Free Summer Events In New York City

Longer sunny days and impending heat waves mean summer is right around the corner. Fill up your calendar with wonderful free events happening all around New York City.

Museum Mile Festival
On Tuesday June 12th, tie on your best walking shoes and get ready for a day of free admissions to all the museums on Fifth Avenue between 105th Street and 82nd Street. There will also be live music, jugglers, clowns, face painting, and art activities, such as chalk drawing, on the street. Along the Mile are El Museo del Barrio, Museum of the City of New York, The Jewish Museum, Cooper Hewitt National Design, National Academy Museum and School of Fine Arts, Guggenheim, Neue Galerie, Goeth-Institut (German Cultural Center), and the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art.

Shakespeare in the Park(ing Lot)
We all know of that other purveyor of outdoor Shakespeare: takes place in Central Park, lots of celebs, almost impossible to get those free tickets. The better alternative is The Drilling Company's outstanding take on Shakespeare. Held in an empty parking lot on Ludlow between Delancey and Broome, no tickets are issued, just bring a chair or blanket and enjoy the show! The actors are well adept at handling the unpredictability of staging a public play on the Lower East Side. Last year, hilarity ensued when a teenage biker gang descended upon their production of As You Like It. This summer they perform Romeo & Juliet from July 12th through July 28th and Much Ado About Nothing from August 2nd through August 18th. Shows are at 8pm on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.

Brooklyn Bridge Park
The Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy organizes dozens of great events every summer. Here are just a few highlights. Go to www.brooklynbridgepark.org for a complete listing.

Aptly titled, Where the drive in meets the water, Movies with a View presents classic movies on a big inflatable screen under the Brooklyn Bridge. Spread a blanket on the lawn and bring a picnic. Refreshments are served and there's even a bike valet. Every Thursday in July and August, films are started when the sun has set. This summer the movie choices include Muppets Take Manhattan, West Side Story, and the Princess Bride.

On Thursday July 19th and Friday July 20th, White Bird Productions features performances from their puppetry workshop. Local children from kindergarten through sixth grade spend two weeks developing and crafting puppet acts.

The Third Annual Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival takes places from Thursday June 21st through Saturday June 23rd. While this festival is free, tickets are limited.

Get yourself in tip top bathing suit shape with the Fitness Gurus. Most Tuesdays at six in the evening this summer, Michael Ferguson and Lawson Harris teach classes alternating between Pilates and kick-boxing. Working out with a view of the East River and Brooklyn Bridge cannot be beat!

Prepare to be shocked and amused at Strange Fruit Presents Swoon! Four Australian daredevils combine theater, dance, and circus acts featuring sway poles. These 20 minute acts will have three shows at 4pm, 6pm, and 8pm on Saturday July 14th.

Legendary avant-garde rock band, The Boredoms, perform with seventy-seven drummers on Saturday July 7th. Don't miss out on this once-in-a-lifetime performance. The Boredoms' twisted punk are sure to entertain.

The Brooklyn Ballet Company mixes baroque, hip hop, and classical dance. They bring their contemporary vision to the public on July 20th at 6:30pm.

McCarren Park Pool
Last summer, the abandoned pool in Brooklyn's McCarren Park was opened to the public for activities not involving the backstroke. The success of holding concerts, film viewings, and other events secured the 50,000 foot pool an exciting future. Officials are now making plans of turning part of the pool back into a swimming and bathing area.

By far the most fun to be had at McCarren are the Sunday Pool Party series. Starting June 24th and lasting until August 19th, the Pool Party organizers attract great live musical acts. While the bands play, audience members can take part in a game of dodgeball or cool off on the giant inflatable slip-n-slide. Notable acts this summer are the theatrical and quirky Man Man on July 1st, the 36-piece band I'm From Barcelona playing August 5th and Austin electro-dance rockers Ghostland Observatory on August 19th.

McCarren also hosts free films every Tuesday during the summer in the pool. A few highlights are Dazed and Confused on July 10th, Repo Man on July 24th, and Purple Rain on August 21st. Chairs not allowed, but bring a comfy blanket to spread on the concrete, maybe a pillow or two, and you're set!

Save your pennies for Saturday June 16th and Sunday June 17th when the Renegade Craft Fair takes place. From eleven in the morning until six in the evening, almost 250 crafty folk from right here in New York to Montreal to Austin set up camp to show off their wares. Some local favorites of mine include My Imaginary Boyfriend, Anna Built, and Philadelphia's 1girl1boy. Anna Built is the brainchild of recent Brooklyn transplant, Anna Johansson. Items destined for the trash are instead transformed into works of art. Johansson creates wonderful sculptures and jewelry from tin cans and also crafts beautiful stained glass window panels. The wife and husband team of 1girl1boy design unique, no two alike, hand dyed, block printed shirts for children and adults. The socially conscious duo use sweat-shop free clothing and cruelty-free ultra suede which is a synthetic fabric that looks and feels like suede but no animals are harmed and it's machine washable. Erika Kern of My Imaginary Boyfriend combines stitching and whimsy to create delightful tote bags, pillows, wallets, and wall art. She can also be commissioned to create whatever your heart desires!

The Mermaid Parade at Coney Island
Saturday June 23rd is the Silver Anniversary of the Mermaid Parade so expect big things from this already explosive parade. The summer kicks off with colorful floats, done-up skimpy dressed mermaids (and mermen), celebrities, and sea-creature-costumed folk marching down the beach to the boardwalk. After the parade is the Mermaid Ball featuring live music, burlesque shows and sideshow acts. Don't forget to check out Coney Island's famous Astroland - this will be the last summer before it's redeveloped.

17th Annual Dragon Boat Festival
Flushing Meadows Park in Queens host the wonderful Dragon Boat Festival where over 100 teams compete for a cash prize. Live music, dozens of food vendors, martial arts demonstrations, and other activities fill the grounds. The festival takes place on August 4th and 5th, and the race begins at 9am. Head over early for the best spot at the Pavillion on the north end of the lake.

Bronx Day at the Garden
Bring the kids to the New York Botanical Garden on Saturday from 11am until 3pm. Tons of children's activities, live music, tram tours of the Everett Children's Adventure Garden, health screenings and more! Bicycle helmets will be given out to the first 150 children. Tickets are required for this free event. Visit www.nybg.org for more information.

End of School Cookout
Soundview Park of the Bronx hosts a day of food, games, music, and giveaways to applaud the accomplishments of Bronx students. This event takes place on June 24th from noon until 5 in the evening.