Festivals and Fairs Celebrating Summer 2014

With this dreadful Polar Ice winter finally behind us and, so far, this spring a very mixed bag, we New Yorkers and Visitors dream and long for an amazing summer, June through September, possibly October. With so many local and citywide events planned, some part of a national effort, calendars are filling with urls, notes and plans. Can't do them all, sometimes we can do even 2-3 on a particular. The Holiday Inn Manhattan View has researched events for our guests with much pleasure. The Long Island City Partnership Schedule of Events 2014  

Celebrate Brooklyn! June 4 - August 9

Kicking off the 2014 Celebrate Brooklyn! at the Prospect Park Band shell's season in intergalactic style and a free concert featuring Janelle Monaade on Wednesday, June 4. Star-studded line-up includes the R&B-soul-pop, reunited bluegrass superstars  Nickel  Creek, a tribute to jazz pioneer Ornette Coleman, the otherworldly St. Vincent, as well as salsa, movies, dance, hip-hop, reggae, jazz, rock, folk and much, much more.

Governors Island May 24 - September 28 Weekdays, 10 AM to 6 PM. Weekends, Memorial Day and Labor Day, 10 AM to 7 PM. 2014 is filled with amazing events and the views from the island are spectacular. Daily ferries from Lower Manhattan, from Brooklyn Bridge Park on Saturdays, Sundays, Memorial Day and Labor Day. $2.00 adult fare round trip. Children under 12 free; seniors' fares half price. Morning ferries (10 AM and 11 AM) Saturdays and Sundays are free for all. No surcharge for bicycles. Tickets at the Battery Maritime Building in Lower Manhattan or Pier 6 in Brooklyn. Also available online in advance. Bring your bicycle or rent one on the island. Free Bike Mornings: a new program allows visitors to borrow a bike free on Governors Island for up to one hour every weekday between 10 AM and noon.

Conception Long Island City Emerging Artists Festival June 6 - 13 Long Island City Conception Events invites artists of all backgrounds to submit works for this exhibit. Celebrate "up and coming talent" to showcase them to as many people as possible. The Holiday Inn Manhattan View joins with other venues to make this a truly exceptional event.

Big Apple Barbecue Block Party Saturday June 6 - Sunday June 7 Pit masters from NYC, Alabama, Texas, Tennessee, North Carolina and other locations near and far descend on Madison Square Park for the annual lip-smacking food festival. In addition to some seriously tender vittles (only $9 a plate!), folks can enjoy live blues, rock and country music (and catch seminars on the art and science behind the brisket and ribs). Madison Square Park is always fun, set in a hip neighborhood just above the iconic Flatiron Building.

Museum Mile Tuesday, June 10 6 - 9 PM Don't miss this annual festival, offering free access to museums along 23 blocks of Fifth Avenue's Museum Mile during extended evening hours. The eight museums along the mile are El Museo del Barrio, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Cooper-Hewitt/Smithsoninan gardens (galleries closed for renovation), the Jewish Museum, the National Academy Museum, Neue Galerie and the Museum of the City of New York. Along with the opportunity to see some of the world's finest art collections, the avenue is alive with international entertainment, live music, face painting chalk drawing and new events each year. Kicks off at 6pm, rain or shine. This is surely a yearly favorite with New Yorkers, and we love to share the experience and photo ops with everyone.

Summer Stage June 17 - August 13 For more than 25 years, SummerStage has been the City's preeminent outdoor concert series. A number of high-profile benefit shows fund a slate of more than 100 free performances, including readings by famous authors, opera, kid-friendly events, parties with bands from around the world and theatrical and dance productions. The festival remains in Rumsey Playfield in Central Park, but now, the sponsored concerts and events are performed in all five boroughs.

River to River Festival June 19 - 29 An annual arts festival since 2002, River To River has become a welcome feature of Lower Manhattan culture, providing lively way to experience the waterfronts, parks, plazas, hotels, historic landmarks, temporarily vacant office spaces, and other sites downtown. Much has changed since that first season, with new venues and open spaces, performances for everyone in housing projects, parks, historic landmarks, along the waterfront and On Governors Island. Come and socialize with the festival artists and everyone else!

Make Music Summer 2014  Saturday, June 21 10 AM - 10 PM Now in its eighth year, called "the largest music event ever to grace Gotham" here is a unique festival of 1,000+ free concerts in public spaces throughout the five boroughs of New York City on the first day of summer, simultaneously with similar festivities in more than 726 cities around the world. MMNY is open to anyone who wants to take part, musicians of all ages, creeds, and musical persuasions. From hip hop to opera, Latin jazz to punk rock performing on streets, sidewalks, stoops, plazas, in cemeteries, parks and gardens.

MoMA PS1 Warmup Saturday June 28 - September 6 Celebrating its 17th year, the museum's highly anticipated outdoor music series will continue its tradition of introducing audiences to the best in experimental live music, sound, and DJs both local and international across a range of genres. Warm Up supports both established and emerging artists by creating a platform that allows for experimentation and provides a space for collaboration, new material, and side-projects.

Annual City of Water Day Saturday, July 12 10 AM-4 PM Our city opens its stunning waterfront for all to celebrate. Free ferry rides and boat tours, shoreline foods and hundreds of activities, music, Governors Island celebrations. Long Island City and New York share the day with New Jersey, just as we share the harbor. What a great day to plan for during your visit!  

Bastille Day Week and Bastille Day Manhattan Saturday, July 12

Bastille Day NY in Brooklyn Sunday, July 13 Downtown Brooklyn and Midtown Manhattan vie this day for the title of Biggest Bastille Day Bash, when the crowds storm the stands for crepes, pastis, pommes frites, fromages, éclairs, wines and beers and lots of other treats. Tri Coleurs flags are everywhere and there's music! In Brooklyn, the heart of the festivities the petanque tournament! This is huge (well, for America and NYC) and bocce fans enjoy this French version that uses steel balls instead of wood. It's also French Restaurant Week in the city, with special celebration menus.

Annual Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival Saturday - Sunday August 9-10 Held in Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens, it has become a multicultural annual sporting event. 120 teams from across America participate, with the competitive race just part of a day celebrating the fifth month on the lunar calendar. That means: traditional Chinese foods, performances, colorful souvenirs and a really special day of memories. Cash prizes and trophies for the winners, and it's free for everyone, with a rain or shine promise for the day.

US Tennis Open  August 25 - September 8 The tennis greats from throughout the world challenge, and challenge again, as they move towards this final Grand Slam tournament of the year. Careers take off or, unfortunately, fall apart at the US Open. If you can be there only during the early days, tickets can be very reasonable and viewers can watch several sets. The last days of play sell out, all thrills. An easy commute from the Holiday Inn Manhattan View.