Warm Up
Where: MoMA PS1, Long Island City
When: Every Friday through August 22
Why It’s Worth a Look: Summer in New York has no shortage of daytime dance parties, but few let you boogie between monumental sculptures by Yto Barrada. Curated by a panel of art, music, and nightlife denizens including Gage Spex, Ser Serpas, Kay Gabriel, and more, the 27th season’s lineup offers a blend of cutting edge talent from around the world.
Know Before You Go: This year’s performers include ballroom icon MikeQ, darkwave darling Marie Davidson, renowned critical theorist Fred Moten in collaboration with bassist Brandon Lopez, Cologne luminary Eric D. Clark, and breakbeat stalwart Special Request.
Socrates Sculpture Park
Where: Long Island City
When: Daily, 9 a.m. to sunset
Why It’s Worth a Look: Tucked along the water across from Roosevelt Island, the outdoor sculpture garden founded by Mark di Suvero is part public park, part creative incubator for local artists. Find monumental works from the park’s annual crop of fellows exploring questions of ecological dependence, immigration, and adaptation through the theme “Up/Rooted.”
Know Before You Go: In addition to lounging on the lawn, Socrates Sculpture Park also regularly hosts everything from yoga and dance classes to theater and field recording workshops.
Little Island
Where: Chelsea
When: Performance times vary
Why It’s Worth a Look: One of New York’s most distinctive parks, perched atop a cluster of funnel-shaped columns floating in the Hudson River, Little Island is also home to one of the city’s most adventurous summer performance series. Where else could you find a lineup featuring new collection of short plays from Pulitzer Prize and Tony-winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks, an Eric Ting-directed play starring opera singer Anthony Roth Costanzo, live renditions of Arthur Russell songs, a DJ set by ’80s art rock pioneer Laurie Anderson, and an open taping of a Radiolab episode?
Know Before You Go: No performance tops $25 per ticket, and many of them—including shows by nightlife stars Nguzunguzu, Maya Margarita, and Jubilee—are entirely free.
Wave Hill
Where: The Bronx
When: Tuesday – Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Why It’s Worth a Look: A 19th-century estate turned plant and sculpture garden, Wave Hill is a 28-acre oasis tucked away in the Bronx. Now in its 60th year, Wave Hill is hosting art installations from Monica Duncan and Sarah Jimenez as well as an arboreal group show featuring one of Yoko Ono’s wish trees, stained glass from Andrea Bowers, and photography from Rachel Sussman.
Know Before You Go: Every Wednesday, catch a little live performance—Puerto Rican folk guitar, jazz drums, or indie rock—all while the sun sets over the Hudson.
Beach Sessions Dance Series
Where: Rockaway Beach
When: August 23, 6 p.m.
Why It’s Worth a Look: On any halfway decent summer day, New Yorkers will be packed shoulder-to-shoulder on Rockaway Beach’s sandy shores, but for 11 years the Beach Session Dance Series has temporarily transformed the city’s most popular escape into something more: a stage. This season, catch a new site-specific performance by Kim Brandt, taking inspiration from the beach’s horizon to explore the space between water and sky, motion and stillness.
Know Before You Go: Beach Sessions Dance Series has staged new works near the ocean with over 80 established and emerging choreographers including Merce Cunningham, Trisha Brown, and Faye Driscoll.
SummerStage NYC
Where: Central Park and 13 parks across the five boroughs
When: Performance times vary
Why It’s Worth a Look: Thirty-nine seasons in, SummerStage has fostered a long tradition of music makers and rabble rousers taking over Central Park. This August, catch a performance by indie songsmiths Rilo Kiley, bedroom pop stars Soccer Mommy, English alt rockers Wet Leg, or rapper Aminé amidst the green.
Know Before You Go: Venture out to Marcus Garvey Park for a free multi-day series on Black pioneers in electronic music or a festival celebrating the jazz contributions of the great Charlie Parker. Best of all? Nearly all the shows are free.
Shakespeare in the Park
Where: Delacorte Theater
When: August 7 – September 14
Why It’s Worth a Look: A veritable New York institution, Shakespeare in the Park is back in the Delacorte Theater after a two year renovation with a splashy and star-studded rendition of Twelfth Night directed by Tony Award-nominee Saheem Ali and featuring Lupita Nyong’o, Sandra Oh, Peter Dinklage, Daphne Rubin-Vega, and Moses Sumney.
Know Before You Go: The reclaimed redwood siding and marquee might be new, but the open top beside a blooming canopy of cherry and sycamore trees remains the same as always.
Outdoor Movie Nights
Where: Fort Greene Park, Brooklyn Bridge Park, and Elizabeth Street Garden
When: Dates vary
Why It’s Worth a Look: There’s something nostalgic about stocking up on snacks, laying out a big picnic blanket, and watching a movie on a big screen outdoors on a warm summer night. Catch a string of crowd-pleasers across Brooklyn and Manhattan, including in the newly saved Elizabeth Street Garden.
Know Before You Go: Find family-friendly blockbusters like The Wizard of Oz and Hidden Figures every Thursday at Brooklyn Bridge Park, or opt for visually stunning classics like Laura and The Royal Tenenbaums every other Wednesday at Elizabeth Street Garden. Fort Greene’s last two movies of the season, Clueless and Dog Day Afternoon, screen at sunset on August 14 and 21.
“Rest/Play”
Where: Governor’s Island
When: Through November 2
Why It’s Worth a Look: Governor’s Island can often feel like one giant, open air gallery, hosting hundreds of programs, fellowships, and residencies each year. “Rest/Play” is, in spirit, kind of like the opposite of hostile architecture: an approach to public space that invites community members to sit, explore, and linger.
Know Before You Go: The show includes sculptural works from Arlene Shechet, Hank Willis Thomas, Nina Chanel Abney, and Lenka Clayton & Phillip Andrew Lewis.
Queens Night Market
Where: Every Saturday, through October 25
When: 4 p.m. to midnight
Why It’s Worth a Look: Despite it’s low-key status, the Queens Night Market is consistently ranked as one of the best food festivals in the country and one of the best places to grab a bite in New York, period.
Know Before You Go: Scoop up the kind of street fare you won’t find anywhere else: flaky Peruvian antichuchos, oyster cakes from Fuji, Trinidadian crab curry, and Sudanese sambuxa pastries. Come hungry. Nothing costs more than $6.
Social Dance
Where: Lincoln Center
When: Through August 9
Why It’s Worth a Look: This one’s for the people who like to move, and preferably if there’s a 10-foot sparkly disco ball spinning too. Each night has its own style and is backed by a live band, from salsa and tango to line dancing and Lindy Hopping.
Know Before You Go: No need to break the bank just to have a night out dancing; every Lincoln Center social dance is free.
Under the K Bridge’s Summer Programing
Where: Under the K Bridge
When: Showtimes vary
Why It’s Worth a Look: Catch the last rays of summer at Bushwick’s biggest outdoor dance floor. Jamie xx and Carl Craig kick off August while TV on the Radio brings Flying Lotus, Sudan Archives, Moor Mother, and Spellling for a non-stop show in September. Bladee rounds the season out at the start of October.
Know Before You Go: Parties under the K Bridge are marathon affairs. Make sure to eat a full meal, hydrate, and, above all else, wear comfortable shoes for dancing.
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