Brian Lear on WNYC so if you were wearing a winter coat earlier this week, like I was, you might not believe me, but summer is right around the corner.

And that means it's time to look ahead to all the fun, often free stuff to do and see around town and beyond.

So we're going to end the show each day during the membership drive with guests who can clue us in on some of the don't miss cultural offerings of this

warming season and we will start today with another of our team members, WNYC and

Gothamist Arts and Culture reporter Ryan Kailoth, who is going to kick this off with some

highlights from the big festival is happening in parks around town, summer stage, celebrate Brooklyn.

Yes, we're almost at that season again,

and the new kid on the block, Little Island.

I've been there, it's really cool.

Great setting, we'll see what they actually have up. Hey Ryan,

Hey Brian. So set the stage for summer stage. It builds itself as our city's largest

free outdoor performing arts festival in case someone's new to town how

would you describe it?

Yeah New Yorkers who've been here for a while know this one very well it's probably the most famous and you know we heard Liz Kim a little

while ago talking about budget cuts we do still have a little money in the budget for free

shows all summer summer stages may be the most famous. It's at the Rumsy Playfield, which is in Central Park on the east side, you know, around 71st Street or so. And this one kicks off June 1st is the first real show with the jazz singer Andra Day, who is amazing.

People might know her from that Billy Holiday movie that came out a few years ago.

She played Billy Holiday.

She did, won a Grammy for that.

And fun fact about her, she grew up as a church singer,

you know, like so many of the great soul divas did.

And the story she likes to tell is that Stevie Wonder's wife at the time

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