Central Park Conservancy


A Clearing in the Forest

MUSIC!      DANCE!      PUPPETS!      STORYTELLING!      CRAFTS!

A Clearing in the Forest is our exciting summer-time series of FREE multicultural performances and family art workshops. Now, you can undertake a thrilling cultural journey while enjoying your afternoon picnic with friends and family in a picturesque nook of Central Park. Fun for all ages!

A Clearing in the Forest is set in Central Park’s most intimate natural playground, The Peter Jay Sharp Children’s Glade, and the Great Hill.  Both are located inside Central Park at West 106th Street. The Children’s Glade, a fabulous “clearing in the forest” designed specifically for family programs, celebrated its opening in April of 2007 and has served as a natural open-air “amphitheater” for free family programming ever since.

For more information, read below or call 212-860-1370.


2009 Schedule of A Clearing in the Forest Programs


Click to download the
A Clearing in the Forest
postcard in a new window.

Saturdays on the Great Hill

May 23, 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Family Bash!  with Bash the Trash

June 20, 11:00 am - 1:00 pm
Swan Lake Ballet Workshop with American Ballet Theatre
NOTE: Due to rain, this program has been rescheduled for Saturday, June 27, 11:00 am - 1:00 pm.

July 11, 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Great Jazz on the Great Hill co-presented by Jazzmobile

August 15, 7:00 pm - 9:30 pm
African Diaspora Celebration co-presented by African Film Festival, Inc.

September 12, 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Henry Hudson and the River that Discovered Him with Arm of the Sea Theater

Sundays in The Peter Jay Sharp Children’s Glade

May 31, 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
European Folktales with Ron Sopyla

June 7, 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
A Journey Through Mexico with Mexico Beyond Mariachi

June 28, 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
African Percussion and Dance Workshop with Nafisa Shariff

July 19, 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Native American Stories, Song, and Dance with Leaf Arrow Storytellers

July 26, 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Ladybug One Songs with the Harmonica Pocket

August 2, 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Batsongs with Musical Mark

August 9, 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Picnic Playground Tour co-presented by Putumayo Records

August 30, 1:00 pm 2:00 pm
Czech and Slovak Fairy Tales with Vít Hořej

September 20, 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Stories Under the Elm Trees co-presented by the Museum for African Art

September 27, 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Autumn in the Glade with Bobby Gonzalez

Enter the Park at West 106th Street and Central Park West.

Advance registration not required. For inclement weather policies and other details, please click on the program name above, or call call 212-860-1370. 

The Children’s Glade landscape and its ongoing maintenance and care are made possible by the Directors of The Peter Jay Sharp Foundation.