when it’s filled with friends and family, all gathered for good times and great music. We are elated to be coming.”

BRIC’s Celebrate Brooklyn! series is one of the city’s longest-running festival, started in 1979. And pre-pandemic, the festival was bringing in over 200,000 participants a year. Artists from 2020’s cancelled lineup included Bikini Kill, Angel Olsen, Mount Eerie, Big Thief, and Norah Jones.

Although the concerts are returning to the park, the BRIC will not be offering the Friends membership tier with express entry and reserved seating. Capacity limits and other Covid-safe policies will be in place, and advance reservations are required.

The Celebrate Brooklyn! news comes on the heels of another big New York City festival announcement. Governors Ball has already announced its full September 2021 lineup.