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New York Summer Festivals
New York is one of the biggest and most popular tourist cities in the world. One of the reasons for its popularity is, of course, that there's no bad time to visit the city, but if you're into the arts, summer is definitely the time to go. Unfortunately, this is peak time, so flights can be expensive, but if you book in advance with a company like DialAFlight you can still get hold of a cheap flight to New York.
Amidst all the famous tourist sites and things to do, visitors often pass by some of the great festivals that take place around the city. So, here's a list of five of the best, all of which are definitely worth looking up if you happen to be in the Big Apple at the right time.
Fringe NYC
Every great city has to have a Fringe festival and New York's takes place in August. It's one of the biggest theatre events in North America and has around 200 shows taking place across the Lower East Side, the East Village and Greenwich Village. Unlike many other Fringes, you can only get a place in NYC if you pass a jury test, so the quality of the performances is pretty much guaranteed.
River to River
River to River is celebrating its tenth birthday in June and July this year and has a little bit of everything when it comes to the arts. There's films, dance performances, theatre, music, art and a whole lot more and the best thing is that the vast majority of it is free. Conceived as a way to revitalise Lower Manhattan after 9/11 it's been a raucous success and looks set to stay that way for years to come.
Shakespeare in the Park
Also across the summer months is the increasingly famous Shakespeare in the Park Festival. Performances take place in Central Park and recent years have seen some of the biggest names in Hollywood take to the stage. It's common to see people queuing for hours for tickets most of all because they're all absolutely free.
New York Fashion Week
Although maybe not a festival in the strictest sense, New York Fashion Week is a lot more than a runway (and a lot more than a week, taking place twice a year, once in September, once in February), and events have grown up around the central runways and collections. Even if you're not into fashion, you should check out Fashion Week for the unique (and unusual) atmosphere and the highly glamorous guests.MostlyMozart
If you want something a little more classical, then MostlyMozart is for you. The festival has been going for over forty years and is primarily a series of classical music concerts held in the Lincoln Centre across the summer. If you have even a slight taste for classical music you should definitely make sure you look up the performance dates.
Join the Festival Pig at the world's best festivals
New York Summer Festivals Dates, Location and Further Information
For further information on any of the Festivals listed above, check out Time Out New York City or NYC Go.
More New York Summer Festivals
