TSQ LIVE is a series of live performances and cultural events that take place outdoors on two stages in the very heart of Times Square. Over the summer, more than 80 events are held here weekly. TSQ LIVE offers the chance to enjoy art and the city’s atmosphere at no cost—a great option for leisure with family, friends, or alone, amidst the energy and creativity of the big metropolis. Read on newyorkski.info for more details about this, one of New York’s largest free cultural programs, which attracts tens of thousands of spectators annually.
Times Square: The Plaza That Never Sleeps
Times Square is more than just a crossing of lights and crowds. It is the pulse of New York, where the city’s energy is felt in every step, every neon advertisement, and every chord struck by street musicians. And the Times Square Alliance ensures that this pulse never stops.
Since its founding in 1992, the Alliance has transformed into a true guardian of the district. Its team maintains the cleanliness and safety of the streets, helps local businesses thrive, and organizes large-scale events that bring people together from all over the world. It is thanks to the Alliance that legendary celebrations occur every year, such as the New Year’s Eve ball drop, the Times Square Solstice when dancers fill the plaza from dawn till dusk, and the delicious “Taste of Times Square” festival, where you can sample cuisine from different continents without leaving the district.
The Alliance’s goal is not just to maintain its tourist appeal but to create a space where true creativity lives, where ideas are born, and where artists, business people, and dreamers meet. It’s a place where culture and commerce merge into a single, globally recognizable rhythm of New York. And this rhythm continues to sound every summer thanks to TSQ LIVE—the most dynamic season of free outdoor performances. From May to September, Times Square transforms into a boundless stage: DJ sets, live concerts, and dance workshops—all creating a festive atmosphere where everyone can find something for themselves.
No tickets, no barriers—TSQ LIVE is open to everyone: for children, adults, tourists, and those just passing by. It is a reminder that Times Square belongs to everyone ready to feel its energy.
The Flourishing of Free Art in the City’s Heart in 2023
The summer of 2023 was special for Times Square—it returned the true spirit of live culture to the streets of New York. After several years of pandemic restrictions, when the city was filled with silence and distance, people once again flocked to the plazas, thirsty for socializing, movement, and music. It was then that TSQ LIVE blossomed fully, turning the concrete heart of the metropolis into a stage with no limits.
Throughout the summer, four evenings a week, the pedestrian plazas between 43rd–44th and 45th–46th Streets on Broadway became the arena for continuous action.
2023 was a record year, not only in terms of visitors but also in the scale of collaboration. Iconic New York cultural institutions joined the festival—Pioneer Works, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Ailey Extension, Elsewhere, Soul Summit, and Carnegie Hall. Together, they created a harmonious blend of tradition and innovation, elitism and street energy.
The festival had a distinct rhythm:
- Tuesdays—energetic DJ sets that rocked the plaza late into the night.
- Wednesdays—live musical performances as part of the MTA Music Under New York program, which brings subway music into the spotlight.
- Thursdays—dance days: open classes, workshops in choreography, improvisation, and rhythm.
- Fridays—the culminating Summer Fridays evenings, large free concerts that drew crowds from all corners of the city.
TSQ LIVE always emphasized openness. All events are free, accessible to all ages, and provided conditions for people with disabilities. This inclusivity became part of its philosophy: art is for everyone who is ready to feel it.
In 2023, the festival also served as a platform for new names. Alongside performances by Jazz at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, or Ailey Extension, the voices of young artists just beginning their journey were heard. One of the most interesting initiatives was the Open Call—an open selection for musicians, allowing anyone to apply for a chance to perform right on the Times Square stage.
The summer culminated with a performance by Backwoodz Studioz, which combined underground rap, poetry, and electronica—a vibrant example of how TSQ LIVE supports experimentation and boldness.
TSQ LIVE 2024: New Colors of Art and Self-Expression
The summer of 2024 brought a new burst of life to Times Square. The TSQ LIVE festival once again transformed this legendary intersection of light and sound into a limitless outdoor stage. People came after work, with families or friends, with coffee or ice cream in hand—simply to be together and feel the city come alive. Organizers maintained the clear structure that gave the festival its own tempo, like a musical composition divided into movements. The program was the same as in 2023: Tuesdays (DJ sets), Wednesdays (performances by MTA Music Under New York artists), Thursdays (dance days), and Fridays (Summer Friday Concerts).
June added a special flair to the festival, as the Pride in Times Square series took place under the TSQ LIVEumbrella. Throughout the month, the plazas were filled with rainbow colors, performances by queer artists, dance shows, and acts celebrating freedom of expression and diversity.
As in previous years, TSQ LIVE 2024 brought together a number of prestigious cultural institutions: Carnegie Hall Citywide, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Ailey Extension, Elsewhere, Soul Summit. It was thanks to these partnerships that the program encompassed a multitude of genres—from classical jazz and grand orchestral sounds to street dance, electronica, and social initiatives. The festival succeeded in blending academic art with the energy of urban subcultures, proving that culture can be both high-brow and accessible.
TSQ LIVE 2025: A Summer of Music, Freedom, and the Vibrant Voices of New York
In the summer of 2025, Times Square once again transformed into a massive outdoor stage. A novelty of the season was the participation of Turn The Tables—a non-profit initiative by Scottish DJ Robbie Tolson, which uses music to support people who have experienced homelessness and teaches youth self-expression through DJ culture.
Another special event was the Neurodivergent Tour 2025, where artists on the autism spectrum took the stage, turning their stories into live art.
TSQ LIVE features 300 artists, over 20 cultural partners, and boundless space for creativity.
“Times Square is a global stage where every performance becomes an event, and every sound is part of the urban rhythm,” says Joe Papa, Director of Events and Programming for the Times Square Alliance.
In 2025, the festival program expanded further. Another day was added.
- Mondays: Crossroads at Taste of Times Square.
Mondays featured special evenings on the pedestrian plaza between 45th and 46th Streets—the Crossroads concert series, which became part of the legendary Taste of Times Square festival. Here, visitors could sample not only food from around the world but also music—from live performances by local artists to new musical discoveries.
- Tuesdays: DJs in Times Square.
Every Tuesday, the plaza filled with the rhythms of the modern electronic scene. The program included performances by stars like Conrad Taylor, Discrete, Soul Summit, Turn The Tables NYC, Private Ryan, and a vibrant show featuring participants from RuPaul’s Drag Race. Summer in Times Square pulsed with house music, Caribbean rhythms, and live mixes from Elsewhere, FEMME HOUSE, and Project 91—musical collectives representing the diversity of New York culture.
- Wednesdays: MTA Music Under New York.
Every Wednesday, Times Square became the venue for performers from the MTA Music Under New York program, which hosts over 12,000 performances in the city’s transit system annually. Jazz, folk, string ensembles, and rare instruments from around the world—from Korean drums to West Indian steelpans—were heard here.
- Thursdays: Dance Evenings and Jazz.
Early in the summer, Thursdays were dedicated to Ailey Extension dance workshops—energetic classes in hip-hop, mambo, Afro-dance, and West African rhythms. Starting in August, Times Square filled with the sounds of jazz in partnership with Jazz at Lincoln Center.
- Fridays: Summer Concerts.
The end of the week featured Summer Fridays, a series of free evening concerts that bring together independent artists shaping the city’s contemporary musical landscape. The stage hosted both established names (Adam Melchor, Sam Sam, Kids That Fly) and those preparing for a major breakthrough.
TSQ LIVE has cemented its status not just as a cultural program, but as a genuine movement that unites artists, listeners, and the city itself. Here, music rings out amidst the light of neon screens, dance erases boundaries, and Times Square transforms into a living organism that breathes the rhythm of New York.