4 Ideas for Outdoor Summer Fun in Westchester
Westchester is jam-packed with exciting summer events that will get you outdoors! We’ve rounded up 4 fun summer programs, including Shakespeare in the Park performances, outdoor concerts and celebrations happening throughout Westchester, many of which are free. Be sure to check out our “Music in the Air” destination guide for more free and affordable (under $20) summer arts events in Westchester and sign up for our newsletters and consult our Event Calendar to stay informed of more great family-friendly events!
Westchester is jam-packed with exciting summer events that will get you outdoors! We’ve rounded up 4 fun summer programs, including Shakespeare in the Park performances, outdoor concerts and celebrations happening throughout Westchester, many of which are free. Be sure to check out our “Music in the Air” destination guide for more free and affordable (under $20) summer arts events in Westchester and sign up for our newsletters and consult our Event Calendar to stay informed of more great family-friendly events!
Westchester County will have an abundance of the Bard this summer as two theater companies, LawnChair Theatre and Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival (HVSF), present Shakespeare classics in the Park. For those who want to tickle their funny bone, LawnChair’s production of Much Ado About Nothing will take the stage in Chappaqua (7/19), Rye (7/18, 26, 27) and Rye Brook (7/20, 25) in partnership with Rye Arts Center. An additional staging, presented by New Rochelle Council on the Arts, will take place on July 21. Mistaken identity, unrequited love and deception are at the forefront in this comedy. For those in a more serious tenor, loyalty and honor take center stage in HVSF’s Julius Caesar. The drama will take place in Yonkers (presented by Hudson River Museum on 7/6 and Untermyer Performing Arts on 7/27), White Plains (presented by ArtsWestchester and the City of White Plains on 7/11) and Mamaroneck (Mamaroneck Arts Council, 8/3).
]New Rochelle Council on the Arts presents a summer concert series through August 28 at Hudson Park, with performances every Wednesday and five select Fridays. The series offers a variety of music, including opera favorites (New Rochelle Opera, 8/7), energetic Motown (Showtime Dance Band (7/3), horn-driven funk (What It Is, 8/14) and female-fronted rock and blues (Lizzie & the Makers, 8/28). Audiences can enjoy the show fully relaxed after attending free yoga sessions that precede each Wednesday concert. Food trucks will be present during every show.
Jazz Forum Arts presents a series of jazz events on the scenic grounds of Lyndhurst Mansion every Thursday evening from July 11 through August 29. Overlooking the Hudson River at sunset, audiences will be serenaded by jazz drummer and percussionist Jason Miles (7/18), bluesy barrelhouse pianist Jenie Thai (7/25), Chilean vocalist and guitarist Camila Meza (8/1) and more. The series closes with a celebration of Charlie Parker, featuring Gary Smulyan (8/29).
Untermyer Performing Arts Council presents the 44th season of its World Fest series on every Saturday evening through September 7 at the Great Lawn at Untermyer Park. The series offers an expansive range of cultural offerings, including the Irish folk music of the McLean Avenue Band (8/3), Japanese folk dance and drumming by Taiko Troupe (8/24) and traditional West African song and dance by Sidiki Conde and Toukounou (8/31). World Fest will also include works by the Connecticut Ballet and Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival.
A version of this article first appeared in the July-August issue of ArtsNews, ArtsWestchester’s monthly publication. ArtsNews is distributed throughout Westchester County. A digital copy is also available at artsw.org/artsnews.
About ArtsWestchester
For more than 50 years, ArtsWestchester has been the community’s connection to the arts. Founded in 1965, it is the largest, private, not-for-profit arts council in New York State. Its mission is to provide leadership, vision, and support, to ensure the availability, accessibility, and diversity of the arts. ArtsWestchester provides programs and services that enrich the lives of everyone in Westchester County. ArtsWestchester helps fund concerts, exhibitions and plays through grants; brings artists into schools and community centers; advocates for the arts; and builds audiences through diverse marketing initiatives. In 1998, ArtsWestchester purchased the nine-story neo-classical bank building at 31 Mamaroneck Avenue which has since been transformed into a multi-use resource for artists, cultural organizations, and the community. A two-story gallery is located on the first floor of ArtsWestchester’s historic building on Mamaroneck Avenue.
For more than 50 years, ArtsWestchester has been the community’s connection to the arts. Founded in 1965, it is the largest, private, not-for-profit arts council in New York State. Its mission is to provide leadership, vision, and support, to ensure the availability, accessibility, and diversity of the arts. ArtsWestchester provides programs and services that enrich the lives of everyone in Westchester County. ArtsWestchester helps fund concerts, exhibitions and plays through grants; brings artists into schools and community centers; advocates for the arts; and builds audiences through diverse marketing initiatives. In 1998, ArtsWestchester purchased the nine-story neo-classical bank building at 31 Mamaroneck Avenue which has since been transformed into a multi-use resource for artists, cultural organizations, and the community. A two-story gallery is located on the first floor of ArtsWestchester’s historic building on Mamaroneck Avenue.
