July 2013 events calendar for New York City

Summer Restaurant Week

Twice a year, for two weeks or more at a stretch, some of the city’s finest restaurants dish out three-course prix-fixe lunches for around $24; some places also offer dinner for $35. For the full list of participating restaurants, visit nycgo.com/restaurantweek. Not surprisingly, the event is immensely popular, so you’ll need to make reservations well in advance.

HARD NYC and Verboten Present Hot Natured Live

A DJ dream team has agreed to meet halfway between their respective stomping grounds to bring NYC a summer music experience that’s not to be missed. U.K. spinner-producer golden boy Jamie Jones, whose tracks have made it onto many a techno and house compilation, has teamed up with L.A.’s likeminded Lee Foss. Their brainchild, Hot Natured, delivers groovy and deep four-to-the-floor rhythms that are a little chuggy, a little druggy, a touch psychedelic and a whole lot of fun. 212-260-4700, terminal5nyc.com. 9pm; $25–$50.

Manhattanhenge

• Critics choice
• Free

Witness the stunning natural spectacle that occurs when the sun aligns perfectly with Manhattan’s grid: The setting orb will illuminate both sides of every street in the borough four times a year. For the best view, camp out as far east as possible along a broad avenue with views across the island (14th and 34th Streets will do). And don’t forget your camera.

New York Philharmonic: Concerts in the Parks

• Critics choice
• Free

The Philharmonic goes green, kicking off the free summer outdoor concert series with a performance in Brooklyn's Prospect Park. Alan Gilbert leads the ensemble through a lively program of Respighi and Tchaikovsky.

Summerscreen

This alfresco film fest is back, showing a grab bag of ’90s nostalgia picks (so Williamsburg, right?), including Can’t Hardly Wait (July 10), The Craft (July 24) and Speed (Aug 7); ’80s comedy classics Pee-wee’s Big Adventure (July 17) and The Goonies (July 31); and a to-be-determined fan favorite (Aug 14). (You can cast your vote for High Fidelity, The Big Lebowski, The NeverEnding Story or another flick at facebook.com/summerscreen.) Each evening also features live music and food trucks such as Coolhaus and PizzaMoto; discreet BYO boozing is optional. summerscreen.org. Wed screenings at dusk, music at 6pm; free.

Bastille Day

• Critics choice
• Free

Indulge your inner Francophile during this celebration of France’s independence. Held on three avenue blocks closed to traffic, the fest boasts tasty treats like crêpes and cheeses, Macaron Café macarons ($2) and baked goods from patisserie Financier, as well as sets by accordion players and other musicians, cultural dances like the cancan, and kiddie-friendly activities such as face painting.

City of Water Day

• Critics choice
• Free

Locations vary; visit cityofwaterday.org for details. Anyone who’s spent time in landlocked parts of the country will tell you that a city without water is like…erm, a city without water. The Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance celebrates NYC’s best accessory at Governors Island and Jersey City’s Liberty State Park, offering activities that remind us just how good we have it. Get gratis access to a plethora of watergoing vessels, including canoes, kayaks and rowboats; or fish, bike or kick back with food and music on dry land. Sign up early to nab a spot on a narrated boat tour of the harbor.

Bushwick Block Party

Fun-seeking hipsters flock to the roped-off blocks near the Morgan L train stop for a day of pizza-fueled and alcohol-soaked festivities, soundtracked by live music and DJs. The lineup is still TBA, but to give you an idea of what to expect, Heems and Andrew W.K. headlined last year. Sustain the partying with bites from four food trucks, including Japanese-style barbecue from Hibachi Heaven. Between dancing, watch 22 artists paint on steel canvases before your very eyes. bushwickblockparty.tumblr.com. 11am–dark; free.

Macy's Fourth of July Fireworks

• Critics choice
• Free

For this mother of all pyrotechnic displays, Macy's will explode more than 40,000 fireworks choreographed to a 25-minute patriotic score. Stake out a nice spot along the Hudson to watch, and bring your own picnic basket with beverages to toast our country's birthday.

The Statue of Liberty reopens

Poor Lady Liberty has been shuttered since October 2011, thanks to a $30 million, one-year renovation and damage sustained during Hurricane Sandy. The symbol of freedom makes its triumphant return, appropriately, this Fourth of July, with upgrades like shallower steps inside the statue, a new air-conditioning system and more wheelchair accessibility. Unfortunately, you’re still going to have to deal with all the tourists. 212-363-3200, nps.gov/stli; ferry ticket $12, children 4–12 $5, children under 4 free; crown access additional $3.

Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest

• Critics choice
• Free

Celebrate our nation’s independence by joining an estimated 40,000 viewers in watching people stuff their faces with franks. (America, ladies and gents.) Reigning champ Joey Chestnut is back in action after winning his sixth contest and tying for the honor of Most Consecutive Wins last year. The flagship location of Nathan’s Famous was hit hard by Sandy and had to close for part of the season. Despite the setback, the company will still make its usual donation of 100,000 hot dogs to the Food Bank for New York City.

Shakespeare in the Park

This annual festival, which begins in June, presents the Bard's greats performed in open air at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. Created by the late Joseph Papp and presented by the Public, Shakespeare in the Park has endured not just because it's a night of free theater in New York's backyard, but because it's a night of great performances by some of the most talented actors of our day, including Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline, Al Pacino, Oliver Platt, Blythe Danner, Philip Seymour Hoffman, George C. Scott and Denzel Washington.

Celebrate Brooklyn!

• Price band: 1/4
• Critics choice

Non-profit community arts organization BRIC launched this series of outdoor performances to revitalize Prospect Park, and now the festival is Brooklyn’s premier summer culture offering. It includes music, dance, film and spoken word acts, and has showcased the likes of Philip Glass, TV on the Radio and the Buena Vista Social Club. A $3 donation is requested and there’s an admission charge for some shows.

SummerStage

For more than 25 years now, the City Parks Foundation has filled summers in the park with just about every sound under the sun. This New York institution has an ear for music of every type—M.I.A., Television, and Amadou & Mariam have all played in recent years, as have Zap Mama, Nortec Collective and Neko Case. Many of the shows are free, with a handful of benefits covering for them.

Brooklyn Hip-Hop Fest

• Price band: 2/4
• Critics choice

Duck into Dumbo for this four-day celebration of rap culture, now in its ninth year, and see MC competitions; a retrospective on Ralph McDaniels’s famed local TV show, Video Music Box; and other explorations of the genre. BHHF’s big draw, though, is its closing-day block-party-style bash (Brooklyn Bridge Park, Main St at Fulton Ferry Landing, Dumbo, Brooklyn; July 13 noon–8pm; $20–$75), which has performances by good-time stalwart Redman, old-school talent EPMD, Pusha T (half of legendary group the Clipse), rising star Dizzy Wright and other top-flight acts. Locations and times vary; visit bkhiphopfestival.com for details; $10–$75. July 10–13.

Belle and Sebastian

Is there anything more Brooklynesque than a mass of people singing along to “Get Me Away from Here, I’m Dying” beneath a canopy of Prospect Park trees? This gig will be absolutely lovely, with B&S plowing through gems from its remarkable ’90s run of quotable retro-rock LPs (Tigermilk, If You’re Feeling Sinister, The Boy with the Arab Strap) and more recent songs. Support comes from apparently tireless indie-rock trio Yo La Tengo.

Jay-Z and Justin Timberlake

• Critics choice

Kid Rock may have trashed the hefty price tag on Jay-Z and JT’s Legends of the Summer tour, but that didn’t stop tickets from selling out almost immediately. (High-priced seats are still available.) If you’ve got one, consider yourself lucky: This is arguably the arena-music event of the season, with Timberlake in triumphant mode after his long-awaited comeback, and HovÑwell, he’s always triumphant. We assume he’ll be in especially good spirits at his hometown’s big-time ballpark.

fun. + Tegan and Sara

We can’t think of a pair of bands it’d be more of a blast to bounce around in the sunshine with than these two. Last year’s Some Nights propelled popsters fun. to Top 40 fame and double Grammy wins, due in large part to hits “We Are Young” and the disc’s title track. Twin sisters Tegan and Sara released their seventh album, Heartthrob, earlier this year, which is all layered vocals and tempered angst. Just try not to sing along.

One Direction

• Critics choice

What can you expect at this show from Simon Cowell–groomed U.K. boy band One Direction? Deafening screaming, barstool serenades, a million bucks’ worth of camera-phoneage and, of course, the smell of cheap body spray, wafting on stifling clouds of estrogen. Not to mention "What Makes You Beautiful" and other maddeningly catchy boy-band anthems. Plus, you'll no doubt get an earful of Take Me Home, issued in November and already a certifiable smash. Calm down, ladies!

Beyoncé

• Price band: 3/4
• Critics choice

The international leg of the Mrs. Carter Show World Tour has already begun, and reports from the road indicate that Bey isn’t holding back on the crowd-pleasing hits and elaborate costume changes, from dazzling sequins to equally dazzling skin-baring. Sadly, tickets vanished as fast as you can say “Blue Ivy,” so prepare to shell out at StubHub if you want to see the pop goddess in the flesh.

Lincoln Center Festival

This year’s international, multidisciplinary arts fest is focused on cross-cultural and cross-genre collaborations. It begins with Monkey: Journey to the West, an unconventional opera co-conceived by Chinese director Chen Shi-Zheng, and Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett of Gorillaz (July 6–28). John Malkovich helms a French-language production of the steamy Les Liaisons Dangereuses (July 9–14). Charlie Chaplin’s daughter and granddaughter, Victoria Thierrée Chaplin and Aurélia Thierrée, offer language-free acrobatics in Murmurs (July 24–28). And Sinéad O’Connor switches gears from Irish rock to American soul, taking on Sam Cooke and the like in the Gospel Sessions (July 26, 27). Locations, times and prices vary (212-721-6500, lincolncenterfestival.org). July 6–28.