PREVIEW: The Sights and Sounds of a Schenectady Summer at Freedom Park
**This review originally appeared in our August 2026 print issue**
Photos by Tom Miller
“For generations, families have been able to gather for live music without worrying about ticket prices or finding some exclusive venue. You show up, find a patch of grass and stay as long as you like.”
Growing up in Schenectady, Freedom Park felt like one of those places that simply came with summer.
You’d get food from Jumpin’ Jack’s, maybe a burger, a fish fry, or some curly fries, and carry it over to Freedom Park to chow down at a picnic table right along the water, pointing and smiling at the occasional jet ski or kayak making its way down. Then for dessert, you make your way back to Jumpin’ Jack’s for a cone of the best soft serve in the Capital Region, which is not up for debate, so please argue with the wall.
Across the way, families can take a walk around Collins Park, enjoying the sights and sounds of the summer, and by the time the sun starts to set, music starts to float out from the amphitheater, while the Mohawk River moves quietly behind it all.
I know I’m making Freedom Park sound like some small summer paradise, but I genuinely believe it is.
The park has always felt like an easy meeting place between so many different parts of Schenectady life. In this area of Scotia, you can walk, run, play, eat, enjoy the views of the water, and, for 50 years now, experience free live music.
You can arrive with a lawn chair and a full evening ahead of you without needing much of a plan. The park handles the rest.
This summer, Freedom Park is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its summer concert series, a milestone that feels especially meaningful for something that has remained so accessible. For generations, families have been able to gather for live music without worrying about ticket prices or finding some exclusive venue. You show up, find a patch of grass and stay as long as you like.
The anniversary also arrives with renovations to the amphitheater, including a new state-of-the-art sound system that the park is excited to debut. After five decades of performances, Freedom Park is honoring its history while making sure the next concert sounds better than ever.
SLOC kicked off the month with “Broadway Through the Ages” on August 1 and 2, followed by That 80’s Band on August 5.
The Alan Payette Project performs August 8, followed by the BWC Jazz Orchestra on August 9 and Jukebox Rebellion arrives on August 12.
Harvest & Rust brings the music of Neil Young to the park on August 15 followed by Celtic group Triskele on August 16, and local duo SIRSY on August 19.
The month closes on August 22 with the Freedom Festival, featuring Jimmy Kenny & the Pirate Beach Band and a drone show above the park.
It’s a big ending for an anniversary season, though part of Freedom Park’s charm has always been how little spectacle it needs. Give people music, a warm evening and somewhere beautiful to gather, and they’ll make memories on their own.
50 years means that people who once came to Freedom Park as children are now returning with children or grandchildren of their own. The bands change and the playground probably looks smaller than anyone remembers, but the ritual remains. You order your food, you walk toward the water, and you hear the music before you even reach the stage.
And for a few hours, you are exactly where a Schenectady summer is supposed to happen.
For more information, visit https://freedomparkscotia.com/
