Open Stages music festival returns to Park Slope’s stoops and sidewalks on May 10 – Brooklyn Paper

The Slope is alive with the sound of music!
On May 10, the fifth annual Open Stages music festival will turn the stoops and sidewalks of Park Slope into makeshift stages for the day.
The free outdoor festival, set to take place across 16 “stages” in the nabe, will feature two dozen bands and performers from 15 different genres. From 3-6 p.m., locals can meander through the neighborhood to catch performances by bluegrass band Cole Quest and the City Pickers, local opera company The Opera Next Door, the Brownstone Brass Quintet, and many more. 
Performances aren’t just limited to music — this year’s festival will also include the Brooklyn Cyclones Surf Squad and Dancewave, hula dancing lessons from Hālau Hula O Na Mele ‘Aina O Hawai’i, and “mini instrument lessons” for kids from the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music.
The festival serves as a fundraiser for the Conservatory and as a stage for some of its music students. Now a springtime staple for Park Slope, Open Stages started in 2021 as a COVID-safe outdoor celebration after a year of isolation. Now, roughly 8,000 people attend each year, according to BCM executive director Chad Cooper.
“I’m proud that every year, from its founding to today, Open Stages has been free to the public all while creating more than 200 market-rate, paid gigs for professional musicians and event staff,” Cooper said in a statement. “I am especially thrilled this year to see so many students, from across BKCM’s programs, have an opportunity to play for Open Stages’ live, adoring audiences. I encourage everyone on May 10th to grab an instrument or a songbook, set up shop on your sidewalk, stoop or from an open window, and join BKCM and all of Brooklyn in making joyful music together. ”
Brooklynites can RSVP for the free festival and get more information online, and Open Stages plans to release an app with a map and full schedule on May 6. 
A New Jersey native and enthusiast, Kirstyn is Brooklyn Paper’s digital editor and a reporter covering northern Brooklyn from Greenpoint to Gowanus.
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