The Party in the Parks events were initiated in the summer of 2013 to provide free community arts events in Union Plaza Park. Party in the Parks is being expanded in 2015 to include other free performing and visual arts events in many different Lincoln parks throughout the summer months.
All programs are free to the public.
"We want to thank the many community partners who come together to make Party in the Parks events happen," said Parks and Recreation Director Lynn Johnson. "Party in the Parks are cooperative efforts that make Lincoln a fun place for residents and visitors."
Play in the Parks!
Explore, Experience and Enjoy FREE Activities in the Parks
The Play in the Parks events initiated in the summer of 2016 to provide free community events focused on wellness throughout Lincoln. It's sister program, Party in the Parks, started in 2013.
Check out out the free activities, classes and programs like Water Fitness, Canoeing at Holmes Lake, and Yoga in the Park.
Play in the Parks
Noyes Art Gallery Annual Art in the Garden
Come by for a great day of art and flowers!
Dates: Saturday, September 11
Time: 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Location: Sunken Gardens, Capitol Parkway & S. 27th St.
Attend this free event and visit over 50 artists selling their work, enjoy live music and dance, food vendors, free parking, and the beautiful garden. Partial proceeds go to the Sunken Gardens.
Rain or shine event - artist discretion to participate, no rain location this year. We will hold the event at the gardens in the rain.
Stransky Park Summer Concert Series
Free and family friendly concerts! KZUM’s summer concert series runs June 2 through July 28 at Lincoln’s Stransky Park (17th & Harrison) with a summer full of performers from across the state and region. Stransky Park Concert Series also features a rotating schedule of local food vendors. Performers are supported by tips from the audience. Blankets and/or lawn chairs are encouraged.
Dates: Thursdays; June 2, 9, 16, 23. 30; July 7, 14, 21, 28
Time: 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Band schedule: Visit KZUM for more details.
Lincoln Municipal Band Summer Concert Series
Beginning in 1911, the Lincoln Municipal Band (LMB) has presented an annual series of free Sunday evening summer concerts during July and August in Antelope Park. These free concerts are the most popular events of the Lincoln Parks and Recreation summer performance series and boast regular crowds of over 1500 citizens from Lincoln and its surrounding communities.
Lincoln Municipal Band
Come and join the Lincoln Municipal Band as it continues one of Lincoln’s oldest traditions at over one hundred years.
Dates: Sundays, July - August
Time: 7 PM
Location: Antelope Park Bandshell, Garfield St. & Memorial Dr.
Hub & Soul
Dates: Thursdays, September 1 - October 6, 2022
Time: 5:30 – 8:30 PM
Location: Union Plaza Amphitheatre – 21st and "Q" Streets
Rain Date: October 13, 2022
Hub & Soul is a free community event designed for people of all ages and backgrounds to celebrate music, local food, and Lincoln’s parks. Presented by Cornhusker Bank, Hub & Soul is a community music series for the entire family that celebrates local music, craft beer, and local food in one of Lincoln’s most beautiful parks, Union Plaza.
Supporting sponsors include Lincoln Parks Foundation, Hub Cafe, Coldwell Banker-NHS: Rich Rodenburg Assurity, Ameritas, Bluestem Health, Meridian Clinical Research, David Darlington, CFP Wealth Management Advisor - Northwestern Mutual, Roper & Sons, Lincoln Orthodontics, Eagle Printing, Eleanor Creative, Eagle Printing and Sign, KZUM, Great Plains Trails Network, and the Lincoln Parks & Recreation Department. Rain Date: October 13.
For more information and schedule details visit Hub & Soul.
Bring lawn chairs or a blanket. No RSVP. No Tickets. Movies will begin around 8:45-9:00 p.m. depending on sunset.
In the case of inclement weather the movies will be moved inside the Recreation Center.
Sponsored by Lincoln Parks and Recreation and the Lincoln Parks Foundation.
2022 Schedule
Program subject to change.
Download the 2022 Movies in the Park flyer(PDF, 648KB)
Friday, May 20: A Bug's Life
McPhee Elementary School, 820 Goodhue Blvd
Rating: G | 96 Minutes
Friday, June 17: Tron: Legacy
Air Park Recreation Center Greenspace, 3720 NW 46th
Rating: PG | 126 Minutes
Friday, June 24: Encanto
F Street Community Center Turf, 1225 F Street
Rating: PG | 99 Minutes
Friday, July 8: Clifford the Big Red Dog
Antelope Park Bandshell, 1650 Memorial Drive
Rating: PG | 97 Minutes
Friday, July 22: Luca
Irving Recreation Center Greenspace, 2010 Van Dorn
Rating: PG | 101 Minutes
Friday, July 29: Sing 2
Belmont Recreation Center Playground, 1234 Judson
Rating: PG | 112 Minutes
Tuesday, August 2: The Mitchell’s vs. the Machines
Calvert Recreation Center Greenspace, 4500 Stockwell
Rating: PG | 114 Minutes
Friday, August 12: Spirit
Antelope Park Bandshell, 1650 Memoria Drive
Rating: PG | 87 Minutes
Friday, September 9: American Underdog
Antelope Park Bandshell, 1650 Memorial Drive
Rating: PG | 112 Minutes
Saturday, October 22: Space Jam: A New Legacy
F Street Community Center Gym, 1225 F Street
Rating: PG | 115 Minutes
Flatwater Shakespeare Performances
Visit the Flatwater Shakespeare website for information about Shakespeare Performances in the Park.
Audience members are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets for other locations.
William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing.
Time: Performances begin at 7:00 PM.
Dates and Locations:
Streets Alive! is an outdoor movement festival celebrated in cities across America and the world that cordons off a section of a city to let people literally play in the streets. Partnership for a Healthy Lincoln brought the Streets Alive! concept to Lincoln starting in 2010 as an annual event. Streets Alive! is a FREE community festival that promotes active living and healthy nutrition in a fun and interactive way.
The Streets Alive! outdoor festival is mobile, moving to a different neighborhood every two years. The event showcases the host neighborhood with a nearly 2-mile traffic free festival route which often includes parks, walking and biking trails, community gardens, and other areas of interest. Streets Alive! makes health, wellness, and fitness resources easily accessible to the host neighborhood and the thousands of visitors from across the city who attend each year.
Streets Alive! is typically an outdoor festival and will again be outdoors in 2022.
Date: Sunday, September 25, 2022
Time: 1:00 - 4:00 PM
Location: University Place neighborhood, N 48th & Leighton