Lincoln Middle Welcomes Again Summer time for the Metropolis Competition

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The 2025 festival offers a bold lineup of multidisciplinary performances across the Lincoln Center campus, including world and New York premieres, participatory events, and more—all within transformed outdoor spaces that are destinations for a range of artistic experiences and spaces for respite for New Yorkers during the summer months.

“The live performing arts are fundamental to who we are and to summer in New York City,” said Mariko Silver, President and CEO of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. “Nowhere do the rhythms of the world come together like here in New York. Summer for the City is such a beautiful expression of the international cultural crossroads we call home.”

“Summer for the City is a celebration of Lincoln Center’s founding promise to always enliven the city with arts for all New Yorkers. We invite you to experience the inspiration and artistry of incredible performers from around the country and around the world,” said Shanta Thake, Ehrenkranz Chief Artistic Officer of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.

Lincoln Center’s outdoor spaces once again transform through designs by Artist-in-Residence and Summer for the City Visual Director Clint Ramos—creating a quintessential NYC summer destination, welcoming New Yorkers to come together, relax, and enjoy unforgettable experiences together.

“For this year’s Summer for the City festival, we continue our reflection on nature and what wisdom it could impart on our urban lives,” said Clint Ramos, Visual Director and Artist-in-Residence. “Birds are the main inspiration this year. We meditate on the freedom of their flight and the collective importance of the flock. Birds remind us all to look up and imagine how we, ourselves together, could take flight. This summer is an invitation to soar.”

Events throughout the summer are inclusively designed, integrating access needs with a range of accommodations for select performances and upon request—from ASL interpretation to audio description, live captioning, haptic suits, relaxed performances and more. This season once again shines a light on Deaf and disabled artists and audiences with the return of Deaf Broadway, Big Umbrella Day, and performances centering disability artistry from guest curator Ryan J. Haddad.

“Summer for the City represents the innovation and ingenuity of our renowned New York State creative sector—having brought together our community after lockdown with stellar music, dance, film and spoken word—for affordable prices or even free,” said Erika Mallin, Executive Director of the New York State Council for the Arts (NYSCA). “Gathering over a million people over the past four years to experience great art, NYSCA proudly supports Lincoln Center and another amazing summer filled with hundreds of incredible performances.”

LCPA is dedicated to making the arts accessible to the widest possible audience. The majority of Summer for the City events are offered for free. Select indoor performances will be Choose-What-You-Pay, starting at $5.