{"id":223775,"date":"2026-05-07T20:41:08","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T20:41:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/223775\/"},"modified":"2026-05-07T20:41:08","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T20:41:08","slug":"bric-celebrate-brooklyn-announces-2026-lineup-featuring-patti-labelle-common-sheila-e-and-more-brooklyn-paper","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/223775\/","title":{"rendered":"BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! announces 2026 lineup featuring Patti LaBelle, Common, Sheila E. and more \u2022 Brooklyn Paper"},"content":{"rendered":"

BRIC Arts Media unveiled the full lineup for the 2026 BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn!<\/a> festival on Wednesday, announcing a summer schedule highlighted by artists including Sheila E., Patti LaBelle, Common, Liz Phair and Sleater-Kinney as the long-running outdoor concert series returns to Prospect Park\u2019s Lena Horne Bandshell from June 4 to Sept. 19.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Now entering its 47th year, the festival<\/a> will feature 15 free concerts and three ticketed benefit shows at Prospect Park under the theme \u201cRadical Joy,\u201d a concept organizers said reflects the importance of community gathering in a time of political and economic uncertainty.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the idea of choosing to come together as a community \u2012 of neighbors, families, friends, strangers \u2012 on a summer night in Brooklyn, around music, for free,\u201d Wes Jackson, president of BRIC, said in a statement. \u201cThat shared experience, of being with people who are all there for the same reason, is worth protecting. It\u2019s a sense of belonging to something greater. That is what this festival is, the radical joy that comes from entering that space.\u201d<\/p>\n

The season opens June 4 with a free performance by Sheila E., joined by Leon Knight and DJ Spinna. The festival will close Sept. 19 with a benefit concert featuring alt-rock artists Liz Phair and Sleater-Kinney.<\/p>\n

BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! organizers said this season was designed to reflect the borough\u2019s diversity.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery show this season was built with intention to reflect the full range of who Brooklyn is and what moves us,\u201d Executive Director Saidah Blount said. \u201cWe have fan favorites like Sheila E., Patti LaBelle, Liz Phair and Sleater-Kinney, themed nights that celebrate musical traditions, and artists on the verge of their next big moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Among the marquee performances is Patti LaBelle\u2019s June 26 benefit show. Officials noted the concert marks the first time the organization has booked a major artist independently without partnering with a corporate promoter.<\/p>\n

The schedule also features Juneteenth programming featuring Infinity Song and Victory Boyd alongside Mississippi family group Annie and the Caldwells. On Aug. 28, Common will headline a concert presented with The Action Lab\u2019s Harry Belafonte Fellowship<\/a>, for artists \u201cwho use their creative work to advance justice.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"ABRIC\u2019s annual concert series Celebrate Brooklyn! is back, exploring culture, inclusivity and diversity.File photo courtesy of Ellen Qbertplaya\/BRIC<\/p>\n

Additional genre nights include Jazz at the Bandshell on July 24, headlined by Cindy Blackman Santana, and Americana Night on Aug. 15, featuring Grammy-nominated singer Yola as part of the America 250 celebration.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The season also includes reggae, indie rock, drag performance and more, with performers like Wayne Wonder, Royel Otus and Sasha Velour.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

City officials praised the festival\u2019s role in providing free cultural programming to New Yorkers.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are few joys in New York City as sweet as this time of year \u2013 when BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! returns,\u201d Mayor Zohran Mamdani said in a statement. \u201cWith free performances all summer long, BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! invites people from across the city to gather with friends and neighbors beneath the trees of Prospect Park and share in the art of our city.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso highlighted the festival\u2019s role as a borough tradition and pointed to the return of Dominican Night on Aug. 29.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery summer, BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! reminds us what it means to be part of a community,\u201d Reynoso said. \u201cBrooklynites travel from every corner of the borough to gather in Prospect Park and share in this tradition \u2014 in art that celebrates the different identities and cultures that call this borough home. I\u2019m especially excited to present Dominican Night on Aug. 29, which is set to be an evening full of dancing under the stars.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to concerts at the Lena Horne Bandshell, BRIC will host a pop-up event at Brower Park in Crown Heights on July 25 in partnership with Rooftop Films and City Council Member Chi Oss\u00e9.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"BRIC Arts Media unveiled the full lineup for the 2026 BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! festival on Wednesday, announcing a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":223776,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[87907,76914,87442,98,14590,3462,100,87908,99,26229,87909,5692,87910,87911,43794,87912,9,87913,24,12,370,63,67181,87914,21240,15739,87915,87916,87917,87918,87919,87920,87921],"class_list":["post-223775","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-brooklyn","tag-americana-music","tag-bric-arts-media","tag-bric-celebrate-brooklyn","tag-brooklyn","tag-brooklyn-concerts","tag-brooklyn-culture","tag-brooklyn-headlines","tag-brooklyn-music-festival","tag-brooklyn-news","tag-common","tag-free-concerts-nyc","tag-indie-rock","tag-jazz-concerts","tag-lena-horne-bandshell","tag-live-music-brooklyn","tag-liz-phair","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-arts","tag-new-york-city","tag-news","tag-newsletter","tag-nyc","tag-nyc-summer-events","tag-outdoor-concerts-nyc","tag-patti-labelle","tag-prospect-park","tag-reggae-music","tag-royel-otis","tag-sasha-velour","tag-sheila-e","tag-sleater-kinney","tag-summer-festivals","tag-yola"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/223775","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=223775"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/223775\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/223776"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=223775"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=223775"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=223775"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}