Central Park Summer Stage is New York's premier free performing arts festival. Founded in 1986, it brings performances of superior artistic caliber, free of charge, to large and diverse audiences. Through inclusive and eclectic programming, SummerStage provides an important forum for emerging and established artists, and ideas, and exposes its audiences to many different types of artistic and cultural expression. Programming areas include World and American music, modern dance, spoken word, electronic music, and family programming.