Are you curious how Levitt creates more equitable, thriving, and healthy communities through the power of free, live music? Read on! We’ve broken it down into three steps:
Step 1: Creating Inclusive Gathering Places
A Levitt venue presents free outdoor concerts in a public space, bringing together people of all ages and backgrounds. Acclaimed artists play the stage, presenting a wide range of music genres and cultural performances reflective of the community, while local nonprofits, businesses, and vendors activate the lawn and further engage the audience. Levitt’s model of consistent and inclusive free concerts creates an ongoing community destination, connecting people to each other and inspiring pride of place.
Step 2: Fostering Connections
With open lawn settings and no front row or back row, Levitt venues offer multiple opportunities for social connection. Audience members set up picnic blankets and lawn chairs— ready to relax with friends, dance to the music, and get to know their neighbors and those whose paths they wouldn’t cross otherwise. Levitt’s welcoming atmosphere fosters two types of social connections that create a sense of belonging: social bonding, which strengthens ties among individuals similar to one another on some key dimension, such as friends, family, or those sharing like demographics; and social bridging, which are points of connection, understanding, and exchange across diverse demographics and/or socioeconomic groups.
Step 3: Building Social Capital
Social bonding and social bridging build social capital, which is a community’s degree of social cohesion and resilience. Higher social capital leads to more trust in a community, which in turn leads to better health, public safety, and economic outcomes. This virtuous cycle strengthens the social fabric of our towns and cities, deepening community attachment and sense of belonging—creating places people love.
Click here for a downloadable PDF version of our “How Levitt Creates Stronger Communities” one sheet!