Free Times Square concert to feature performances from 23 Broadway shows

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A massive Times Square concert featuring performances from 23 Broadway shows is planned for next month in celebration of 400 years of Big Apple history, City Hall said Monday. 

The free spectacle, “Founded By Broadway,” will be held in Duffy Square on West 46th and West 47th streets between Broadway and Seventh Avenue on Sept. 7 starting at 11 a.m., rain or shine.

“Broadway is synonymous with a visit to New York City, and what better way to celebrate 400 years than with a free, live concert in the center of it all, Times Square,” said Julie Coker, president and CEO of New York City Tourism + Conventions, in a statement.

The show also serves as the marquee event of the Adams’ administration’s year-long “Founded By NYC” celebration of the city’s 400th birthday, which will offer free summer movies, 400 blocks of free Summer Streets events, the 47th annual Museum Mile Festival and more.

“The story of Broadway is the story of New York City, and with ‘Founded By Broadway’ and this Times Square concert for all to partake in for free, we will help tell both of these stories this September,” Mayor Eric Adams said in a statement. 

“Thanks to ‘Founded By NYC,’ we’re thrilled to be hosting events like this all year long as we commemorate more than four centuries of New York City history and show, once again, why we are ‘the greatest city in the world,’” the mayor said.

Performances from these shows are expected during the “Founded by Broadway” event: 

• Aladdin
• & Juliet
• The Book of Mormon
• Buena Vista Social Club
• Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club
• Chicago
• Death Becomes Her
• The Great Gatsby
• Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
• Hell’s Kitchen
• Just in Time
• The Lion King
• Mamma Mia!
• Maybe Happy Ending
• MJ
• Moulin Rouge! The Musical
• Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical
• The Outsiders
• Punch
• SIX: The Musical
• Stranger Things: The First Shadow
• Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)
• Wicked

Some of the performances are subject to change closer to the final performance date, City Hall said.

The fanfare will kick off NYC Broadway Week, when two-for-one deals will be offered for a variety of shows.

The marquee event comes as New York City Tourism + Conventions projects a nearly 20% dip in foreign tourism this year because of economic fears and geopolitical tensions.

“There’s only one Broadway, and there’s only one New York City,” said Jason Laks, president of The Broadway League, while promoting “Founded by Broadway.”

“The heart of Times Square is the perfect place to celebrate Broadway’s legacy,” Laks said. “As we mark 400 years of this extraordinary city, the ‘Founded By Broadway’ concert will bring together the energy, talent, and storytelling that define New York and inspire the world.”