City Plans More Than 230 Free Summer Events In Hudson River Parks

NEW YORK, NY — The Parks Department released the schedule Thursday for its annual Summer on the Hudson outdoor arts & culture festival. This year the festival will feature more than 230 events in parks along the Hudson River stretching from West 59th to West 181st streets in neighborhoods such as the Upper West Side, Harlem and Washington Heights.

"With a mix of music concerts, dance performances, movies under the stars, DJ dance parties, kids shows, special events, wellness activities, and more there is something for everyone," reads the Parks Department website.

All scheduled events are open to the public and free to attend, according to a Parks Department press release.

Here's a complete schedule, provided by the Parks Department:

The event schedule can also be downloaded in PDF form.

Riverside Park South events:

Irish Arts Center New York City Irish Dance Festival

• Irish Arts Center returns to the park with its annual day-long Irish Dance Festival featuring performances by hundreds of the best Irish dancers, with opportunities for the whole family to join in. Sunday, May 7, 1-7pm – Pier i @ 70th St.

The Rail Yard History of Riverside Park South

• Take an informative walking tour of Riverside Park South with rail history expert Tom Flagg. Sundays, May 14 & Aug 6 2017, 11am – Pier i @ 70th St.

Mamapalooza

• Celebrate mothers and the people who love them at our annual music and art-filled festival featuring family bands, kids activities, Gymboree Play Tent, crafts, eco-environmental information, food, vendors, interactive fun, and more! Everyone is welcome. Sunday, May 28, 12-5pm – Pier i @ 70th St.

SunGaze

• Join Amateur Astronomers Association to gaze at the central star of our solar system with special scopes. Sundays, May 28, June 25, July 30, August 27, September 24, 1-4pm – Base of Pier i @ 70th St.

Let’s Dance!

• Learn to dance like a pro at these Salsa, Cha-Cha and Bachata lessons and group social dances led by master teachers from the Piel Canela Dance and Music School and featuring DJ Ray Colon. Sundays in June, 6-9:30pm – Pier i @ 70th St.

#TotallyPublicKaraoke

• Amaze the crowd when you rock the mic at #TotallyPublicKaraoke nights. Bring your friends, your voice, and your courage. All ages! Fridays, June 2, July 7, August 4, September 1, 6-10pm – Pier i @ 70th St.

AmpLit: Amplifying Fresh Voices in Literature

• SOH & Lamprophonic amplify fresh voices in the literature and bring authors center stage with readings, workshops, panels, and a community market making one of life’s most solitary acts, writing, a public celebration. Saturday, June 10, 12-5pm – Pier i @ 70th St.

Stargazing

• Join Amateur Astronomers Association to see the moon, planets and stars aided by expert stargazers. Saturdays, June 10, July 8, August 12, 8-11pm – Base of Pier i @ 70th St.

Locomotive Lawn Live

• RAGA KIDS brings a trio of teaching artists specializing in Indian classical music on Indian instruments to our comfy & danceable turf lawn right by the big locomotive. Great for kids 5yrs & under! Thursdays, May 26 – June 30, 10:30-11:15am – Locomotive Lawn @ 61st St.

Senior Movement

• Dances for a Variable Population master teacher Naomi Goldberg Haas and intergenerational company members lead a dance workshop for seniors of all ages and abilities. Celebrate moving in strong and creative ways. Thursdays, June 2 – July 29, 6:30pm – The Plaza @ 66th St.

Silent Disco

• Don headphones and party on the pier with hundreds of all-ages revelers at this Quiet Clubbing event featuring two live DJs of different genres. Shift DJs with a flick of a switch and sway along to the same song as your friends or to your own tune. Saturday, June 3, 5 10pm – Pier i @ 70th St.

Make Music New York

• On the Waterfront: American Music for Piano Duet highlights American four-hand music played by young students and professional adult headliners. Tuesday, June 21, 4:30-7pm -- Pier i @ 70th St.

Amplified Sundays

• Vibrantly danceable live music accompanied by spectacular sunsets over the Hudson River! Sundays in July, 7pm – Pier i @ 70th St.
• July 2: Mr. Reed / NYC soul artist backed by horns
• July 9: Lyla Canté / Cantor meets Flamenco guitarist & sparks fly
• July 16: Innov Gnawa / venerable & hypnotic, “The Moroccan Blues”
• July 23: Dahlia Dumont's Blue Dahlia / international reggae, sewn with French chanson, ska, and tango.
• July 30: La Mecánica Popular / a unique blend of processed Peruvian-style guitar licks & experimental synths

Pier i Picture Show

• Pack a picnic, bring a friend and settle in for a movie out on the Pier. Open Captioned. Wednesdays, July 5-August 16, dusk (~8:30 pm) – Pier i @ 70th St.
• July 5: Blazing Saddles
• July 12: Dr. Strangelove
• July 19: What’s Up Doc
• July 26: The Truman Show
• August 2: The Muppets Movie
• August 9: The Big Lebowski
• August 16: Beetlejuice

Children’s Performance Series

• Music, storytelling & theater for young audiences up to age 7. Wear sunscreen! Stroller parking in designated area is mandatory. Thursdays in July 10-10:45am – Pier i @ 70th St.
• July 6: Mister G / one-of-a-kind, interactive, bilingual family fiesta
• July 13: Lucy Kalantari & the Jazz Cats / interactive jazz-scat-along play
• July 20: Danny Weinkauf and his Red Pants Band Live!/ fun edu-pop
• July 27: Life’s A Real Dream / slurp the noodle of life

FlyNYC

• Come fly a kite at this festival for all ages! Celebrate simple fun with live music and free kite-making for children (kites while supplies last). Saturday, August 19, 12am-5pm – Pier i @ 70th St.

West Side County Fair

• Enjoy a BIG day of county fair magic in Manhattan with carnival rides and games, awesome bands, sideshow performers, aerialists, local food and merchandise vendors, cotton candy, and more! Sunday, September 10, 1-6pm – 68th – 70th Sts. (rain date: Sunday, September 17)

Bodyroll Workout w/ VIVA!

• A ‘90s inspired dance aerobics class designed to getchu feeling suppa duppa fly with slammin' moves to bangin' grooves! Tuesdays in September, 6:30pm – The Plaza @ 66th St.

Dance Safari!

• A guided walk searching out site-specific dances choreographed for Riverside Park South. Wear comfortable shoes. For featured choreographers visit nyc.gov/parks/soh. September 23 & 24, 5-6:30pm – Meet @ 68th St. & Riverside Blvd.

Mid Riverside Park events:

Tai Chi

• Join Silvana Pizzuti to learn and practice Tai Chi, a slow moving martial art with health benefits for all fitness levels. Sundays, May 1-August 14, 8am – West 89th Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument Plaza

Make Some Noise: A Celebration of Women and Music

• SOH rejoins with Barnard College for an evening celebrating women in music with a selection from NYC colleges and universities performing in an astounding natural setting. Saturday, May 13, 5-9pm – Crabapple Grove @ 95th St.

Riverside HIIT

• Veteran Donald Calliste leads a series of exercises with varied tempos that send your body into fat burning overdrive & continue fat burning after you've completed your workout. Tuesdays, May 9-September 26, 6:30-7:15pm – Terrace @ 108th St.

Yoga Flow

• Link mindful breath with movement in this full spectrum yoga practice that includes modifications and intensifications depending on experience level. Veteran Nina Semczuk helps you cultivate strength, flexibility, balance, and focus while enjoying yoga outdoors. Thursdays, May 11-September 28, 6:30-7:30pm - Lawn @ 78th St.

Butt & Gut

• Veteran Donald Calliste leads a class to tone and define your core, lower back and glutes combined with cardio exercises that will maximize your fat burning potential. Saturdays, May 13-September 30, 10:30-11:15am - Meet @ Soldiers’ & Sailors’ Monument Plaza

Make Music New York

• JUSTICE, a site specific sound and movement performance inspired by the Ancient Greek myth of Atlas and Athena and human equilibrium between ourselves, the earth, and the unfolding natural universe. Tuesday, June 21, 7:30pm – Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument

Riverside Park Skate Jam

• Our annual celebration of Riverside Park’s 108th St. Skate Park with competitions, open skate, raffle, food vendors and all day fun. Bring your board and full gear (helmet, elbow & knee pads 18yr+ / add wrist guards for under 18yrs) to join in, or check your board at the gate and hang out. Sunday, September 3, 12-5pm – Riverside Skate Park @ 108th St.

West Harlem Piers and Park North events:

Sweet Spot Festival

• SOH & Kindred Arts create a family-friendly gathering of community, cultures & music lovers of all ages. Sounds spun by a collection of North America's renowned sound architects. Saturday, May 20 (rain date May 21) & August 5, 3-9pm – Pier @ 125th & Marginal Sts.

Dance for Seniors

• Dances for a Variable Population master teacher Naomi Goldberg Haas and members of the intergenerational company lead VARIABLE POP, a dance workshop for seniors of all ages and abilities. Celebrate moving in strong and creative ways. All fun. All welcome. Fridays, May 12, June 9, July 14, August 11, September 8, 6-7pm – Lawn @ 133rd & Marginal Sts.

Shape Up NYC Zumba in West Harlem Piers Park

• Shape Up NYC (a NYC Parks partnership with Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield and NYC Service) offers Zumba! Saturdays, May –September, 11am – Excursion Pier @ 125th & Marginal Sts.

Everybody Tango!

• Enjoy Argentine Tango with an introductory lesson, music, and dancing in the open air led by Strictly Tango NYC. Lessons at 6:45 & 7:45. Thursdays, June & July, 6:30-8:30pm – Fishing Pier @ 125th & Marginal Sts.

New York City Fish Count

• As part of the annual World Science Festival we will wade into the Hudson River to collect and count what species fish we find. How will our site differ from others? Join us for this fun waterside event! Saturday, June 3, 11am-1pm – Fort Washington Park @ 172nd

Harlem Dances

• Join different local companies for dance performances and lessons of different movement styles. Third Friday, May-August, 6:30-7:30pm – 125th & Marginal Sts.
• May 19: NYC Bhangra Dance/ expresses the joy, passion,& energy of life
• June 16: Xochipilli Dance Ensemble / diversos estilos de danza folklórica mexicana
• July 21: The Movement Creative / finding new potential in ourselves and the spaces we move through.
• August 18: Fusha Dance Company/ dance, drum and culture from Africa and the Diaspora

Friday Freshen Up

• Kick off the weekend with some local sounds at this monthly musical get-happy hour. Last Friday, May-August, 7-8pm – 125th & Marginal Sts.
• May 26: Felisa / cumbia, bolero, bossa nova mixed with R&B, soul and hiphop
• June 30: St. Lenox / art-pop project of former Juilliard-trained concert violinist
• July 28: Eljuri / letras de mensaje y conciencia social con candente guitarra rockera
• Aug 25: Soul Science Lab / innovative Afro futuristic griot

Learn To Ride!

• New riders (5yrs & up) learn to balance, ride & enjoy life on two wheels. Reservations required, visit bike.nyc/education/classes/. First come, first trained; there may be a wait.

Saturday, May 27, 10am-4pm – 135th St. & the Greenway (under the highway)

Play Dates!

• Monthly outdoor parties featuring children’s entertainers, arts & crafts, and neighborhood fun! Second Saturday, May-August, 1-4pm – 125th & Marginal Sts.
• May 13: Dave Jay / making kids laugh
• June 10: Magic at Coney!!! / magical variety show
• July 8: Charlini / a magic pirate journey for children of all ages
• August 12: WonderSpark Puppets / The Lion & The Mouse through whimsical puppetry

RiverFish Celebration

• SOH & Urban Park Rangers connect you to the life living within the Hudson River with catch and release fishing, The Fuzzy Lemons, Music with Patrick, and river-related arts & crafts. Fishing equipment provided. Sunday, June 24, 11am-3pm – 125th & Marginal Sts.

Quiet Clubbing

• Don headphones and party on the pier with hundreds of all-ages revelers and two live DJs spinning different genres. Change DJs with a flick of a switch and sway along with your friends or to your own tune. Saturday, August 26, 5 10pm – Pier @ 125th & Marginal Sts.

Little Red Lighthouse Festival

• Celebrate Manhattan’s only remaining lighthouse with Urban Park Ranger educational presentations, visits to the lighthouse interior, readings of eponymous children’s book, fishing clinics, live music, food vendors, and fun family activities! Saturday, September 30, 12-4pm – Fort Washington Park @ 181st

Photo by Patrick Nouhailler via Flickr/Creative Commons