FREE MUST-SEE SEPTEMBER EVENTS ON THE UWS

Check out The West Side County Fair and several other events below. Image via Riverside Park Conservancy.

September is jam-packed with exciting free events on the Upper West Side. Below, check out some of the highlights. We got much of the info from the Columbus-Amsterdam BID and Helen Rosenthal’s office.

West Side County Fair
Sunday, September 6, 1-6 p.m.
Enjoy a full day of county fair magic in Manhattan with carnival rides and games, four awesome bands, sideshow performers, aerialists, reptile shows, local food and merchandise vendors, cotton candy and more! 66th to 70th Streets, in Riverside Park. More here.

Communal Spaces
Saturdays and Sundays, Sept. 12-27, plays start at 12 and 1 p.m.
Communal Spaces is an annual festival that commissions playwrights to write new plays inspired by specific community gardens around the city. Audience members may attend one play or several, traveling across the city or around the borough to each garden. On the UWS, two plays will go on at La Perla Garden, West 105th street between Columbus and Manhattan Avenues. Learn about the plays here and here and see the flyer here.

Concerts in Verdi Square
Sunday, September 13, 5:00 pm – American Musical Theater
Sunday, September 20, 5:00 pm – Jazz
Sunday, September 27, 5:00 pm – Opera
FREE. The Verdi Square Festival of the Arts, New York’s premier boutique Arts Festival, kicks off its 10th Anniversary Season at 5:00 pm Sunday, September 13, on Verdi Square, Broadway & 72nd Street. The Festival is a grass roots partnership of Upper West Side music lovers and the New York City Dept. of Parks and Recreation. Since 2006 it has presented outstanding young talents from New York and Boston conservatories in free one hour September Sunday afternoon concerts at the foot of Giuseppe Verdi’s statue. Learn more.

Summer on the Hudson: Pride and Prejudice
Thursday, September 17, 7pm-11pm
FREE. Bring a blanket and come over to the lawn for free films brought to you by The Chatsworth on 72nd Street. Ground seating only at this event and seating is limited, unreserved, and available on a first-come, first-served basis beginning 1-2 hours before the event. If there is heavy rain at the time of the event, the event will be canceled. Location: 72nd Street Track and Lawn (in Riverside Park). Learn more.

Arts and Crafts Festival 2015 at the West Side Community Garden
September 19th and September 20th, 10:30 am to 4:30 pm
FREE. Saturday Program: Children’s Arts and Crafts and Amazing Danny the Clown. Sunday Program: New York String Orchestra, Writers and Poets, and a Wine and Cheese Reception. Both days: Art Exhibition & sale of artist wares, paintings, photographs, ceramics, jewelry, hand designed notecards, quilting, and more. Location: West Side Community Garden, West 89th Street between Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues. See the flyer.

Instrument Discovery Day at Bloomingdale School of Music
Sunday, September 20th, 11am – 1pm
FREE. Join Bloomingdale School of Music on Sunday, September 20th from 11:00am to 1:00pm for the school’s bi-annual Instrument Discovery Day. Members of BSM’s administrative staff and faculty will be on hand to guide children and families through the different instruments offered for instruction at the school. Children will have to opportunity to hear, hold, play, and experience over 10 different instruments during this free event. Learn more.

Music and Wine under the Vine
Sunday, September 20th, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Free concert and launch for a fundraising campaign at La Perla Garden, West 105th street between Columbus and Manhattan Avenues.
For more info, call 212-666-9774 or go to Website

Common Ground Family Festival
Saturday, September 26, 2-6 p.m.
At Morning Side Park (114th Street and Morningside Ave.)
FREE festival with arts and crafts, lantern making (for Morningside Lights Procession, 8pm at 116th St and Morningside Ave.), musical and theatrical performances, face painting, pony rides and more!
For more info, go to the Website