West Side Rag
  • TOP NEWS
  • OPEN/CLOSED
  • FOOD
  • SCHOOLS
  • OUTDOORS
  • REAL ESTATE
  • ART & CULTURE
  • POLITICS
  • COLUMNS
  • CRIME
  • HISTORY
  • ABSURDITY
  • CONTACT
West Side Rag
No Result
View All Result
Get WSR FREE in your inbox

Search the site

No Result
View All Result

Get WSR FREE in your inbox

AVAILABLE NOW!


HERE

Hot Town, Summer in the City: Fun and Culture

May 31, 2022 | 2:04 PM - Updated on June 5, 2022 | 9:29 PM
in ART, NEWS, OUTDOORS
4

By Steve Holt

As our third (!) Covid summer approaches, the urge to relax and have fun is intense. It’s been so long since we’ve enjoyed some of our summertime favorites, we may have forgotten about them!

We offer here a highly selective listing of summer fun and culture. We couldn’t possibly include all of the events our neighborhood (and neighboring neighborhoods) have to offer, but these should get you started.

A note of caution: Yes, Covid cases are spiking. The vast majority of performances we list are outside, a definite plus. But please consult the websites (linked below) for the latest Covid protocols regarding masks and vaccinations, as the pandemic remains (frustratingly) fluid.

Photograph by Carol Tannenhauser.

It may be the ultimate UWS summer treat: Shakespeare in Central Park. This year the Public Theater is mounting Richard III (June 17-July 17) and As You Like It (August 10-September 11). Waiting on line in the park is a storied UWS tradition, but there are other ways to get tickets (check here).

Summerstage is another venerable Central Park institution. This year’s highlights include Herbie Hancock, George Clinton, Belle and Sebastian, Barenaked Ladies, and Burning Spear. Some of the events are free; some are benefits supporting park performances across the five boroughs.

Naumberg Bandshell. Photograph courtesy of central park.com.

The classical big guns, the New York Philharmonic (June 15th) and Metropolitan Opera (June 20th) will draw huge crowds. On a smaller scale, the Naumberg Orchestral Concerts claim to be the oldest series of its kind in the country. Head for the Naumberg bandshell, just south of Bethesda Terrace. Seating is free; first come, first served.

Other Central Park events this summer include a special celebration of the LGBTQ+ community’s influence on the city’s great green space.

(Central Park is just one of several locales for Festival of New York, definitely worth checking out).

The Irish Arts Center presents its free Dance and Music Festival in Riverside Park on June 11th. The Center is also offering free café concerts and traditional Irish music sessions (June 1-24) at their spanking new home, 726 11th Avenue at 51st St.

Illustration courtesy of Riverside Park Conservancy.

Riverside Park also hosts Summer on the Hudson, a cornucopia of events from Yoga to Shakespeare to nature tours.

Further south along the Hudson, the Hudson River Park is presenting its first full schedule of summer events since 2012.

All right, it’s downtown, but the annual River to River Festival (June 12-26) is worth braving terra incognita below 59th Street for everything from puppetry to music.

As long as we’re traveling, don’t forget the Tribeca Festival, June 8-19. (And if you don’t like leaving the UWS, its venues now include the Beacon Theatre and United Palace.) Tickets for the highest profile events can be scarce, but it’s well worth scouring the lineup for some lesser-known gems.

And finally, Celebrate Brooklyn returns to Prospect Park, with its usual spectacular array of performances. If you say Fuhgeddaboutit, you’re missing something special!

Share this article:
Get WSR FREE in your inbox
Subscribe
Notify of
guest

guest

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

4 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Dan S
Dan S
1 year ago

The direct link to the “Irish Arts Center presents its free Dance and Music Festival in Riverside Park” is irishartscenter.org/event/irish-arts-center-dance-and-music-festival-2022

0
Reply
West Side Rag
Author
West Side Rag
1 year ago
Reply to  Dan S

Thank you. Added.

0
Reply
sudden_eyes
sudden_eyes
1 year ago

Thank you! I’m bookmarking this story, so I can keep up as the summer goes by.

NB the Metropolitan Opera event is a recital – at SummerStage.

1
Reply
Robin Cohn
Robin Cohn
1 year ago

The Naumburg Orchestral Concerts will begin its 117TH CONSECUTIVE YEAR of providing free orchestral concerts in Central Park. It’s an accurate claim.

A Board Member

1
Reply

YOU MIGHT LIKE...

Openings & Closings: La Caridad 72; The Concept Store by Lya Pouleyy; Bitcoin Center; Columbus Circle Holiday Market; HIIT The Deck
ART

Openings & Closings: La Caridad 72; The Concept Store by Lya Pouleyy; Bitcoin Center; Columbus Circle Holiday Market; HIIT The Deck

November 29, 2023 | 12:49 PM
Columbus Circle Holiday Market Returns To The UWS: What To Know
NEWS

Columbus Circle Holiday Market Returns To The UWS: What To Know

November 29, 2023 | 12:17 PM
Previous Post

Updated: We’re Taking a Few Days Off

Next Post

Stay the Night: Join the JCC In Person for Tikkun Leil Shavuot June 4-5!

this week's events image

Explore Your Favorite Subject

20th precinct 24th precinct american museum of natural history animals art bicycling bulletin central park closings columns community board 7 coronavirus crash crime dogs events fdny fire food gale brewer helen rosenthal history homelessness jcc lincoln center monday bulletin morning bulletin nypd openings openings and closings pedestrian safety photography photos politics public schools pupper west side real estate restaurants riverside park silver stars fitness snow sponsored subway upper west side uws

CITY NEWS

The City
Brick Underground
City Limits
Eater
Gothamist
NY Daily News
NY Post
NY Times

LOCAL RESOURCES

Bloomingdale Neighborhood History Group
Central Park Conservancy
CB7
Community Education Council 3
Assembly District 67
The New York Historical Society
Riverside Park
West End Preservation

UWS Blogs

Bloomingdale History Central Park Blogger
North River Notes
Next Post
Stay the Night: Join the JCC In Person for Tikkun Leil Shavuot June 4-5!

Stay the Night: Join the JCC In Person for Tikkun Leil Shavuot June 4-5!

Central Park Birding Report

Central Park Birding Report

Updated: Robbery at Zabar’s: Police

Updated: Robbery at Zabar's: Police

  • ABOUT US
  • CONTACT US
  • NEWSLETTER
  • WSR MERCH!
  • ADVERTISE
  • EVENTS
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • TERMS OF USE
  • SITE MAP
Site design by RLDGROUP

© 2023 West Side Rag | All rights reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • TOP NEWS
  • THIS WEEK’S EVENTS
  • OPEN/CLOSED
  • FOOD
  • SCHOOLS
  • OUTDOORS
  • REAL ESTATE
  • ART & CULTURE
  • POLITICS
  • COLUMNS
  • CRIME
  • HISTORY
  • ABSURDITY
  • CONTACT US
  • WSR SHOP

© 2023 West Side Rag | All rights reserved.