The free summer concert season has officially started, and Mavis Staples will be in Prospect Park this Friday. The R&B singer is one of the highlights of Celebrate Brooklyn, the free festival that goes until early August. Others include rockers They Might Be Giants, Malian duo Amadou & Mariam and the Brazilian psychedelic group Os Mutantes.

In Downtown Manhattan, the River to River festival kicks off on Saturday June 15th and will present artists like Laurie Anderson and Cuban percussionist Pedrito Martínez.

And in Central Park, Summer Stage is under way and will feature rappers Chubb Rock and Rob Base this Thursday. The festival is celebrating the 40th birthday of hip-hop and will present other legends like Rakim and Big Daddy Kane.

Classical music comes to the city parks in July. The New York Philharmonic stars its season on July 10th in Prospect Park, and the Metropolitan Opera opens its summer recital season in Central Park on July 16th.