PREVIEW: OZY Fest

Taking over the spacious Rumsey Playfield in Central Park in just a few short days is the third-ever OZY Fest presented by OZY Media. The two-day festival runs July 21-22 and is all that one could dream of in a New York summer festival and much, much more. The OZY Fest will feature big music acts including Common, Young the Giant, Grouplove, and Passion Pit, but it is complete with way more than music—it’s made up of powerful talks on important topics from thought leaders of our generation today, as well as an impressive range of food for attendees to try.

This year’s festival will speak to many of the current political and societal issues facing the U.S. today, delivered by forward-thinking leaders and innovators. The OZY brand itself emphasizes their main focus to be “not simply on where the world is, but more importantly, where the world is going,” as is detailed on the OZY group’s website. Accordingly, the festival chose an impressive set of names for those speaking, the biggest being keynote speaker Hillary Rodham Clinton on Saturday as well as Rose McGowan and Malcolm Gladwell among others. Festival creators are even engaging comedy in on these crucial discussions. There will be several comedians taking the stage including Hasan Minhaj on Saturday and Chelsea Handler on Sunday. All the while during the weekend, festival-goers can enjoy food choices brought to them by acclaimed Ethiopian-born, NY-based chef Marcus Samuelsson. Each night of the festival will culminate with a competitive music lineup of popular acts including those aforementioned, leading the night to end in big celebration.

The OZY group created this event in the hopes of engaging the public in two nights of necessary, thought-provoking conversation, exciting music performances, diverse culinary experiences, and fun. This 2018 schedule is sure to deliver just that and more.

Tickets for the OZY Fest are still available here. Catch the event as it kicks off at 12 p.m. EST this Saturday and Sunday, July 21-22 at the Rumsey Playfield in the heart of New York City’s famed Central Park.

-Daniella Weiss