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 9, 2023
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 1, 8, 15, 22. 29; July 13, 20, 27
Time: 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Band schedule: Visit KZUM for more details.
June 01 – The Soul Review
June 08 – Orion Walsh
June 15 – Queer Choir LNK
June 22 – Swaul Pope
June 29 – The Midland Band
July 13 – Johnathan Leach
July 20 – The Lightning Bugs & The Shucks Brothers
July 27 – Andy William & The Nebraska All Stars
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 in July
Time: 7 PM
Location: Antelope Park Bandshell, Garfield St. & Memorial Dr.
July 2 - America the Beautiful: Young Artist Award Winner
July 9 - Salute to Songwriters: Classic Cars on Display
July 16 - The Good Ol' Days: Circus Marches
July 23 - Lights, Camera, Action!: Music from the Movies
July 30 - Family Night: Picnic in the Park
Hub & Soul
Dates: Last Friday of June through September
- June 30: Wondermonds, A Ferocious Jungle Cat
- July 28: Josh Hoyer, The Soul Review
- August 25: Emily Bass, Kris Lager Band
- September 29: Brad Colerick and Sam Packard Jarana
Time: 5:30 – 8:30 PM
Location: Union Plaza Amphitheatre – 21st and "Q" Streets
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.
For more information and schedule details visit Hub & Soul.
Grab your blanket or a few chairs and come out for a free family friendly movie in the park. 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.
Add this event to your calendar: Movies 2023
Friday, June 9 | Vivo
Antelope Park Bandshell, 1650 Memorial Dr.
Rated: PG, 115 Minutes. 2021.
Friday, June 16 | Space Jam a New Legacy
F Street Community Center1225 F Street Rated: PG, 95 Minutes. 2021.
Friday, June 30 | DC League of Super-Pets
Irving Recreation Center, 2010 Van Dorn
Rated: PG, 105 Minutes. 2022.
Friday, July 7 | Strange World - CANCELLED DUE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER
McPhee Elementary School, 820 Goodhue Blvd
Rated: PG, 102 Minutes. 2022.
Friday, July 14 | Rock Dog 3: Battle of the Beat
Antelope Park Bandshell, 1650 Memorial Dr.
Rated: TV-Y, 90 Minutes. 2022.
Friday, July 28 | Minions: The Rise of Gru
Belmont Recreation Center, 1234 Judson
Rated: PG, 87 Minutes. 2022.
Thursday, August 10 | Strange World
Calvert Recreation Center, 4500 Stockwell
Rated: PG, 102 Minutes. 2022.
Friday, August 11 | Lyle Lyle Crocodile
Antelope Park Bandshell, 1650 Memorial Dr
Rated: PG, 106 Minutes. 2022.
Friday, September 8 | Encanto
Air Park Community Center, 4900 Mike Scholl Drive
Rated: PG, 99 Minutes. 2021.
Flatwater Shakespeare Company
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 A Midsummer Night's Dream
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.
Date: Sunday, September 24, 2023
Time: 1:00 - 4:30 PM
Location: University Place neighborhood, N 48th & Leighton