Bryant Park is a great lawn built over the New York Public Library Main Branch’s underground book stacks. The home of the Bryant Park Dance Party in spring, Picnic Performances and Movie Nights in summer, and Winter Village in fall and winter, is one of the world’s busiest public spaces.
Latin Culture at Bryant Park
OCTOBER
Holiday Market
Bryant Park Winter Village usually runs from late October through late February.
AUGUST
African American Jazz
Orrin Evans and the Captain Black Big Band play jazz for Carnegie Hall Citywide; at a Bryant Park Picnic Performance, at Bryant Park in Manhattan’s Garment District; on Friday, August 1, 2025, at 7pm. FREE. 🇺🇸
French Opera Film
Carnegie Hall Citywide screens Franco Zeffirelli’s Arena di Verona production of “Carmen,” Bizet’s French opera set in Spain; in a Bryant Park Picnic Performance at Bryant Park in Manhattan’s Garment District; on Sunday, August 3, 2025 at 5pm. FREE. 🇫🇷
Afro-Cuban Jazz
Belongó’s Arturo O’Farrill and the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra play big band Latin jazz in a Bryant Park Picnic Performance; at Bryant Park in Manhattan’s Garment District; on Friday, August 22, 2025, at 7pm. FREE. 🇨🇺
Accordion Festival
La Banda Chuska plays Peruvian psychedelic cumbia alternative, Santiago Jimenez Jr. plays American Tex-Mex folk, and David Wax Museum plays what they call Mexo-Americana folk; in a Bryant Park Picnic Performance; at Bryant Park in Manhattan’s Garment District; on Friday, August 29, 2025, at 7pm. FREE. 🇲🇽 🇵🇪
The accordion became an instrument in Latin music when German, Polish, and Czech immigrants brought it to Texas, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Latin America in the 1800s. We are all mixed.
MAY
Bryant Park Picnic Performances present all kinds of dance, music, and theatre for free; at Bryant Park in Midtown South, Manhattan; from May 30 – August 9, 2025.
Past Latin Artists
- Arturo O’Farrill & the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra, big band jazz. 🇨🇺
- Ayodele Casel, Puerto Rican tap dance. 🇵🇷
- Bryant Park Dance Party, hosted by Talia Castro-Pozo, gives free dance lessons followed by live music for dancing. 🇵🇪
- Eddie Palmieri, Puerto Rican salsa and Latin jazz. 🇵🇷
- La Excelencia, Colombian-led New York salsa dura. 🇨🇴
- Michael Olatuja, Broadway-influenced Nigerian afrobeat. 🇳🇬
- Nélida Tirado, Puerto Rican traditional Spanish flamenco. 🇵🇷
- New York City Opera is “The People’s Opera.” 🇮🇹
- Shakespeare in the Park, free Shakespeare by the Public Theater. 🇬🇧
- Spanish Harlem Orchestra, Puerto Rican salsa. 🇵🇷
- Tania León, Pulitzer Prize-winning, Cuban new music composer and conductor. 🇨🇺
- Yasser Tejeda, Afro-Dominican Latin alternative. 🇩🇴
About Bryant Park
During the U.S. Revolutionary War (1775-1783), George Washington fought the British here. Like many open areas that later became parks, it was once a potter’s field where poor people and unclaimed bodies were buried.
In the mid-1800s, the Croton Reservoir (1837-1842) held the city’s water supply. The City needed clean water to grow. In 1853, the New York Crystal Palace was built for the Exhibition of the Industry of All Nations. Inspired by London’s Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, it burned down in 1858.
During the U.S. Civil War (1860-65), Union troops drilled here.
During The City’s decline in the 1980s, the park was a scary place. It’s nickname was “Needle Park” because there were hypodermic needles all over the ground. But the community got together and cleaned it up. It’s a beautiful park now and an example of what can be done when people work together.
Today Bryant Park is the home of Le Carrousel, a carousel made in French classical style. There is a statue of Mexican founding father Benito Juárez.
Annual events include:
- Bryant Park Dance Party is usually in April and May.
- Bryant Park Picnic Performances are usually from May – August.
- Bryant Park Winter Village is a holiday market from late October to late February.
Social Media
X @bryantparknyc
Facebook @bryantparknyc
Instagram @bryantparknyc
Threads @bryantparknyc
Bryant Park Tickets
Most Bryant Park events are free and unticketed, on a first-come, first-serve basis. Go and hour or two early because free events fill up fast. Many performances can be livestreamed from Bryant Park’s website.
Bryant Park is in Midtown South, Manhattan.
42nd St
Sixth Ave | Bryant Park | Fifth Ave
40th St
The Park’s main entrance is on Sixth Avenue at 41st St. From Fifth Avenue, the Park is behind the New York Public Library.