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'Tis the season of free events and Little Island is getting in on the gratis action with its 2023 lineup of summer programming.
The public park, which can be found floating at Pier 55 off the west side's Hudson River Park, today announced a fresh slate of free events, including DJ sets, drag bingo, dance parties and a wide variety of intimate performances—stand-up comedy, spoken word, live jazz—held in the park's scenic stage, The Glade.
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Some of the talents joining Little Island's summer event calendar, which will run from June 7 to September 3, are Saturday Night Live cast member James Austin Johnson (yes, he of that pitch-perfect Donald Trump impersonation), Tony Award winner Tonya Pinkins (who took home the award for Featured Actress for her performance as Sweet Anita in Jelly's Last Jam), Grammy winners Joshua Henry and J Hoard, Emmy nominee and Joe's Pub favorite Shaina Taub, and many more.
No tickets or timed entry reservations are required to attend any of the events this summer.
Little Island will also host Creative Breaks, free all-ages art-making activities held every Wednesday through Saturday beginning June 7 and culminating on September 2, presented in collaboration with guest partners such as The Free Black Women's Library, the Greenwich House Music School, The Center For Fiction and the Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Art (MoCADA). If your kids are a little too old for arts and crafts, the island's Teen Nights will also return, with social mixers and workshops going from June 16 through August 25.
Union Square Events will also be back as the island's food and beverage partner, with sandwiches, salads, snacks and sips (yes, including beer and wine) to fuel your al fresco fun. (Vegan Italian hoagie, anyone?)
Little Island opened on May 21, 2021, and in the nearly two years since has become a popular attraction for both locals and tourists alike, welcoming more than three million visitors and hosting more than 572 free performances. See the full lineup for summer 2023's programming at the official Little Island website.