NYC is full of great free music and Queens has a wonderful array of lawn sitting free concerts to pick from going on all summer. These concerts are also a great way for families to hang out and have an evening picnic locally. Here is a listing of some of the best free outdoor music in Queens NYC.

June

Sunset Concert Series 2011
June 3 from 6:00 p.m.–9:00 p.m.- Free summer music concerts for the family. The musical genre will include smooth jazz, R&B, Oldies, Gospel, Country Rock, Caribbean & Latin.
Location: Beach 20th Street Overlook (in Rockaway Beach and Boardwalk). The series goes through August.

Chamber Music at Flushing Town Hall
June 4 at 7:00 pm- St. Luke’s Chamber Ensemble performs a FREE one-hour chamber music. The series will also host a food drive for New York City’s homeless in partnership with City Harvest. Attendees are encouraged to bring non-perishable food donations to each performance. Visit Flushing Town Hall for more info

Queens Museum of Art Percussion Demonstrations
June 12 from 2:00 pm – 6:00 pm- Free Presentation on the Afro-Colombian coasts with percussion demonstrations, call and response song workshops, dance workshops, food demonstrations and a special lecture by Manuel Jaimes. Featuring Diego Obregón and Grupo Chonta, Ronald Polo, Moris Cañate and Grupo Rebolú and more. Visit the Queens Museum of Art’s website for more info.

Music in the Garden at the Noguchi Museum

The Nogouchi Museum hosts a free with admission concert series on Sundays starting on June 12th The Noguchi has an amazing Japanese garden where listening to music is only one way to enjoy this extraordinary space. 901 33rd Rd Long Island City. Click here for more info

Make Music New York
June 21st – Now in its fifth year, Make Music New York, is a unique festival of free concerts in public spaces throughout the five boroughs of New York City, all on June 21st MMNY takes place simultaneously with similar festivities in more than 327 cities around the world — a global celebration of music making. “11 in the morning to 10 at night, musicians of all ages, creeds, and musical persuasions — from hip Make music ny 1 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, Make Music NY is open to anyone who wants to take part, enjoyed by everyone who wants to attend.”
For more details on where you can see free public music check out the MMNY’s site at www.makemusicny.org

Bayside Historical Society’s Annual Lawn Concert
June 26 at 6pm- Enjoy the Count Basie sound of one of the finest swing bands in the metro area. Bring a blanket or a lawn chair to this outdoor performance overlooking Little Neck Bay and the Throgs Neck Bridge. Click here for more info

Hot Jazz/Cool Garden Concert Series
June and July- Held every summer in the museum’s Japanese-styled garden, these concerts feature up-and-coming traditional jazz bands that play and promote the music of Louis Armstrong.  All concerts are FREE with museum admission. Visit this link or more info.

July

Oran Etkin
July 12 at 10:30 a.m.- His musical travels around the world inspired him to create Timbalooloo music classes & concerts for kids – a fun new approach praised by parents. At Rufus King Park, Jamaica

New York Philharmonic at Cunningham Park
July 15 at 8:00 p.m.- This free outdoor concert by the New York Philharmonic with Tchaikovsky and Bernstein on the menu.
Cunningham Park, Queens Click here for more info

9th annual NYC Musical Saw Festival

July 16th at 2pm- Not free but cheap enough not to matter ($10). There is a concert and art exhibit revolving around this 300 year old art of playing the saw! Musical saw solos and other performances will be featured by musical saw players from all  over the world. Also a band called Ameriklectric which features the saw as one of its instruments will also perform. Hellenic Cultural Center 27-09 Crescent Street (corner of Newtown Avenue) Astoria, NY 11102-3142 Click here for more info

SeeWe African Dance
July 18 at 10:30 a.m.- Seewe African Dance bridges the gaps in African music, song, dance and folklore existing in African American culture. Located at Rochdale Park (JHS 72)

Kool Moe Dee
July 19 at 7:00 p.m.- Kool Moe Dee was one of the first rappers to win a Grammy Award. Come see the legend himself perform. Performance at Queensbridge Park, LIC More info here

Harold Melvin’s Blue Notes / Rhythm Revue with Felix Hernandez
July 20 at 7:00 p.m.- The classic group with timeless hits such as “If You Don’t Know Me By Now,” will be performing songs from their many albums. Performance at Queensbridge Park, LIC More info here

“Salute to Hip-Hop” featuring Funkmaster Flex and special guests
July 21 at 7:00 p.m.- For more than a decade, DJ Funkmaster Flex has reigned as America’s number one hip-hop radio personality and reaches more than two million listeners a week on his radio show. Join Funkmaster Flex as he hosts Salute to Hip-Hop, a nationwide series of concerts that celebrates hip-hop and honors the generations of artists that have shaped it and carry on its influence today. Performance at Queensbridge Park, LIC More info here

Donell Jones / Olivia
July 26 at 7:00 p.m.- Check out these two R&B singers who have captured audiences with their smooth sounds. Performance in Springfield Park, Queens More info here

Hezekiah Walker
July 27 at 7:00 p.m.- For over 25 years, Bishop Hezekiah Walker and the Love Fellowship Crusade Choir have spread the Gospel of Jesus to a variety of audiences, changing the lives of many around the world. Performance in Springfield Park, Queens More info here

Chrisette Michele
July 28 at 7:00 p.m.- New York native Chrisette Michele is a “soulful songbird” as described by Entertainment Weekly, who has been shining on the R&B music scene since 2007. Performance in Springfield Park, Queens More info here

August

Tony Vacca
August 4 at 10:30 a.m.- Combining elements of traditional African and Afro-Cuban rhythms with the American-born tradition of innovation, they create a sound that is simultaneously elegant and slamming. Performance at Queensbridge Park, LIC info@cityparksfoundation.org