Bryant Park is hosting a giant free reading party on its lawn this summer

On June 1, Bryant Park, already home to a pretty popular outdoor library of sorts, will host its first-ever "read on the lawn day," encouraging visitors to enjoy an evening of book discussions, ambient music and simple relaxation on its sprawling green space.

The event, scheduled to run between 5:30pm and 8pm, will kick off the park's literary lineup of free weekly events for the summer, including lunchtime author panels, poetry readings, writing workshops and more.

Bryant Park has quietly become one of the city's most underrated celebrations of all things literary (and yoga!). Its open-air Reading Room — a free, outdoor public reading space on the 42nd Street side of the park — runs yearly from April through October and has become a favorite warm-weather destination for anyone who loves a good book and a reason to sit outside. Marked by its signature yellow umbrellas, the space offers shaded seating along with a rotating selection of books, magazines and newspapers available to browse and read on site. Regular free events round out the programming throughout the season, from author talks to writing workshops and storytelling sessions for kids.

The concept actually has deep roots in the park's history. The original open-air library first appeared at Bryant Park in 1935, born out of the Great Depression as a way to give New Yorkers a free, dignified public space to spend time during some of the city's hardest years. It closed in 1944 and lay dormant for decades before the Bryant Park Corporation revived it in 2003. Over twenty years later, it's still free, still open to anyone and still one of the best things to do in midtown Manhattan during the summer. 

This latest "read on the lawn day," presented in partnership with Reading Rhythms—an organization that hosts silent, communal reading events with ambient music—feels like a natural next step.