The New York Philharmonic is performing from inside a mobile shipping container this month

Remember the New York Philharmonic Bandwagon that traveled all throughout the city this past year to put on live shows in unexpected places? Well, version 2.0 of the project—bigger and, perhaps, better—has just debuted. 

Bandwagon 2 is a state-of-the-art, 20-foot-long mobile shipping container that boasts a foldout stage, an incredible sound system and an LED video wall that is capable of putting on awesome shows all around the city, which is exactly what it plans on doing all throughout the month of May.

"Emerging from this difficult period, we have to consider deeply what we have learned and what we want to change,” said Deborah Borda, President and CEO of the New York Philharmonic, in an official statement about the effort. "Last summer’s 81 Bandwagon concerts were a beacon for us—the beginning of a dialogue. We want to take that crucial work of partnership, in all its forms, even further. Bandwagon 2 allows us to center the voices of our partners, and utilize the Philharmonic’s resources to amplify the work of our collaborators. Fundamentally, it’s an opportunity to make joy with our community."

The project kicked off this past weekend and will run through the rest of the month as the New York Philharmonic has partnered with six different organizations (from the National Black Theater to El Puente, Flushing Town Hall and A Better Jamaica, among others) and over 100 artists to provide New Yorkers with 39 free, un-ticketed shows that run the gamut in genre and scopes. Expect some visual art exhibits alongside opera, jazz, theater, film and dance performances as well. 

This past weekend, Bandwagon 2 found an audience at Domino Park. For the next three weekends, it will set up stints in the following locations: Marcus Garvey Park in upper Manhattan, St. Albans Park in Queens and Father Gigante Plaza in the Bronx.

Given health and safety guidelines, the organization will not announce specifics about the events in advance. We do suggest following the Philharmonic's official Twitter account to get on top of the latest news as soon as possible. One more thing: entry to all shows will be on a first-come, first-served basis. 

Check out some footage of the shipping container in action from this past weekend right here:

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