Summer is Coming: Summer Guide 2012

It's still the early part of the season, the good part, when summer hours kick into effect (for the luckiest among us), before the tourist invasion starts and the city starts to heat up and emit that special odor that's uniquely New York in August. There's no better time to be in the city for those who love culture or the outdoors. Every street corner seems to sing with its own event or festivity, and even the most jaded New Yorker can find something to pique their interest. Those fortunate enough to live here are in the epicenter of a marathon celebration that runs all the way through the dog days of August. Inside, we've created a handy-dandy guide to the best live concerts, film festivals, theater openings, museum shows, outdoor events, summer reading series and more that will help you plot out the next few months of your life. So heat up the grill and pour yourself a cold one. We hope you'll find something that will brighten your summer within these pages. -Allen Houston, Executive Editor of Manhattan Media [Music](http://nypress.com/summer-guide-to-music/) [ Top 10 Concerts](http://nypress.com/ten-live-show-scorchers/) [ Reading Summer Film](http://nypress.com/summer-reading-at-the-movies/) [ Film](http://nypress.com/summer-guide-to-film/) [ Best June Events for Kids](http://nypress.com/summer-guide-10-great-events-for-kids-in-june/) [ Cultural Events & Festivals](http://nypress.com/summer-guide-to-cultural-events/) [ Hamptons Events](http://nypress.com/summer-guide-dans-hampton-picks/) [ Celebrity Summer Guide](http://nypress.com/celebrity-summer-guide/) [ Out of Town](http://nypress.com/new-york-upstate-of-mind/) [ Summer Reading Series](http://nypress.com/summer-wordplay/) [ Theater](http://nypress.com/summer-guide-to-theatre/) [Eats & Drinks](http://nypress.com/summer-guide-wine-country/) [ Top Food of Summer](http://nypress.com/summer-guide-dans-taste-of-two-forks/) [ Museums](http://nypress.com/summer-guide-museum-exhibits/) [Outdoor](http://nypress.com/summer-guide-to-the-outdoors/) [ Bike Share](http://nypress.com/the-citibike-lowdown/) [ Top Bike Trails](http://nypress.com/pedal-to-the-pavement/) [TV Guide](http://nypress.com/small-screen-sizzles/)   Summer Guide was compiled by Allen Houston, Marissa Maier, Megan Bungeroth, Adam Rathe, Robby Ritaco, Laura Shin, Armond White, Regan Hofmann, Rachel Khona, Angela Barbuti, Sean Creamer, Anam Baig, Andrew Rice, Magdalena Burnham, Doug Strassler, Max Sarinsky, Whitney Casser, Robin Elisabeth Kilmer and Andrew Bartel, Ed Johnson