The George Seuffert, Sr. Bandshell is a nearly century-old open-air stage buried in Forest Park's oak woods, and it fills every summer week with a free concert nobody outside Woodhaven seems to know about. Crystal Ship works the Doors catalogue at sixty-year-anniversary scale — the Vox organ drone, the long instrumental middles, a frontman who commits to the leather. Bring a chair, pick a spot on the grass and you have the cheapest full-band rock show in the five boroughs.
What to expect
Families claim the bench seating early while everyone else spreads blankets and folding chairs across the grass behind it. The set runs through the Doors' singles and the long psychedelic album cuts, with the organ carrying most of the recognizable hooks. Expect a multigenerational Queens crowd, kids running the perimeter and a set that ends early enough to get home at a reasonable hour.
Good to know
- The bandshell is inside Forest Park near Woodhaven Boulevard — the J to Woodhaven Boulevard or the Q11/Q21 bus get you closest.
- Bench seating is limited and claimed early; a folding chair or blanket is the difference between sitting and standing.
- It is fully outdoors with no rain cover, so check the forecast before making the trip.
- Bring bug spray — the bandshell sits in woodland and the mosquitoes find you around dusk.
- There is no on-site concession stand, so pack your own food and water.
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Common questions
Is it really free?
Yes. NYC Parks runs the Forest Park summer concert series free of charge with no ticket or registration.
Is it family friendly?
Very. The lawn is the main seating and the early start makes it one of the easier live-music nights to bring kids to.
What if it rains?
The bandshell stage is covered but the audience area is not, and Parks cancels for weather. Check the event page the day of.
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