September 17 & 18, 2022

“”Get ready for a weekend of live music with Rockefeller Center and Rough Trade on September 17 and 18. Created for music lovers of all ages, iNDIEPLAZA is a two-day celebration of independent music, merchandise, and workshops stretched across the campus’s expansive outdoor plazas. The day-to-night experience features a headlining performance by Ali Shaheed Muhammad from A Tribe Called Quest as well as a lineup of up and coming artists. Along with artist signings at Rough Trade scheduled each afternoon, iNDIEPLAZA will also have a band merch market, music-making workshops, and food and beverages from on-campus restaurants. Free and open to the public, the festival begins at 11am with a full event schedule to come. Registration is required.””

As per the official page the following will be making an appearance: Ali Shaheed Muhammad, Automatic, Claud, Horsegirl, Nation of Language DJ Set, Sessa, Mary Lattimore, They Hate Change, Yaya Bey, Sofie Royer, The Muckers, King Hannah, Cola, Say She She, Anxious, The Bobby Lees, Annie Hart, June Mcdoom, PJ Western and others.

Following is the accompanying official press release for this event:

New York – The inaugural indieplaza festival on September 17th and 18th, 2022 instantiates the return of indie to midtown Manhattan. Presented by Rough Trade and Rockefeller Center, the weekend-long music event is headlined by Ali Shaheed Muhammad of the pioneering and hugely influential hip-hop group A Tribe Called Quest. Other performers are among 2022’s most exciting up & coming artists, including New Wave trio, Automatic; lo-fi singer-songwriter, Claud; teenage Garage-punks, Horsegirl; R&B artist, Yaya Bey; Brazilian singer and guitarist, Sessa; Harpist and composer, Mary Lattimore, and many more. Free to the public and inclusive to all New Yorkers from Saturday morning to Sunday evening, indieplaza celebrates the freedom of independent thinking and creative practice.

Rough Trade’s relocation from Brooklyn to Rockefeller Center last summer has unlocked a wider, counter culture revival of midtown Manhattan, and been a milestone in the Center’s reimagination of its campus, which brings the city’s most compelling and creative independent talent to the iconic landmark. Since the arrival of Rough Trade at Rockefeller Center in June 2021, the cultural regeneration of midtown for New Yorkers has been evident for all to see, and as the New York Times noted, that “for many young people, the traditional institutions of the city that survived the pandemic now symbolize a rich history and resilient spirit.” In Fall 2021, Rough Trade and Rockefeller Center also launched an acclaimed concert series at the historic Rainbow Room, a key example of the ongoing revitalization of the Center, which continues with indieplaza alongside other noteworthy art programming, dining, and creative opportunities for New Yorkers.

Alongside the main stage on the plaza, MerchFriends, a coalition of merchandise makers working to build a sustainable independent music merch ecosystem, will lead an Artist Merch Market that features limited-edition merchandise from Hello Merch, Low Level, Favorite Vegetable, plus Rough Trade vinyl bins, live screen printing from Upstate Merch, live art demonstrations from the legendary Steve Keene, Jose Berrio, artist signings and festival merch, DIY family fun, interactive games and more.

On North Plaza, a Music Maker Fair created by the people behind Moog Fest will present hands-on music making. indieplaza will also feature a raft of the most exciting NYC food and beverage operators to provide an outdoor destination like no other in the city for 48 hours, a place where people of all ages will congregate, engage, interact, dance, learn and celebrate.