Free Concerts this Summer

I’ve been looking into free events this summer. There’s all sorts of stuff available, but there are tons of concerts. I think I’m going to compile them into a page that you can click onto on the right. For those of you who are new to the blog, I’ll plan on adding these concerts into the weekly/weekend listings to remind you, but it’s nice to know about stuff ahead of time, too, right?

I’m sure that I’m forgetting some series, so feel free to leave me a comment or send me an email, okay?

Here’s my pep talk from last year: Pack yourself a picnic dinner and enjoy the great outdoors.  Even when the music doesn’t captivate them, there’s likely to be other kids and dogs to make things more interesting.  You can always bring along a ball or bubbles to guarantee some playmates on the sidelines.  If you’ve got big kids, pick a nearby concert and bike there–a nice little destination.  Get some friends to meet you and let them create their own little camp separate from the adults.  Or if the kids are extra little, run them around, wipey the dirtiest limbs, and pop them into pajamas before the car ride home—you’re golden!  Take the rest of the night off!

And here are a bunch of concerts:

• Freedom Park in Scotia has tons of concerts, often several days during the week. Concerts begin June 22nd.
• The Colonie Town Band will be playing at a variety of parks and libraries through the spring and summer.
• The Town of North Greenbush has on Sundays at 6 pm from July 10th to August 14th.
• At Cook Park in Colonie, there are concerts on Tuesday at 6:30 pm
• The Town of Halfmoon has concerts, usually at 6 pm on Wednesdays (but not every Wednesday), from June 8th to August 24th.
• On the other side of the river in Troy, it’s Rockin’ on the River Wednesdays at 5-8 pm.  It’s starting June 22nd and ending August 24th.  I haven’t seen who’s playing when listed anywhere yet, but I’ll update it when I do.
• The Town of Niskayuna has concerts at the gazebo on Wednesday at 7 pm from June 15th to August 10th.
• The Jazz on Jayseries of concerts in Schenectady runs on Thursdays from noon to 1:30 pm from June 2 to August 25th.
• Ballston Spa does Concerts in the Park from 6-8 pm on Thursdays from June 23rd to August 25th.
• The Alive at Five concert series is Thursday nights at 5 pm at Albany Riverfront Park.  It runs from June 2nd to August 4th.
• There are concerts at the Crossings in Colonie on Thursdays at 6:30 pm from July 7th to August 25th.
• Guilderland has a series of concerts that are usually on Thursdays at 7:30 pm. Family-oriented concerts from June 23rd to August 25th.
• Troy has a Powers Park concert series.  Concerts are generally 6-8:30 pm on Saturdays  starting July 9th. They haven’t listed the specifics yet.
• Argh, Central Park in Schenectady generally has its Sunday night Music Haven series, but the website isn’t updated.
• At the Commons in Clifton Park, they have concerts on Sundays and a Performing Arts Family Series on Wednesdays. Concerts run from June 26th to August 21st.