Kupferberg Center for the Arts (KCA) announces the launch of its Summer 2026 season, featuring three signature borough-wide series: Queens Rising, Live at the Gantries, and the Queens Jazz Trail Concert Series. Together, these programs transform parks, libraries, cultural spaces, and neighborhoods across Queens into vibrant stages for free, world-class performances celebrating the borough’s extraordinary cultural diversity. From jazz legends and global traditions to community workshops, waterfront concerts, and neighborhood park performances, KCA’s summer programming reflects its commitment to accessibility, artistic excellence, and community connection.

QUEENS RISING

Queens Rising returns for its fifth year as a borough-wide festival celebrating Queens’ cultural communities through performances, exhibitions, and public events presented in partnership with Queens Public Library and other cultural organizations. The festival features free programming across parks, libraries, and cultural sites throughout Queens, highlighting the borough’s artistic diversity under the theme “One Borough, Infinite Voices.” From June through August, Queens Rising presents music, dance, visual art, and community-centered programming developed in collaboration with partners across the borough. Learn more at QUEENSRISING.NYC

LIVE AT THE GANTRIES

Presented with the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and supported by the Mathis-Pfohl Foundation, Live at the Gantries returns to Gantry Plaza State Park in Long Island City for free Tuesday evening concerts at 7 p.m. The series features global music spanning jazz, soul, Latin, and contemporary fusion. Learn more at KCA.NYC/LATG

QUEENS JAZZ TRAIL CONCERT SERIES

Presented by Kupferberg Center for the Arts, Flushing Town Hall, and Louis Armstrong House Museum in partnership with NYC Parks, the Queens Jazz Trail Concert Series celebrates Queens’ jazz legacy with free Thursday evening concerts at 7 p.m. Inspired by the Queens Jazz Trail Map, the series highlights artists connected to jazz traditions across the borough. Learn more at KCA.NYC/QJT