Summer in the City

For those marked with a *, bring a blanket, food, snacks and beverages, and have a picnic on the lawn!

Central Park Summer Stage. June–August 2002 (Every year). Rumsey Playfield, Central Park, 72nd Street & Fifth Ave. SummerStage is one of New York City's greatest summer institutions, filling Central Park with free music, theatre, opera and dance for two months each summer. Last year's line-up included Erykah Badu and Kid Creole and the Coconuts. The Body and Soul day and New York Grand Opera performance, which happen each year, are highly recommended. Contact the organizers for the full schedule, then just pack a picnic and head for the park. Directions: Subway: A, C, B, D to 72nd St or 4, 5, 6 to 68th St.

The Annual Village Fair. Saturday, June 8, 2002, All Day. Astor Place, East Village. Take all your spare dollars and a load of energy to Astor Place for the funkiest downtown fair around. The Annual Village Festival takes place in the heart of Manhattan's Greenwich and East Village neighborhoods–where all the trendy thrift shops await. Astor Place is the main host for this consumer experience and features neighborhood community exhibits, ethnic food and restaurant booths, gift and general merchants, craft artisans, antique dealers and loads more. Head to Astor Place from Broadway to 4th Ave. Directions: 4,5,6 trains to Astor Place.

Hudson River Park Day. Sunday, June 9 2002, 1pm – 7pm. Hudson River Park–between Pier 25 & Pier 84. The annual Hudson River Park Day offers lots of free family activities along the Hudson River in Manhattan, from games to boat races and live music. All the usual highlights will be enjoyed by all, including kayaking, excursions on tugboats, fireboats and sailboats, a boat parade, boat races and beach volleyball. Other riverside games include mini-golf, basketball and giant chess. Strolling entertainers and live music provide yet more entertainment. Visitors can bring a picnic or tuck into the seafood and drinks provided during an afternoon by the water. Directions: The park runs along the Hudson River on the west side of Manhattan between Chambers St and W 44th St. Subway: 1, 2, 3, 9 to select stops between these two locations.

Broadway Stars Under the Stars. Monday, June 10, 2002. Bryant Park. This first annual free evening of Broadway Stars under the Stars, features Tony award-winning talent and celebrities taking in the fresh air of Bryant Park and marking the beginning of the summer outdoor music season in the city. In a musical "valentine" to New York and New Yorkers, each year the event will focus on great local music. Current stars will sing the music of a great New York composer, such as Richard Rogers or George Gershwin, or songs from Broadway shows such as On the Town, West Side Story or Guys & Dolls. The timing of this event to coincide with the Tony awards and its location just steps from the fabled street itself, ensures that all eyes will be on Broadway this June.

Annual Museum Mile Festival. Tuesday, June 11, 2002 11, 6pm – 9pm. Along Fifth Ave, from 82nd St to 104th St. Along Manhattan’s museum mile, many of New York's biggest and most exciting museums open their doors to the public free of charge. Dip into the hallowed halls of the magnificent Metropolitan, or climb the spiral of the glorious Guggenheim, without having to worry about mounting admission costs. If you've ever wondered what goes on inside the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum or the City of New York Museum, but never wanted to pay up to go in, here's your chance to find out. Whereas the Met houses an incredible global collection from Ancient Greeks to French Impressionists, the Cooper Hewitt offers a rich selection of modern design-related artifacts and furnishings. Whereas the Guggenheim tends to show hot new talent in contemporary art, the City of New York Museum houses a wealth of diverse collections that tell the history of New York through the ages. The Museum Mile Festival is a wonderful opportunity to explore the many and diverse collections on New York's exclusive Upper East Side. While you stroll along the side of Central Park between the museums, there's plenty more entertainment to enjoy. Market stalls, street performers and musicians will keep your spirits up as you go from one museum to the next.

*Metropolitan Opera in the Parks:

*Bryant Park Summer Film Festival. June 17 – Aug 19 (Every Monday). Bryant Park. This is a series of free, outdoor, classic movie screenings, playing on Monday nights throughout the summer months in Bryant Park, Manhattan. In the rare event that it rains, films are screened at sunset the following night.

Celebrate Brooklyn Festival. 20 June–10 August 2002 (Every year; not Mon, Tue or Wed). Every weekend for two months each summer, free outdoor events with music, dance, theatre and film are held in Brooklyn's sunny Prospect Park.

Times Square Food Festival. June 24 2002, 5pm – 8:30pm. Times Square. Food-lovers and gourmands can take advantage of this annual New York festival and gorge themselves on nibbles, tasters and treats at this street festival of food in Times Square. From West 46th St, between Broadway and Ninth Ave, and onto historic Restaurant Row Times Square, food enthusiasts can savour "tastes" of signature dishes from more than 50 dozen restaurants and quaff a variety of beers from more than half a dozen breweries. Those picky about what cuisines they eat will be glad to hear there's more than just a choice. Just some of the many restaurants featuring in this gastronomic celebration include the Joe Allen Restaurant, Danny's Grand Sea Palace and the Clay Oven Indian Restaurant. Once you're fully sated get ready for an evening of bands and entertainment. There is no admission fee to the street festival but TOTS coupons valued at US$1 each can be exchanged for mouthfuls of yummy food. Make sure you get there early for the best selection as more than 15,000 people attend each year.

Midsummer’s Night Swing. June 26–July 27. The plaza at Lincoln Center. Enthusiastic crowds converge at Lincoln Center's Josie Robertson Plaza to participate in the country's hottest outdoor dance party, Midsummer Night Swing. People of all ages- beginners to experts- move their feet to a host of rhythms provided by the world's leading dance bands and top-drawer artists. From swing to salsa, dance instructors are on hand to teach a few smooth moves, while many people come by just to listen to the infectious beats.

Under One Sun. July–August 2002 tbc (Every year; Thu only). Hudson River Park, Pier 54, West St at West 13th Street. For the third year in a row, the concert series known as Under One Sun will be taking place at Hudson River Park. Blending Caribbean culture, music and dance, the four-night open-air festival, held on Thursdays in July and August, is free to all. Under One Sun introduces poets, musicians and dancers in an unbeatable setting beneath the stars beside the Hudson River. Coming together from a diverse cross-section of Caribbean communities, the various acts highlight the vibrant cultural expressions that color New York’s artistic landscape. Calypso y Punta Dance Music, Antibalas AfroBeat, DJ Bobbito da Barba (aka Cucumber Slice) and Yerba Buena are just some of the troupes and groups that will perform. Poets from the Nuyorican Poets Cafe will also grace the stages with electric renditions of verse.

Moondance. July–August 2002 (Sunday only) 6:30 pm – 10pm. Pier 25, West Street at North Moore Street. Dance to live bands in the open air beside the Hudson River on Sunday nights in July and August. Evenings kick off with swing, tango and Latin lessons from the professionals. The lessons, courtesy of Dance Manhattan, are provided free so that dancers can get the hang of the moves before the evening really begins. Then the live bands pick up and carry the night away. Dave Berger and the Sultans of Swing, Tanguardia and Kristina y su Cumbancheros are just some of the bands that will be setting the mood. When dancers want to rest their weary feet and cool down, there are awesome views across the Hudson River to enjoy, along with the soft river breeze.

*Hudson Riverflicks. July–August 2002 (Wednesday only & Friday only); Films start at sunset or around 8:30 pm. Wednesdays at Pier 54, West Street at West 13th St; Fridays at Pier 25, West Street at North Moore St. From July through to late August, free films are shown on Wednesday and Friday nights down by the riverside and out beneath the stars in Manhattan. In one of the most romantic settings, Hudson Riverflicks entertains with cult classics and free popcorn. Each year the festival has a theme and all films begin at sunset and are shown at Pier 25 and Pier 54. If you like the sound of hanging out by the riverside, this is not the only entertainment laid on by the Hudson River authorities. Music, dance, boating and fishing are all on offer through most of the summer months as part of the Hudson River Festival.

Shakespeare in the Park. July–September 2002 (Every year), 7:30 pm. Delacorte Theater, Central Park. Spectacular stagings, first-class acting and some of the premier directors of stage and film all feature regularly at Shakespeare in the Park, making this a must for theatre fans. All performances are free and take place at the Delacorte Theatre, an open-air amphitheater in the middle of Central Park. If you're particularly fortunate you may even get to see your favorite Hollywood stars acting, since many have turned up in previous performances to delight the crowd. Previous years have seen Michelle Pfeiffer and Jeff Goldblum in Twelfth Night, Steven Berkoff directing Christopher Walken in Coriolanus, Morgan Freeman and Helen Hunt in The Taming of the Shrew and Denzel Washington in the title role of Richard III. This year promises Kevin Kline, Meryl Streep and John Goodman in Chekhov's The Seagull and Billy Crudup, among others, in Measure For Measure. You have to queue for tickets, which are given out at two locations. One is from the Delacorte Theatre itself where tickets are sold from 1pm onwards on the day of the performance on a first-come-first-served basis. The other location is at The Public Theatre (425 Lafayette St). Each person can get up to two tickets. Be sure to queue early as tickets go quickly–especially when there are well-known names treading the boards.

Washington Square Music Festival. July 9, 2002 (Starts 2nd Tuesday of every July; Tue only). Washington Square Park. The Washington Square Music Festival offers free classical and jazz concerts on Tuesday nights every July in this beautiful historic square in the heart of Greenwich Village. There is a mixture of baroque, classical and opera performed by the Festival Orchestra, as well as more modern sounds, be it jazz, or salsa! The 43rd Festival opened with Handel's Water Music and also included a tribute to Verdi in his centenary year. Schubert and Mozart were both included in the third concert, while Johnny Colon and his Orchestra played classic salsa in the final concert. Concerts take place near the statue of Garibaldi in the southeast quadrant of Washington Square Park near LaGuardia Place and West 4th St. Seating is on a first come, first served basis and you can bring your own chairs! If it is raining on the night of the concert, an alternative "rainspace" venue is arranged.

Bastille Day. 14 July 2002. 60th St. An annual free event with dancing on the street to commemorate the anniversary of the fall of the Bastille. Also an opportunity for all francophones and francophiles to join together and enjoy themselves.

*New York Philharmonic Concerts in the Parks:

Program I
Dvorak – Carnival Overture
Bruch – Scottish Fantasy
Liszt – Les Preludes
Grieg – Peer Gynt Suite No 1
Sibelius – Finlandia

Program II
Rossini – William Tell Overture
Saint-Saens: Cello Concert No. 1
Rachmaninoff – Symphonic Dances

Mostly Mozart. Damrosch Park: Monday, July 29 @ 8pm:

Tap-O-Mania. August 2002, 8am – 1pm. Macy’s New York. Close your eyes and imagine the sound of 7000 people tap dancing to the same rhythm on a tarmac street. Now picture them all dressed in white, crowned in top hats and put them in midtown Manhattan. Macy's annual tap dancing extravaganza is a bizarre record-breaking event like no other–a spectacle so kitsch that it's guaranteed to raise a smile from the hardest of cynics. Tap-O-Mania has been going since the tappers first broke the record in 1981 with 2023 dancers. Each year since they have broken the previous year’s world record, with over 7000 last year. Those wishing to take part can just turn up outside Macy's on 34th St bright and early, wearing white (top hats are provided). Lessons are given beforehand, then at noon it’s time to smash that record.

New York International Fringe Festival. August 9-25 2002. Lower East Side. This multilingual, 17-day, 180-production extravaganza will include only stuff you would see below 14th Street–in other words, off-off-Broadway. Enjoy almost two weeks of the weird, wild and wonderful at what is affectionately known as FringeNYC. This is theatre for those who are tired of glossy, corporate musicals and prefer the alternative, offering dance, puppetry, spoken word, multimedia and just about anything else you would care to name. The event is held each year on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, in 20 venues within 15 blocks of each other. All are easily accessible and surrounded by the streets and parks, in turn filled with free street entertainment, from fire-eaters to buskers, as well as a life-sized chess game.

J&R Downtown Jazz Festival. August 22-24, 2002. City Hall Park. The J&R Downtown Jazz Festival presents the finest performers in jazz today, for free in New York City. For three days towards the end of each summer, City Hall Park sways to the sweet sounds of the J&R Downtown Jazz Festival, which has succeeded in attracting top names in the business since 1995. Herbie Hancock, Brandford Marsalis and Sonny Rollins have all appeared in the past. Highlights of this year's program include veteran vocalist "Little" Jimmy Scott, who has been performing since the big band era, premier jazz vocalist Dianne Reeves, hot saxophonist David Sanchez and brilliant jazz guitarist Ronny Jordan. If you're wondering, J&R stands for Joe and Rochelle Friedman. These two jazz fans with an ear for quality are the brains behind the music shop of the same name.

Barneys New York Summer Warehouse Sale. August–September 2002 (Starts 4th Thu of every Aug). Barney’s CO-OP in Chelsea, 236W 18th St. A million miles away (metaphorically speaking) from the decorum of the plush Barneys department store on Madison Avenue is the bi-annual Warehouse Sale, which takes place at the downtown Barney's CO-Op in Chelsea. Top designer brands are sold off at discounts of around 80%. Imagine! The joy of picking up satin slippers that you normally wouldn't dare to look at–for fear of spending your month's shopping allowance in one fell swoop–and they're going for a song! Or a sharp designer suit sold for a mere trifle. The only downside of this twice a year chance to buy designer gear at high street prices is that the sale has the reputation of being 'totally insane'. Shoppers swarm to the sale like vultures to a corpse. Only the most determined will survive the experience and go home triumphantly bearing their bargain buys mentally unscathed. Note: In this instance, men behave less badly and the atmosphere at the menswear sale is slightly less insane. But the bargains are just as good. Last year, the Warehouse Sale was held at the CO-OP store, which opened on the 13 May 2000 it is expected to be held here again in 2001. Outside of sale times, the store reverts to selling Barneys goods at full price and the excitement calms down. Phew! Directions: Trains 1, 9 to 18th St.

Broadway on Broadway. September 2002, 12pm – 2pm. Broadway, Times Square. More than 50,000 spectators gather once a year for this incredible Broadway extravaganza, as cast members from New York’s Broadway musicals step outside into Times Square to sing and dance for free. Kicking off the new Broadway season each year since 1992, the concert showcases the stars and hit numbers from almost every current musical and many of the season’s forthcoming shows. Audiences will get an unprecedented chance to see numbers like There’s No Business Like Show Business from Annie Get Your Gun, Music of the Night from The Phantom of the Opera and Tomorrow from Annie.

Oktoberfest. September 20-21, 2002 (Every year), Mon – Sat 10am–7 pm; Sun 11am–6pm (2 hours later in summer). South Street Seaport. This is a celebration of all things German and, in particular beer, at Manhattan's waterside plaza, South Street Seaport. Expect singing, dancing and, without doubt, much sampling of a fine selection of German lagers. Aside from the large consumption of beer, there is much bratwurst or German sausage to be eaten, and plenty of lederhosen to see! The festival is held at a picturesque spot in south Manhattan where you can look out across the blue waters of the East River taking in everyone's favorite bridge, Brooklyn Bridge. Oktoberfest was established in 1810, with the marriage of King Ludwig I of Bavaria and his bride, Princess Theresia. The event was particularly unusual because the king invited the public to attend his wedding. Ever since this day, the marriage has been celebrated every year in Bavaria and today Oktoberfest is celebrated all over the world.

Oktoberfest New York. September 30, 2002. Third Avenue (from 42nd to 47th St.) closes to traffic and opens to beer and sausages, leiderhosen and live bands in this annual festival celebrating all things German.

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