Patti LaBelle And More To Headline 2026 BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn!

The 47th annual BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! festival returns to Prospect Park this summer, bringing an exciting lineup of music legends and contemporary stars to one of New York City’s most beloved outdoor stages. Headlining this year’s season is the legendary “Godmother of Soul,” Patti LaBelle, alongside celebrated performers including Sheila E., Liz Phair, and many more.

Presented in partnership with Prospect Park Alliance and NYC Parks, the landmark free outdoor festival officially launched on June 4 and will continue through Sep. 19, offering Brooklyn audiences a summer filled with music, culture, and community.

Patti LaBelle will headline on June 26.

One of the season’s most anticipated events is Patti LaBelle’s June 26 Benefit Show. The iconic singer, whose powerful voice has defined generations of American music, will make a special appearance in a performance that marks a major milestone for BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn!. It is the first time the festival has booked an artist of her stature directly, without the support of a corporate promoter. Best known for classics such as “If Only You Knew,” “New Attitude,” and “Stir It Up,” LaBelle personally invited fans to attend through a video message shared on the BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Instagram page on June 6, adding even more excitement to a season that is already off to a remarkable start.

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The festival kicked off on June 4 with a stand out performance from Sheila E and more.

The festival opened on a high note last week as hundreds gathered at the Lena Horne Bandshell for an unforgettable night featuring legendary percussionist and singer Sheila E., genre-bending rock artist Leon Knight, and internationally acclaimed DJ Spinna. Smiling faces filled Prospect Park as the crowd celebrated the start of a season that will feature 15 free concerts and three benefit shows under the theme “Radical Joy.” The theme embraces the belief that New York City’s rich cultural life should be accessible to everyone, free of charge, in the heart of Brooklyn.

“We live in a time of uncertainty, with lots of forces pulling people apart. Our response is Radical Joy,” shared BRIC President Wes Jackson in a press release. “It’s the idea of choosing to come together as a community ‒ of neighbors, families, friends, strangers ‒ on a summer night in Brooklyn, around music, for free. That shared experience, of being with people who are all there for the same reason, is worth protecting. It’s a sense of belonging to something greater. That is what this festival is, the radical joy that comes from entering that space.”

Saidah Blount, Executive Director of BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn!, echoed a similar sentiment: 

“Every show this season was built with intention to reflect the full range of who Brooklyn is and what moves us. We have fan favorites like Sheila E., Patti LaBelle, Liz Phair and Sleater-Kinney, themed nights that celebrate musical traditions, and artists on the verge of their next big moment. That range is deliberate. We want you to come for someone you love and leave having discovered someone new. Bring a blanket, bring your people, and join us for a night under the stars.”

Who else is performing at this year’s BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival?

The 2026 BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! season also features a diverse range of standout performances and special events. Juneteenth (June 19) will be celebrated through a uniquely family-centered lineup. Sibling acts Infinity Song and Victory Boyd, both members of the Boyd family, will share the stage alongside Annie and the Caldwells, a Mississippi family band led by matriarch Ms. Annie Caldwell. In this case, family is more than a theme, it is the entire lineup.

Common (August 28) will perform as part of The Action Lab’s Harry Belafonte Fellowship, bringing one of hip-hop’s most influential and socially conscious voices to the Bandshell for an evening that promises to be both a concert and a cultural event.

Royel Otis (July 18, Benefit Show) will make their Brooklyn debut. The Sydney-based Australian indie duo has built an international following with a sound that seamlessly blends indie rock, new wave, and psychedelic pop influences.

Cindy Blackman Santana (July 24, Jazz Night) headlines a powerful all-women jazz showcase featuring Mexican vibraphonist and composer Patricia Brennan and Lucía, the Veracruz-born vocalist who won the 2022 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition. Blackman Santana remains one of the most accomplished drummers of her generation, with a four-decade career spanning recording, touring, and bandleading.

Yola (August 15, Americana Night) will headline BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn!’s America 250 celebration, sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts. The Grammy-nominated British Nigerian singer-songwriter will be joined by Dom Flemons and the Traveling Wildfires, along with Brooklyn-based breakout artist Cleo Reed.

Aaliyah Day (August 8) will pay tribute to the late R&B icon who was born and raised in Brooklyn. Additional lineup details are expected to be announced in the coming weeks. The following date will feature Sasha Velour’s Nightgowns (August 21) which brings the groundbreaking drag performance series to the Lena Horne Bandshell, transforming the outdoor venue into a showcase for theatrical artistry and drag culture.

The festival closes out with Liz Phair and Sleater-Kinney on Sep. 19, for an unforgettable Benefit Show. Both alternative rock acts have shaped independent music for more than three decades and continue to influence new generations of artists.

Additional performances throughout the season include a reggae-inspired evening featuring Wayne Wonder and Grammy-nominated Lila Iké on June 20; Habibi Fest with EMEL, Nesrine, and Mai Egizouli on July 10, along with globalFEST, which will feature DakhaBrakha, Yeison Landero, Sally Baby’s Silver Dollars, and Sunju Park on August 7, with more acts to be announced. 

All shows are free with the exception of the benefit shows, which require tickets. Visit the BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! website HERE to purchase yours. 

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