Be Part Of Make Music New York, NYC's Largest Music Festival

Iannis Xenakis' Persephassa performed on Central Park Lake for MMNY 2010

New York is an exceptionally musical place every day of the year, but there's one day when it gets really musical. That's because of Make Music New York, an annual festival that takes place on the first day of summer and features hundreds upon hundreds of free concerts throughout the city.

This year Make Music New York is happening on June 21 from 10am to 10pm, and if you're musically inclined or interested in hosting a performance, you have until April 21 to register and finalize your own event. The folks at MMNY can help you coordinate your concert with others in your neighborhood, secure the necessary permits and promote it through Time Out New York, Metro New York and WNYC.

Past MMNY highlights include an amazing rowboat-based performance of Iannis Xenakis' Persephassa on Central Park Lake (check out the video clip above) and Punk Island, in which dozens of punk bands invaded Governors Island. Of course your event doesn't need to take place on an island or body of water. It could be anything from a "acoustic sidewalk setup to a full-scale amplified block party." For the last two years the festival has featured over 1,000 concerts, so sign up, tune up and hit the streets.

-- John Ruscher