City Parks Foundation will honour Joe Killian, founder of New York's SummerStage festival, and Alex Blavatnik, vice chairman of Access Industries, at its 2026 dinner and concert benefit fundraiser. The event marks SummerStage's 40th anniversary and recognises Killian's role in launching free public concerts in Central Park in 1986, alongside Blavatnik's philanthropic support for cultural preservation, with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band providing the entertainment.

The benefit takes place on 10 September at Rumsey Playfield, SummerStage's flagship Central Park venue. Killian, who ran the festival from 1986 to 1993 and still sits on its board, will receive the SummerStage Icon Award, while Blavatnik, a former Warner Music Group board member who now oversees the Blavatnik Archive, will receive the City Parks Foundation Icon Award. SummerStage now draws around 200,000 attendees annually across New York's five boroughs, and additional guest performers for the event are yet to be announced.