Harlem Meer Performance Festival Returns to Central Park

For Stormy McNair, showcasing local musical talent at the Harlem Meer Peformance Festival is personal.

As a child, Stormy McNair said she found Central Park, especially the northern end, to be a magical place allowing her to escape into the animal kingdom of Central Park Zoo before emerging back into her Harlem neighborhood.

“Today, she’s the Senior Manager for Programming Partnerships for the Central Park Conservancy, leading programming at the Davis Center and at the annual Harlem Meer Performance Festival.” The final lineup of musicians with styles ranging from jazz and blues to rap and funk is culled from 60 to 100 acts.

“I was born and raised in Harlem,” said McNair. “My children go to school in Harlem and Central Park was truly important to me, primarily the North End.” She calls the north end “definitely my backyard. To be of service to the very community that I was raised in is truly a gift. I pinch myself often.”

She’s carrying on a tradition that began 33 years ago. The Central Park Conservancy, the non-profit foundation that is the gatekeeper of the Park, began hosting free performances of the Harlem Meer Performance Festival in 1993 when the Dana Discovery Center opened its doors for the first time.

“The event takes place right outside the plaza with the beautiful Harlem Meer as the backdrop,” said McNair. “We have local bands come and share world music.”

It’s built up a connection to the city and the local community and seems to draw bigger crowds as the summer progresses. McNair loves to see “amazing patrons who come every year.” The Harlem Meer Performance Festival runs for six consecutive Sundays. “The first week draws around 250 to 350 people and on the last day of the festival 700 or more people join,” she noted.

McNair began at the Central Park Conservancy about a dozen years ago starting as the Executive Assistant to VP of Women’s Committee and Special Events, then the Fundraising Manager of the Women’s Committee. Since 2024, she’s been the Senior Manager of Programming Partnerships where she helps coordinate the Harlem Meer Performance Festival.

Getting ready for the event includes organizing what bands are set to perform. McNair said, “we offer a link online to share more about your band and give a link to what your music sounds like. A fun part is comprising a committee who chooses their favorites out of anywhere from 60 to 100 applicants. We work together to choose a lineup.” A lot of the lineup depends upon band availability.

There are more performances happening for the rest of the summer at the festival. On July 26th, Grace Young performed. Young is a Juilliard-trained “gospel and Motown-inspired singer.” According to an interview with the Central Park Conservancy, she described her performance style as “a dynamic blend of theatrical storytelling and soulful musicality to every stage.”

The following four shows include Kobie Dozier who shares his music style as “genres ranging from the roots of jazz, rap, R&B, and funk.” Dozier also shared with the Conservancy that his music is inspired by “Harlem’s legacy as a birthplace for Black art, culture, and jazz.” Dozier said, “Through performing and collaborating within my community, I try to carry that tradition forward while connecting with people today.” Uptown Royalty’s music is a combination of salsa, R&B, and jazz. Saxophonist M. Alex Ramirez of the jazz group M.A.R. Quintet will perform as well as the salsa jazz group Ray Delgado Project.

McNair shared the importance of collaboration, friendship and mutual support among the artists and the park. The chosen bands all listen to the other performers. McNair said that they “make sure each person understands that they are invited to come out and listen to other shows. One of the questions we asked the bands was ‘what is your Central Park connection’?” McNair happily mentioned that this period was a good bonding experience.

At the first show of 2026 on July 12th, Casa Mantequilla which is a jazz, afro, and world music collective performed. McNair described the event as having “vibrant energy because everyone is seeing each other for the first time in a year. The community who comes to either sit for a short time or dance has been doing this for over 30 years.”

The Harlem Meer Performance Festival is near 110th Street. McNair said, “it is important for Harlem to understand that Central Park is their backyard.” It is important to McNair and the Conservancy to continue to “offer the event for free and make it accessible for people to attend with no barrier for entry.”

The accessibility piece is due to the geographic location of the park which McNair says offers a natural way for people to stand on the perimeter outside of the park and the music will lead you in. McNair explains that the idea of the event is “to welcome people into the park.”

This summer the festival is taking part in interview sessions called “Spotlight on the Meer” which are led by Stormy McNair between live sets. The theme for the conversations is called “Caretakers of the Park.”

McNair interviewed John Reddick who is the Conservancy’s Director of Community Engagement Projects and works with the Seneca Village team. McNair explained that this conversation was “pulling back the curtain to share the true story of Seneca Village and sharing a glimpse into pre-Park history and highlighting decades of research about this extraordinary community.”

One of McNair’s most memorable festival experience’s was the first time she helped run it. After completing surveys, she learned what a positive impact the conversation about Seneca Village had on the community. Seneca Village was a 19th century settlement of largely African-American land owners in the pre-Park days.

She said, “we spoke about Seneca Village and really talked about its history before Central Park. Folks were so extremely receptive to the history of the park.” McNair said that people “were lined up at that info table to ask how they can learn more and volunteer their time here in the north end and at the Seneca Village Landscape where we host our Juneteenth in Seneca Village.”

Stormy McNair is living her dream and is so grateful to be a part of the Central Park Conservancy team. Each day, she gets to share her childhood love of Central Park with new visitors. The Harlem Meer Performance Festival is a beloved annual event that brings together a community that feels like family.