Catalpa Festival
Kicking off its first year, the Catalpa Festival offers yet another chance to see top-tier musical acts playing outdoors within the city limits. The fest will feature more than 40 performers, including blues rock superstars The Black Keys and Snoop Dogg rocking his seminal album Doggystyle in its entirety. Other highlights include NYC faves TV on the Radio, Girl Talk and hip-hop instrumental wizard AraabMUZIK. There will also be a reggae stage sponsored by High Times magazine, a “sculpture” that belches fireballs in the air and various other novelties (inflatable “sham marriage” church?) included to distract from the fact that music lineup is mostly weak, aside from the headliners.
July 28-29; $140–$180 for the weekend. Randall’s Island Park, www.catalpanyc.com.

THEATER

Fringe Fest
Even at 16 years old, this annual marathon of offbeat, cutting-edge theater—which birthed Rent, among other memorable shows—is devoted to the new and the strange. This year’s performances will include From Busk Till Dawn: The Life of an NYC Street Performer, Love Death Brains (A Zombie Musical), Occupy the Constellations: A Collaborative Revolutionary Puppet Tale and, all the way from California, a show called What I Learned From Porn. Not everything you’ll see at the Fringe is great, but it’s always done with humor and spirit, making it more interesting—if not quite as professional—than most other festivals.
Aug. 10-26. fringenyc.org.

New York Musical Theatre Festival
Featuring live music, workshops and full productions of brand-new musicals, the NYMTF has been giving New York audiences a chance to experience exciting musical theater without Broadway price tags (or tourists) since 1994. This year’s lineup is particularly strong, with 30 musicals including A Letter To Harvey Milk, about a butcher sending a letter to Milk; Baby Case, Michael Ogborn’s take on the Lindbergh baby’s disappearance; and Prison Dancer.
July 9-29. Various locations, nymf.org.

CULTURAL EVENTS

Bastille Day 
If you secretly wanted to protest at Zuccotti Park but didn’t want to deal with the lack of showers and that whole sleeping outside thing, Bastille Day on 60th Street is for you—it’s like the sanitized, more fun version of protesting. After all, it was the poor French who decided they weren’t going to take it anymore from that bossy monarchy. The good news is no one is going to be guillotined at this Bastille Day. Instead, visitors can play pétanque, sip on kir royales and eat some smelly cheese.
July 15, 12-5 p.m. 60th St. betw. 5th and Lexington Aves., www.bastilledayny.com.

India Day Parade 
Celebrated to commemorate Indian independence from Britain, there is usually a Bollywood star or two in attendance at this glittery parade to which Indians from all over the tristate area come to party like it’s 1999. There’s food and goodies sprinkled along the parade route, so you can chow down on your favorite goodies like samosas and kebabs.
Aug. 19; 12 p.m. Madison Ave., from 38th to 28th St., fianynjct.org.

MUSEUM EXHIBITS
The Parade: Nathalie Djurberg with Music by Hans Berg
Bird is the word at the New Museum’s Studio 231 space as Swedish artist Nathalie Djurberg, known for her nightmarish animations, and videographer Hans Berg show off five trippy animations and an unnerving menagerie of more than 80 free-standing bird sculptures. These hybrid, sometimes monstrous forms speak to the artist’s interest in physical and psychological transformation, as well as pageantry and perversion.
Through Aug. 26, The New Museum, 235 Bowery, newmuseum.org.

Josef Albers in America: Painting on Paper
What better way to spend your summer than hanging out in a library, especially if you’re going to see the Morgan Library & Museum’s Josef Albers exhibit? Albers, the iconic 20th-century artist who died in 1976, is best known for his painting series Homage to the Square, in which he explored color relationships in concentric squares.
July 20 – Oct. 14, The Morgan Library & Museum, 225 Madison Ave., themorgan.org.

FILM
Under the Stars in Riverside Park
As usual, Bryant Park’s summer film schedule features a slate of timeless classics. But let’s face it: That lawn is too damn crowded. Fortunately, for those who’d prefer not to trip over a dude in a bowler hat and miss the climax as we search for our blanket whenever we use the Port-a-Potty, there are a number of other city parks with outdoor films. Most notable is Pier 1 in Riverside Park, which follows up its invasion film-themed 2011 with an eclectic mix that includes Cinema Paradiso (July 11), Amélie (Aug. 1) and Pee-wee’s Big Adventure(Aug. 8). Chairs await you, and you won’t need to arrive four hours early to snatch one.
Wednesday evenings, July 11-Aug. 15, 8:30 p.m.; free. Pier 1, Riverside Park South, 70th St. at the Hudson River, riversidepark.org.

Central Park Film Festival
Now in its 10th year, this festival is known for pairing themed movies—past favorites have included Coal Miner’s Daughter and Dreamgirls—with live DJs for a week every August. The gates around Rumsey Playfield open at 6:30 and visitors are free to relax and frolic—no glass bottles!—until the screenings begin. The roster for this year’s fest has yet to be announced, but there’s rarely a bad pick in the bunch; with a whole summer guide’s worth of things to do, who knows how much time you’ll even have left in your schedule.
Aug. 21-25; films start at 8. Rumsey Playfield in Central Park, enter at E. 69th St. & 5th Ave., centralparknyc.org.

Entering its 82nd season, the annual Washington Square Outdoor Art Exhibit is one of those New York traditions that just never gets old. The art isn’t flagrantly modern, for the most part, but it doesn’t feel tired, either. The exhibitions run the gamut; the same block may feature landscape photographs from Southeast Asia, abstract paintings of electric guitars and clocks made from scrap metal. That’s the show’s beauty, really: Despite its large cast of regulars, you still never know what you’ll find. Everything is for sale—although it may cost you an arm and a leg—but it’s well worth the trip just to browse.
May 26-28, June 2-3, Sept. 1-3 &  8-9. University Place betw. 3rd & 12th Sts., wsoae.org.

DOWNTOWN
Hester Street Fair 

This annual street fair, an urban version of its country counterpart, is thankfully free of carnies and scary looking rides. Stroll through the outdoor market on the Lower East Side and support local artisans selling vintage threads and baubles, original art, handcrafted jewelry and homemade jams and pickles. Munch alfresco on summertime staples from Pies ‘n’ Thighs and Luke’s Lobster, then grab a gourmet ice pop from La Newyorkina or build your own gourmet gooey s’more at S’amore.
Saturdays through the summer,
10 a.m.-6 p.m. Hester St. at Essex St.,
hesterstreetfair.com. 

DOWNTOWN
HOWL! Festival 

Indulge your inner beat at the annual HOWL! Festival. Named after Allen Ginsberg’s celebrated poem, the festival kicks off with a group reading of “Howl” on Friday night. The rest of the weekend promises plenty of musical performances and dances. Be sure to check out one of the key attractions: 140 artists in action as they transform an 8-foot-high, 900-foot-long blank canvas into a mural of art encircling the park. HOWL! is kid-friendly, too, with carnival games, face-painting and story-telling.
June 1-3. Tomkins Square Park, 7th-10th Sts. betw. Aves. A & B, howlfestival.com. 

DOWNTOWN
Summer in the Square 

Union Square is the focal point every Thursday as the Union Square Partnership hosts its annual Summer in the Square, including a series of free activities and concerts in the park. “Fitness in the Square” starts at 7 a.m. and features yoga and cardio classes, while “Kids in the Square” begins at 10 a.m., offering activities for children. Starting at 6 p.m., local musicians regale listeners with everything from rock and jazz to folk and Latin music.
June 14-Aug. 9. Union Square, 14th-17 Sts. betw. Broadway & Park Ave. S.,
unionsquarenyc.org. 

DOWNTOWN
River to River Festival 

Watch Colombian Harpist Edmar Castaneda perform, take a walking tour of the Brooklyn Bridge or learn how to tie a knot. Or, do all three. This Lower Manhattan performing arts festival offers an array of free events every day at venues including Castle Clinton, Governors Island, South Street Seaport Museum, Wall Street Plaza and more. Featuring music, dance, art, film and theater events, the festival began as a way to revitalize the downtown area after 9/11 and is now celebrating its 10th year.
June 17-July 15. Various locations,
rivertorivernyc.com.

DOWNTOWN
Swedish Midsummer Festival

Scandinavians are hot. That’s a fact. Male or female, these high-cheekboned wonders will be running rampant at the Midsummer Festival at Battery Park. The festival, starting at 5 p.m., is meant to celebrate the summer solstice, or some pagan jazz like that. For some reason, the solstice makes people want to dance around trees with wreaths on their head. We don’t know why, but who cares when you can munch on waffles and herring and pretend you’re a Viking against the backdrop of the New York Harbor? OK, we could do without the herring part. Go summer!
June 22, 5-8 p.m. Robert F. Wagner Jr. Park, off Battery Place, bpcparks.org.  

DOWNTOWN
Gay Pride Parade

With the passage of gay marriage in New York last year and President Barack Obama coming out in support of same-sex marriage, expect this year’s Gay Pride Parade to be one big love fest. This über-fun event takes over the entire west side of Manhattan, with a parade down Fifth Avenue, parties on the pier, performers, a street fair and fireworks.
June 24. Begins at 36th St. & 5th Ave., ends at Christopher & Greenwich Sts., nycpride.org.

DOWNTOWN
Hudson Square Music & Wine Festival

A great way to enjoy the late sunshine after work, this weekly festival brings musicians as diverse as the Portland Cello Project and Marshall Crenshaw together with a full bar and wonderful (yet affordable) wines in the courtyard behind City Winery. It’s an eclectic celebration of the melting pot of New York City.
June 26-Aug. 28, Tuesday nights, 5:30 p.m. City Winery, 155 Varick St., www.citywinery.com.

DOWNTOWN
Lowdown Hudson Blues Festival 

Celebrate the blues with old and new artists at the second annual Lowdown Hudson Blues Festival at the World Financial Center Plaza. Buddy Guy, ranked in the top 30 of Rolling Stone’s 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time, will headline the show on July 11, and Grammy-nominated singer Neko Case will perform July 12. Other performers include Charles Bradley and John Mayall.
July 11-12, 6-9:30 p.m. World Financial Center, 220 Vesey St., betw. North End Ave. & West St., artsbrookfield.com. 

MIDTOWN
India Day Parade 

Celebrated to commemorate Indian independence from Britain, there is usually a Bollywood star or two in attendance at this glittery parade to which Indians from all over the tristate area come to party like it’s 1999. There’s food and goodies sprinkled along the parade route, so you can chow down on your favorite goodies like samosas and kebabs.
August (date TBA). Madison Ave., from 38th to 28th St., fianynjct.org.

UPPER EAST SIDE
Museum Mile Festival 

For those who want to explore a few of New York City’s most famous museums for free, the 34th annual Museum Mile Festival is the event to attend. Known as New York’s biggest block party, Fifth Avenue will be closed to traffic from 82nd Street to 105th Street, and 10 museums will open theirs doors to the public free of charge. The event will also feature live music and outdoor art activities for kids. Participating museums include the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, El Museo Del Barrio, Museum of the City of New York and more.
June 12. 5th Ave. betw. 82nd & 105th Sts., museummilefestival.org.

UPPER EAST SIDE
Bastille Day 

If you secretly wanted to protest at Zuccotti Park but didn’t want to deal with the lack of showers and that whole sleeping outside thing, Bastille Day on 60th Street is for you—it’s like the sanitized, more fun version of protesting. After all, it was the poor French who decided they weren’t going to take it anymore from that bossy monarchy. The good news is no one is going to be guillotined at this Bastille Day. Instead, visitors can play pétanque, sip on kir royales and eat some smelly cheese.
July 15, 12-5 p.m. 60th St. betw. 5th and Lexington Aves., www.bastilledayny.com.
 

UPPER WEST SIDE 
Midsummer Night Swing

If you’re looking for a fun new way to dance away a hot summer’s night in New York, consider Lincoln Center’s outdoor dance party. Midsummer Night Swing offers a one-hour dance lesson followed by live music and dancing at the bandshell and elevated dance floor in Damrosch Park. Opening night features music from the ’50s and ’60s, and subsequent nights features such genres as jazz, salsa and rock ‘n’ roll.
June 26-July 12, 6:30-10 p.m.; $17, passes for multiple nights are available. Damrosch Park, at 62nd St. betw. Columbus & Amsterdam Aves., www.midsummernightswing.org. 

GOVERNORS ISLAND

The Seventh Annual Jazz Age Lawn Party
A free ferry to Governors Island lets you slip away to a Gatsby-inspired refuge. Come to the best 1920s outdoor summer party of 2012, featuring live music, a 50-foot-square real wood dance floor (with dance lessons), delightful and refreshing cocktails, fun summer foods and desserts, an old-fashioned DJ spinning records on an antique phonograph, vintage booths and so much more. 
June 16-17 & Aug 18-19; $15, kids are free. Governors Island, dreamlandorchestra.com.