Last fall, the Levitt Foundation announced plans to spend down $150 million in assets by 2041—a commitment that has allowed us to expand our grantmaking by launching new programs, partnerships, field-building initiatives, and more. Levitt VIBE and Levitt BLOC are two of those programs, and we’re excited to see (and hear) them launch!

Levitt VIBE is a matching grant pilot program that brings the joy of free concerts to public spaces in major city neighborhoods where access to arts experiences may be limited. And the power of free, live music rolls on with Levitt BLOC: a matching grant pilot program for nonprofits to present free music series in underused public spaces across multiple neighborhoods within a town or city.

Similar to the Levitt AMP [Your City] Grant Awards (which have empowered communities in small to mid-size towns and cities through music since 2015), each Levitt VIBE and Levitt BLOC music series will feature a diverse lineup of artists—from critically acclaimed rising talent to seasoned, award-winning showstoppers on the local, regional, and national circuits—ensuring access to high-caliber concerts for folks of all ages and walks of life. And as with all Levitt programs, Levitt VIBE and BLOC concerts will create an ongoing community destination, connecting people to each other and the neighborhoods they call home.

And now for the moment we’ve all been waiting for! Introducing the three locations that will experience the joy of Levitt VIBE (Vibrant, Inclusive Beats for Everyone): the Belmont Cragin neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois; the Near Southside neighborhood of Indianapolis, Indiana; and the East Oakland neighborhood of Oakland, California. Likewise, Levitt BLOC (Building Layers Of Community) will unfold this summer across multiple neighborhoods in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Read on to get to know these communities and the local nonprofit grantees presenting their respective 2024 Levitt VIBE and Levitt BLOC Music Series!

Chicago’s Belmont Cragin Neighborhood

The Levitt VIBE Belmont Cragin Music Series is injecting new energy into Riis Park, a sprawling public green space located in the heart of the Chicago neighborhood.

Having just kicked off this June, the Levitt VIBE Belmont Cragin Music Series is injecting new life into Riis Park, a 56-acre public green space located in the heart of the neighborhood. One of many colorful locales comprising West Side Chicago, Belmont Cragin is home to 80,000 residents—many of whom descend from diverse parts of Latin America, including Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean.

Popular for fishing, sports, and picnics, Riis Park has long been a gathering spot enjoyed by the community. Now the Levitt VIBE Belmont Cragin Music Series is further activating Riis Park into a hub for culturally relevant music programming, too, bringing the sounds of Haiti, Brazil, and other parts of Latin America to West Side Chicago. This season has included spectacular performances from Argentine tropical-punk act Kumbia Queers, Chilean folk storyteller Pascuala Ilabaca (with her talented band Fauna), and New York Latin fusion singer-guitarist Eljuri.

In partnership with the Chicago Park District, which owns and manages Riis Park, the free outdoor concert series is presented by the International Latino Cultural Center of Chicago—the longest-running Latino organization in Chicago and the city’s only Pan-Latino multidisciplinary nonprofit.

The Near Southside of Indianapolis

Beginning in September, the Levitt VIBE Indianapolis Music Series will bring a vibrant lineup of award-winning performers to the Indiana city’s historic Garfield Park.

Starting in September, the Levitt VIBE Indianapolis Music Series will energize Indianapolis’ Near Southside neighborhood with free outdoor music experiences across a variety of genres, from Mariachi and soul to country and folk, spotlighting the diverse blend of cultures represented in the multicultural neighborhood. Near Southside is known for its inclusive history: in the early 20th century, years before segregation ended, the Indianapolis neighborhood was largely racially integrated, with Black and Jewish American residents finding community in one another.

Today, the area continues to embrace its multifacetedness—and the Levitt VIBE Indianapolis Music Series, located in the neighborhood’s beloved, 128-acre Garfield Park, will be a vibrant testament to Near Southside’s enduring cultural mosaic. Set to grace the stage this fall is acclaimed Mexico City-hailing R&B songstress Girl Ultra, experimental hip-hop act Native Sun, and emotive jazz band Eli Winter Trio.

The free outdoor music series is presented by Big Car Collaborative—an artist-led nonprofit based in Indianapolis that leverages culture and creativity to foster community social cohesion. Big Car will be partnering with Arte Mexicano en Indiana, Indy Parks, and adjacent neighborhood organizations to bring the first-ever Levitt VIBE Indianapolis season to life.

East Oakland in the City of Oakland, California

Arroyo Viejo Park, pictured, is one of two public spaces that have burst to life with the sounds of Afrobeat, reggae, salsa, and other genres this summer during the inaugural Levitt VIBE Oakland Music Series.

This summer’s Levitt VIBE Oakland Music Series has been injecting good vibes into two public green spaces in East Oakland: Liberation Park and Arroyo Viejo Park. With its majority-Black population, East Oakland is a large community shaped by and steeped in a culture of creativity—for instance, Liberation Park has a one-of-a-kind outdoor wooden skating rink (nodding to the beloved, Black American pastime of stylized roller skating), while numerous Black music icons (like Sheila E., MC Hammer, and Keyshia Cole) found their artistic footings in East Oakland. So it only makes sense that the culturally influential but historically underserved community enjoys its own free, high-caliber outdoor concert series at last.

Having started in June, the Levitt VIBE Oakland Music Series is fostering a welcoming space where residents of all ages and backgrounds can find joy and connection in live music performances that speak to East Oakland’s rich heritage. The free concerts—featuring sounds like Afrobeat, reggae, salsa, jazz, hip-hop, and classical—are bookended by candid artist talks exploring the Africana influence on world music. This season has included internationally renowned band leader and expressive percussionist Kahil El’Zabar and queer Mexican rapper Niña Dioz.

Presenting the Levitt VIBE Oakland Music Series in partnership with Oakland Public Conservatory of Music and the City of Oakland Parks & Recreation Department, the Black Cultural Zone Community Development Corporation is a nonprofit dedicated to innovating, incubating, informing, and elevating community-driven projects that allow Black people and culture to thrive in East Oakland.

Chattanooga, Tennessee

East Lake Park, pictured here, is one of numerous public and community spaces that will bring together the diverse Chattanooga community over the power of free, live music at the upcoming Levitt BLOC Chattanooga Music Series.

Throughout September, the Levitt BLOC Chattanooga Music Series will invigorate five locations (three public parks and two community spaces) across different neighborhoods in the city of Chattanooga: East Lake Park, Southside Community Park, Miller Park, and the campuses of local arts and culture nonprofit organizations Stove Works and RISE Chattanooga.

With a population of over 180,000, the East Tennessee community is no stranger to the power of free, live music. From 2017-2019, Chattanoogans of all ages and backgrounds came together to enjoy the Levitt AMP Music Series on the lawn of the Bessie Smith Cultural Center in the historic Martin Luther King district. Once a major railway hub during the Civil War, today Chattanooga is a diverse community, home to a large Black population, along with a growing number of Hispanic/Latinx residents, altogether weaving into a vibrant multicultural fabric—one that will be strengthened by the Levitt BLOC Chattanooga Music Series. Comprising a series of free, family-friendly neighborhood events in five distinct underserved neighborhoods, the concert series will culminate with a citywide music performance in Downtown Chattanooga.

Presenting the Levitt BLOC Chattanooga Music Series in partnership with the City of Chattanooga and community arts nonprofit ArtsBuild, RISE Chattanooga is a nonprofit dedicated to the development of creative programming that transcends cultural barriers and promotes awareness, inclusivity, and resiliency in Chattanooga.

We can’t wait to catch a ‘vibe’ with you on the ‘bloc’! Stay tuned for more Levitt Now stories exploring the inaugural Levitt VIBE and Levitt BLOC Music Series concert seasons.