Celebrate the longest day of the year at these events around New York City:
Solstice in the Square – Mind Over Madness Yoga: Find your center at the Crossroads of the World. Each year, thousands of yogis from around the world travel to Times Square to celebrate the Summer Solstice with free yoga classes in the heart of New York City. On the northern hemisphere’s longest day of the year, you become part of this global celebration by registering for one of the classes taking place all day long on Monday, June 20.
Make Music New York: Now in its tenth year, Make Music New York, “the largest music event ever to grace Gotham” (Metro New York), is a unique festival of over 1,000 free concerts in public spaces throughout the five boroughs of New York City, all on June 21st, the first day of summer. Make Music New York takes place simultaneously with similar festivities in more than 700 cities around the world – a global celebration of music making. From 10 in the morning to 10 at night, musicians of all ages, creeds, and musical persuasions – from hip hop to opera, Latin jazz to punk rock – perform on streets, sidewalks, stoops, plazas, cemeteries, parks and gardens. From high school bands to marquee names, MMNY is open to anyone who wants to take part, enjoyed by everyone who wants to attend.
Summer Solstice Celebration: Bring your friends and family to Socrates to celebrate the longest day of the year! This year’s Summer Solstice Celebration will feature vibrant afro-Brazilian drumming by Batala NYC, a performance and capoeira demonstrations for kids and adults by Capoeira Nago, and an eclectic selection of delicious Brazilian BBQ. Socrates teaching artists will lead art-making workshops to create musical instruments and cosmos-themed sculptures out of recycled materials and students from LaGuardia Community College will offer “tours of the sky” with their telescope. To add to the festivities, they’ll feature face painting by Agostino Arts, a special Solstice ritual performed by Urban Shaman Mama Donna, and a sunset paddle offered by the LIC Community Boathouse.
Summer Solstice Music Celebration: Don’t miss the 21st annual Summer Solstice Celebration at New York’s Cathedral of St. John the Divine on June 18. This event features Eugene Friesen, cello; Paul McCandless, English horn and oboe; Jeff Holmes, piano; Ray Nagem, pipe organ; John Winter on soprano sax; and multiple percussionists. Summer Solstice is one of the great turning points of the year, when the sun is at its peak and the days abound with the promise of life’s fullness. The hope of this sunrise celebration is to offer an experience of this resonance, in the mystical ambience of these early morning hours, through a deep listening journey within the awesome space of this largest cathedral in the world. The music begins in total darkness, and proceeds in a continuous flow, emanating from different places in the Cathedral. Gradually, as the great stained glass windows begin to illuminate, the light joins the sound to carry us into the first dawning of the summer.