BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! announces lineup of free summer shows in Prospect Park
May 7, 2025, 7:30 a.m.
Punk legends Gogol Bordello, alt-rock icons Dinosaur Jr. and Snail Mail are all on this year's lineup.
The BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival has announced the lineup for its popular summer music festival at the bandshell in Prospect Park, where almost all the shows are free.
The opening benefit concert — one of four paid shows which support the nonprofit — features Grace Jones and Janelle Monáe as co-headliners on June 9.
The series of 14 free shows begins the following week with a showcase of Haitian singer-songwriters — Mélissa Laveaux, Nathalie “TALIE” Cerin and Riva Nyri Précil — on June 13.
The rest of the summer slate crosses a broad range of borders and genres. Highlights include the punk legends Gogol Bordello on Aug. 2, '90s alt-rock icons Dinosaur Jr. along with Snail Mail on July 17, and a double bill of jazz trailblazers William Parker and Nikara Warren on Aug. 15.
On June 20 the much-loved Habibi Festival returns, featuring music from the Middle East and North Africa, including performances from Rasha Nahas and the French-Tunisian saxophonist and composer Yacine Boularès. The Aug. 1 show bridges mariachi and country traditions with Latin Grammy winner Mireya Ramos joining up with country band The Poor Choices.
The festival also marks its third annual Juneteenth in the Park celebration on June 19, with a performance by funk stalwarts Ghost-Note, and salutes hip-hop history on Aug. 9 with an anniversary show for Lyricist Lounge, the famed series of underground rap and hip-hop concerts on the Lower East Side in the 1990s.
As usual, the festival has a film component. This year features a two-part tribute to the composer and producer Quincy Jones, including a June 27 screening of the documentary “The Greatest Night in Pop”, about the star-studded 1985 recording of the “We Are the World” single, and a July 26 screening of the 1978 film “The Wiz,” which Jones soundtracked.
The full schedule is below:
- Saturday, June 7 BAYO in Brooklyn: A Conversation with Michaël Brun at BRIC House
- Monday, June 9 Opening Benefit Concert: Blue Note Jazz Festival & Live Nation Present Grace Jones & Janelle Monáe
- Friday, June 13 Opening Free Concert: Mélissa Laveaux | Nathalie ‘TALIE’ Cerin | Riva Nyri Précil
- Saturday, June 14 Family Day: Pippi Longstocking's 80th Birthday Celebration with the Klezmatics!
- Thursday, June 19 BRIC Celebration Brooklyn’s 3rd Annual Juneteenth in the Park
- Friday, June 20 Habibi Festival at BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn!
- Thursday, June 26 Buscabulla | Chuwi | Paso Negro
- Friday, June 27 A Tribute to Quincy Jones: The Greatest Night in Pop
- Saturday, July 12 Benefit Concert: Still Woozy – Loveseat Tour
- Thursday, July 17 Benefit Concert: Dinosaur Jr. + Snail Mail with special guest Easy Action
- Friday, July 18 Benefit Concert: Men I Trust | strongboi
- Saturday, July 19 BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! at Brower Park
- Saturday, July 26 A Tribute to Quincy Jones: The Wiz
- Friday, August 1 Mireya Ramos and the Poor Choices | Talibah Safiya | Morley
- Saturday, August 2 Gogol Bordello | Puzzled Panther | Pons
- Thursday, August 7 Emily Johnson / Catalyst
- Friday, August 8 Adrian Quesada | Trish Toledo
- Saturday, August 9 LYRICIST LOUNGE Anniversary Show
- Friday, August 15 William Parker | NIKARA presents Black Wall Street
- Saturday, August 16 Closing Night: Nick Hakim | Karriem Riggins (DJ set)