After finals, most students try to escape the lingering stress and exhaustion by leaving New York City immediately. But some stay in the city for classes, internships, post-grad plans or because the city is their home. Regardless of what your summer plans in the city are, here are six events, from food festivals to dragon boat races, that you can catch this summer.
SummerStage
Multiple locations
It may not be Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival or Governors Ball Music Festival, but SummerStage is a beloved outdoor performing arts festival in New York City from June 4 through October. It hosts more than 70 free shows in 13 parks across New York City, turning everyday spaces into lively concert venues. This year, SummerStage kicks off its free series in Central Park with the Grammy-winning artist Marcus Miller, joined by Tank and the Bangas and the Soul Rebels. As for the rest of the summer, there are even more concerts and performances that celebrate the diversity and variety of art within New York City. With artists like R&B singer Ravyn Lenae, indie auteurs like Soccer Mommy and house DJs such as Seven Lions, SummerStage has something for everyone.
Smorgasburg
Multiple locations
Smorgasburg, one of the largest outdoor food markets in the United States, is open every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. from now until Oct. 26. Each day is a different location — Fridays at the Oculus at World Trade Center in the Financial District, Saturdays at Marsha P. Johnson State Park in Williamsburg and Sundays on Breeze Hill in Prospect Park. No matter which location you end up at, there are dozens of independently-owned businesses and vendors like Baonanas, a small pudding store and Mikhuy, a Peruvian restaurant selling delicious food and drinks all summer. In case you aren’t staying in New York this summer, Smorgasburg also has markets in Los Angeles and Miami.
Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival
Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Queens
On the weekend of Aug. 9-10 at Flushing Meadows Corona Park, you can celebrate the vibrancy of Chinese culture and tradition at the Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival. Based on the annual Chinese rite and thousand-year-old tradition of Dragon Boat Racing — the Dragon Boat Festival commemorates the drowned poet and performer, Qu Yuan, who protested the policies of his emperor. With over 180 teams and more than 2,000 participants, it’s a thrilling weekend for racers and spectators. Beyond watching decorated boats race in Meadow Lake, there is food, martial arts demonstrations, family-friendly activities, music, multicultural performances and more.
Free Outdoor Movies
Multiple locations
Who needs chain theaters with overpriced popcorn when you can head to a park and watch a movie under the stars? There are hundreds of movie nights held all over the city from Manhattan to Queens. Almost every day starting in June through the fall, there will be movies playing somewhere in the city organized by everything from Bryant Park to the Elizabeth Street Garden. Whether you’re hosting family and in the mood for something wholesome, want something niche like a “ship-themed” film or something else entirely, there is plenty of programming this summer, you just have to know the right place to look
NYC Pride March
25th Street and Fifth Avenue to 15th Street and Seventh Avenue
Join the New York City Pride March on June 29 at 11 a.m., which brings tens of thousands of marchers and millions of spectators together to march for LGBTQ+ rights. The march will start at 25th Street and Fifth Avenue and will disperse at 15th Street and Seventh Avenue. Born from rebellion, the first march took place in 1970 in commemoration of the 1969 Stonewall Riots. Though the purpose of the march has evolved to honor those lost to illness, violence and neglect, it still aims to prevent further injustice against the LGBTQ+ community. You can apply to volunteer directly for the march at their website, but make sure to also stop by PrideFest, their annual LGBTQ+ street fair boasting local businesses, food vendors, performances and activities, happening at the same time.
Shakespeare in the Park
Central Park
As the summer comes to a close and students swarm the city again, The Public Theater is running a free production of Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” at Central Park’s Delacorte Theater from Aug. 7 to Sept. 14. Protagonist Viola is shipwrecked onto the foreign land of Illyria, where she proceeds to disguise herself as her twin brother, Sebastian, and is suddenly swept up into a love triangle — a humorous story centered on mistaken identity. The production, directed by Tony-nominated Saheem Ali, stars Peter Dinklage, Bianca “b” Norwood, Khris Davis, Sandra Oh, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Lupita Nyong’o and Junior Nyong’o. The theater had been under significant renovation for 18 months, but is finally reopening this summer with this star-studded cast.
Contact Alessa Alluin at [email protected].
