Your Guide to Live Music in Upstate New York

Grover Washington Jr.

Grover Washington Jr., smooth jazz pioneer from Buffalo, New York

Grover Washington Jr. is the musician most responsible for the sound we now call smooth jazz, and his foundation was built in Buffalo, New York. Born on December 12, 1943, in Buffalo, Washington grew up in a household where jazz was a daily presence. His father, Grover Washington Sr., played tenor saxophone and introduced his […]

North to Shore Festival

North to Shore Festival promotional banner for the multi-city New Jersey music and arts event

North to Shore Festival spans Newark, Asbury Park, and Freehold across 16 days of music, comedy, and culture — New Jersey’s most ambitious multi-city arts event.

Global Citizen Festival

Crowd at the Global Citizen Festival on the Great Lawn in Central Park NYC

Global Citizen Festival returns to Central Park’s Great Lawn in fall 2026. Free tickets earned through advocacy actions — 60,000 attend the world’s biggest activism-powered concert.

Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival

Brooklyn skyline from the Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival at Brooklyn Bridge Park

The Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival has celebrated hip-hop culture at Brooklyn Bridge Park since 2005, drawing 30,000+ to what became one of NYC’s signature summer events.

Alive at Five

Crowd at Alive at Five free summer concert series in downtown Albany NY

Alive at Five returns to downtown Albany June 4 through July 16, 2026. Six free Thursday evening concerts on Broadway — the Capital Region’s signature summer series since 1990.

Blue Note Jazz Festival NYC

Blue Note Jazz Club performance venue in Greenwich Village, New York City

World-class jazz spreads across New York City’s clubs and concert halls every June. The Blue Note Jazz Festival is a month-long celebration of the form — from intimate sets to landmark performances.

Afropunk BLKTOPIA

Vibrant festival attendees at AFROPUNK BLKTOPIA in Brooklyn Prospect Park

Two days of music, art, and radical self-expression in Prospect Park, Brooklyn. AFROPUNK BLKTOPIA celebrates the Afro-diasporic creative community with a lineup and energy found nowhere else.