WHY YOU NEED TO CHECK OUT THE LINCOLN CENTER OUT OF DOORS FESTIVAL, STARTING WEDNESDAY

For those of us stuck in the sweltering city for the summer, Lincoln Center has a gift every year: the Out of Doors Festival features dozens of concerts and shows, all for free, from July 20 to August 7.

This year’s concert starts Wednesday, with Patti Smith, Lenny Kaye, and Tony Shanahan, along with the all-female Mariachi Flor de Toloache band in Damrosch Park. And the music styles change on a nightly basis. On Thursday it’s Southern gospel; on Friday it’s R&B, rock, and Mozart; on Saturday, local teenagers show off their harmonizing skills, and legend Darlene Love brings back the girl-group era; on Sunday it’s music and dancing from the Bronx, and indie salsa music. And yes you can (and should) dance.

The events are listed on our calendar, and you can peruse the whole program here.