Preservation Hall Jazz Band will perform at New York’s Rumsey Playfield—Central Park SummerStage’s flagship venue—on Thursday, September 10, as part of New York City Parks Foundation’s 2026 Dinner & Concert. This year’s event will honor SummerStage festival founder and executive producer Joe Killian with the 2026 SummerStage Icon Award, as the festival celebrates its 40^th anniversary this season, and Alex Blavatnik, Vice Chairman of Access Industries and Director of the Blavatnik Archive, with the 2026 City Parks Foundation Icon Award.

City Parks Foundation, through its Capital One City Parks Foundation SummerStage Festival, is one of the largest presenters of free arts and cultural programs in New York City parks and serves nearly 300,000 New Yorkers each year through arts, education, sports and community building initiatives. Killian served as SummerStage’s Executive Producer from 1986-1993. Before forming Killian + Company, Killian also directed concerts at Radio City Music Hall and led content and entertainment teams at Radical Media, where he was a partner, and Momentum Worldwide, where he served as an EVP. He has worked with Taylor Swift, Kendrick Lamar, Pharrell Williams, Ariana Grande, The Killers, Spike Lee, David Lynch, Todd Haines, Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, Scarlett Johansson and Olivia Rodrigo, among others. Killian’s work has earned two Emmys, a Clio, an Effie, a Webby and numerous other awards.

Blavatnik is Vice Chairman of Access Industries and Senior Advisor to the Blavatnik Family Foundation. Through his role at the foundation, Blavatnik oversees the Blavatnik Archive, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving materials on 20^th-century Jewish and world history—work that reflects a broader, civic-minded philanthropy focused on making cultural history freely accessible to the public.

“As we celebrate SummerStage’s 40^th anniversary this year, we are truly honored to be presenting our trailblazing festival founder Joe Killian with this year’s SummerStage Icon Award. Joe had a groundbreaking vision to bring free, world-class performing arts programming to New Yorkers, and we are so proud to be continuing his mission across the city to this day” Heather Lubov, Executive Director of City Parks Foundation, said in a statement. “We are also equally excited to present Alex Blavatnik with the City Parks Foundation Icon Award and shine a spotlight on the longtime commitment and philanthropic support that he and his Foundation have provided to preserving cultural history and making it freely accessible to all—something we strongly believe in.”

Preservation Hall Jazz Band will help close the evening, which will run from 6:30-10pm, with a special concert. Additional musical guests are expected to join the veteran act during their set.

City Parks Foundation’s 2026 Dinner & Concert benefit will be co-chaired by Activist Artists Management, Bonnie & Steven Beer, Bill Silva Entertainment, Blavatnik Family Foundation, Suzanne Brume, Anna & Bill Cameron, Capital One, Citi, Kathy Gantz & Lary Wolf, Claire Goodman Pellegrini & Rusty Cloud, Gail Gordon, Roni Jacobson & David Feldman, Jenny Lee & Joe Killian, Live Nation Worldwide, Jennifer & Roland Merchant, Lori & David Moore, Elizabeth Sarnoff & Andy Cohen, Jeanne & Bob Savitt, Lisa & Lee Schalop, Eugene & Anna Schneur – Schneur Family Foundation, Cindy & Tom Secunda, Rebecca & Peter Shapiro, TD, Jean Troubh, Louisa & John Troubh, Warner Music Group, Katy & Greg Williamson and The Witkoff Family.