We are so excited to have our 3rd free festival indieplaza, co-presented by Rockefeller Center, in New York City on April 20th for Record Store Day!
The weather and vibes are promising to be wonderful on Saturday, April 20th. We've put together this short guide to the festivities, to let you know when your favorite artists are performing, the food & drink stands you'll have to run to, and the other exciting activities happening this Record Store Day.
See you on the plaza!
🎵 Live Music
Which artist are you most excited to see live? For our Record Store Day iNDIEPLAZA, the musical performances will begin midday at 12p with the NYC debut of the buzzy new Indiana band Wishy and culminate in a special headlining set from Dehd ahead of the release of their highly anticipated new album Poetry. All of our live performances will have DJ sets in between from the likes of Nancy Whang, Sunrisa Disco, and Dave the Spazz (WFMU Radio).
Full schedule and map below!
Coming to Rockefeller Center by train, bus, or Citi bike? Get directions here.
👕💿 Artist Merch & Rough Trade Used Records
While you’re here, don’t forget to grab a shirt from your fav band at the Artist Merch Booth and make sure to check out the exclusive selection of used records at our Rough Trade Used Records pop-up booth!
This will be where you’ll have the first chance to pick up a copy of Dehd’s new album Poetry, ahead of the global release, May 10th and Corridor’s new album Mimi before its April 26th release.
🗳️ HeadCount
HeadCount will be on-site to register voters and promote civic engagement.
🧑🎨 Kids & Family Activities with WASTOIDS
Our friends at WASTOIDS are on site this year and will present DIY family activities like button & badge making, draw your own 7” record cover, and more.
🍺🍗 Food & Drinks
For drinks? Other Half Brewery is now located on the South Esplanade with a beer garden that has a view of the stage while Cool Sips will keep you hydrated with non-alcoholic offerings! For food we’ll have Puya Tacos, Bel-Fries, The Tipsy Baker, and Ben & Jerry’s available on the North Esplanade.
Liquid Death + Jupiter will also be on the North Plaza for food and refreshments!
💿 Rough Trade Storefront
The record store will be open from 9am to 8pm, come visit us! Our iconic photobooth will be decked out with a special indieplaza frame.
🏆 DICE Check-In + Giveaways
In celebration of this year’s special Record Store Day indieplaza, anyone who checks in at our DICE Check-In booth will receive 10% off at our Rough Trade Used Booth AND be entered in a giveaway for a chance to win a test press or signed record from the likes of Yo La Tengo, Caroline Polachek, Hozier, Maggie Rogers, Pixies and more as well as a $50 credit toward any show on DICE!
Winners will be notified by email at the end of the day, with pick-up available for 30 days.
RSVPs available from roughtrade.com, and our ticketing partner, DICE.
RSD Shopping Guidelines
Store is open from 9:00am until 8:00pm.
As usual, one copy per person, only. For fairness sake, we have to prohibit multiple buys of the same release.
Strictly first come, first served - no customer reservations.
We will be providing a ‘personal shopping service’ for Record Store Day releases. So, please have your wishlist ready prior to entering the store, and Rough Trade staff will look to obtain your selections for you. A wishlist form will be available at the store. Please keep in mind that you may not get everything on your list and that the titles on the list may change!
To help us manage the safe capacity of the store, we kindly ask that you are prompt with your purchase, helping us ensure everyone receives service, as fast as possible.
As it will be a busy day, we kindly ask that you are patient and courteous to all our staff members.
Enjoy! - this is a day to celebrate great music and great record shops, so even with all the guidelines, we hope you’ll find the release(s) you’ve been patiently waiting for, and as with all record purchases, they deliver a joy for decades to come!
Please Note: Titles will be available to buy online the following day at 8:00 AM EST
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About indieplaza
A celebration of independent music, merchandise, and workshops in the center of New York City, co-hosted by indie pioneers, Rough Trade. Featuring a thoughtfully curated lineup of artists, a band merchandise market, hands-on workshops, plus favorites of the food and drink scenes - indieplaza is accessible, inclusive and free for all New Yorkers.
The second indieplaza festival was held on September 9th 2023. Presented by Rough Trade and Rockefeller Center, in partnership with Dr. Martens. Nation of Language headlined in advance of their highly anticipated third album Strange Disciple. indieplaza also spotlighted some of the buzziest, up and coming artists in music today including Shoegaze Punks; Narrow Head; indie rock & pop duo, Video Age; Cali garage rockers, Death Valley Girls; Long Island hardcore band, Crime In Stereo; Electronic pop chameleon, DEBBY FRIDAY, and many more.
The inaugural indieplaza festival was held on September 17th and 18th, 2022. Presented by Rough Trade and Rockefeller Center, the weekend-long music event was headlined by Ali Shaheed Muhammad of the pioneering and hugely influential hip-hop group A Tribe Called Quest, while highlighting the 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 more.
Since Rough Trade’s relocation from Brooklyn to Rockefeller Center in the summer of 2021, they have unlocked a wider, counterculture revival of midtown Manhattan, and been a milestone in the Center’s re-imagination of its campus. In Fall 2021, Rough Trade and Rockefeller Center also launched acclaimed concert series indieballroom at the historic Rainbow Room, a key example of the ongoing revitalization of the Center which aims to bring the city’s most compelling and creative independent talent to the iconic landmark.
Free to the public and inclusive to all New Yorkers from Saturday morning to evening, indieplaza celebrates the freedom of independent thinking and creative practice at the world-famous Rockefeller Center, in the heart of New York City.