July Offers Fireworks, Festivals, Food and so Much More

7/1 – 11: Watch recent hit movies from China, Japan, and South Korea at New York Asian Film Festival at Lincoln Center.

7/ 1 – 9/ 8: Free Summer Movies are shown evenings at parks in Manhattan.

7/2 – 13: Midsummer Night Swing begins with a lesson in swing, tango, salsa, etc., followed by a live band in Damrosch Park at Lincoln Center. Closed Sunday and Monday.

7/ 3 – 31: American Folk Art Museum offers concerts at 2 p.m. on Wednesdays and at 5:30 p.m. on Fridays. Free.

7/ 4: Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks light up the sky above the East River at 9:25 p.m. for 25 minutes. Free.

7/ 4: Jersey City Fourth of July Celebration offers live music, stage entertainment, a carnival, food trucks, a beer garden, and fireworks after dark on the waterfront at Exchange Place.

7/ 4: Watch qualified champion eaters compete in Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest on Coney Island, with music and entertainment. Women compete at 10:50 a.m. and men at 12 p.m. Free.

7/ 4 – 7: International African Arts Festival celebrates African art with music, dance, storytelling, handcrafted goods, and food vendors at Commodore Barry Park. 

7/ 5 – 9/ 24: Enjoy outstanding music, comedy, theater, dance, lectures, and films during SummerStage in city parks. The (mostly) free concerts are popular, so arrive early.

7/ 6: Arab Street Festival has music, food, and vendors on Great Jones Street (from Broadway to Lafayette). Free.

7/ 6 – 12: Watch public performances or take classes at TapCity.

7/ 8 – 21: French Restaurant Week features special deals at dozens of restaurants in the week that includes France’s Bastille Day.

7/ 8 – 8/12 (Mondays): Hear authors read, ask them questions, and get your book signed at Books Beneath the Bridge on the steps at Granite Prospect in Brooklyn Bridge Park.

7/ 9 – 8/ 13, 2019 (7 p.m.): Vote for your favorite acts at New York’s Got Talent,which includes singers, dancers, magicians, jugglers, pet tricks, burlesque, bands, guitarists, drummers, acrobats, and comedians at The Green Room 42. 

7/ 10 – 8/ 10: Attend concerts, operas, late-night recitals, and world premieres at Mostly Mozart Festival, performed by the festival orchestra and special guests at Lincoln Center.

7/ 10 – 9/ 20: ImageNation Outdoors Film & Music Festival begins with music at 6 p.m. followed by a movie at 8 p.m. or sundown in three different Harlem parks if weather allows. Free.

7/11 – 8/ 15, 2019 (Thursdays): Watch popular shows on and off Broadway perform their biggest hits Thursday afternoons at Broadway in Bryant Park. They suggest arriving at 11 a.m. to get a seat and watch the pre-show. Free.

7/12 – 13: Afro-Latino Festival NYC has talks on Friday, films and wine on Saturday, and a music concert with arts & crafts vendors on Sunday.

7/ 12 – 15: Dance on Camera Festival screens documentaries, features, shorts, experimental works, and music videos that combine dance with cinematography in innovative ways, selected by the Film Society of Lincoln Center.

7/ 12 – 18: Long Island International Film Expo screens more than 100 short and feature-length independent films from around the world at Bellmore Movies.

7/ 13: Go Africa Harlem Street Festival features African & Caribbean merchants, two stages of music & dance, and eight chefs grilling African & Caribbean specialties on 116th Street (from 7th to 8th Avenues).

7/13: City of Water Day celebrates the waterfront with boat tours, live music, family activities, games, and food vendors at Piers 16 & 17 in Lower Manhattan. Free.

7/13: Electric race cars speed through the streets of Brooklyn during the New York City E-Prix, which has a grandstand plus an eVillage with displays and vendors.

7/14 (12 to 5 p.m.): Celebrate our French allies on Bastille Day by eating crêpes and éclairs, tasting wine and cheese, watching mimes and cancan dancers, and visiting the kids’ corner, on E 60th Street (from Lexington to 5th Avenue). Free.

7/ 16 – 8/11: Shakespeare in the Park at Delacorte Theater in Central Park. Get free tickets by joining a lottery or waiting in line.

7/16 to 8/11 – Coriolanus

7/ 19: Doors open at 7 p.m. to see movies at sunset during Summer Movie Series at Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum. 

7/ 20: Play games and socialize during Come Out & Play at Manhattan Bridge Archway Plaza in Dumbo. Free.

7/ 20 – 21: Ozy Fest is an outdoor extravaganza that’s a mash-up between a music festival and a lecture series” with bands like Passion Pit, speakers like Mark Cuban & Spike Lee, and a marketplace of food and crafts at Rumsey Playfield.

7/ 22 – 8/ 16: Get a special deal on a 2-course lunch or a 3-course dinner at 370 restaurants during NYC Restaurant Week. Saturdays excluded, Sundays included at some restaurants. 

7/ 24 – 8/ 11 Out of Doors is three weeks of world-class music, dance, and spoken word in the plazas of Lincoln Center if weather permits. Free.

7/ 25 – 8/ 3: The Asian American International Film Festival screens films by and about Asians and Asian Americans at Cinema Village East and Asia Society.

7/ 26 – 28: Thunderbird American Indian Mid-Summer Pow Wow features ”intertribal Native American dance competitions with drumming, chanting, and full narration” plus a food & crafts marketplace outdoors at Queens County Farm Museum. No pets.

7/ 26 – 28: New Jersey Festival of Ballooning has morning and evening balloon launches, balloon rides, concerts, family entertainment, food & craft vendors, fireworks (Friday 9:30 p.m.), and a balloon glow (Saturday 8:30 p.m.) at Solberg Airport in Readington, NJ.

7/27 – 28: New York City Poetry Festival features 250 poets on five stages, plus food, a beer & wine garden, books, crafts, and a children’s festival on Governors Island. Free.

7/ 28, 2019 (2 to 5 p.m.): Watch colorful dancers perform the dances of Oaxaca, Mexico, hear lively music, and shop for crafts at Guelaguetza Festival in Socrates Sculpture Park. Free.

7/ 28 – 8/ 24: Harlem Week is a month-long celebration of local culture and history that includes performances, tributes, films, fashion, a children’s festival, sports events, and a 5K run/walk.