Summer On the Hudson (SOH), one of New York City's largest free summer festivals, opens its Tenth Anniversary Season Sunday, May 2, at Riverside Park South with the Irish Arts Center's 9th Annual all-day New York City Irish Dance Festival. The six-month series, running through October 10, is an annual summer arts and cultural festival in Riverside Park South, West 59th Street to West 72nd Street at the Hudson River, presented by The New York City Department of Parks & Recreation.
The 2010 Festival once again features a wealth of free events for the entire family, in the arts and recreation: this year's Movies Under the Stars (July 7-August 11) are themed Tall Tales, and include the larger-than-life Pan's Labyrinth, Stranger Than Fiction and Neverending Story; the Sunday evening Acoustic Sundays (July 11-August 15,) features the SOH debuts of Grammy-nominated Michael Powers Frequency and Meta and the Cornerstones' African pop and reggae; the Children's Performance Series, Thursday mornings July 8 to August 12, entertains with Improv4Kids, Robbi K, Bindlestiff's Swashbuckling Cirkus and much more; all-day special events such as the May 23 Mamapalooza featuring all-mom rock bands, and the September 12 West Side County Fair, bringing a bit of country and green awareness to the city - including livestock! And finally, the ever-popular kayaking returns, every Saturday and Sunday from May 15 to October 10, including free instruction, as well as health and fitness with yoga, pilates and soccer for tots. Food and drink is for sale at the park's Pier I Café,
All events are FREE to the public and are programmed by Zhen Heinemann, Riverside Park Director of Programming. For more information on all events, please call 311 or (212) 408-0219, or visit www.nyc.gov/parks /soh, or www.riversideparkfund.org.
Riverside Park South is a unique combination of greenspace, esplanades, winding pathways, wooden boardwalks, plazas, and ball fields, with panoramic north and south views of the Hudson River. Summer on the Hudson strives to present events that meet the cultural and recreational needs of the community, enrich the daily lives of New Yorkers, and brings diverse groups of people together in a magical setting.
Parks & Recreation is the steward of more than 29,000 acres of land--14 percent of New York City-including more than 4,000 individual properties ranging from Yankee Stadium and Central Park to community gardens and GreenStreets. We operate more than 800 athletic fields and nearly 1,000 playgrounds. We manage four major stadia, 550 tennis courts, 52 public pools, 48 recreational facilities, 17 nature centers, 13 golf courses and 14 miles of beaches. We care for 1,200 monuments and 22 historic house museums. We look after 600,000 street trees, and two million more in parks. We are New York City's principal providers of athletic facilities. We are home to free concerts, world-class sports events and cultural festivals. For more information about Parks, visit our website: www.nyc.gov/parks/soh.
2010 SUMMER ON THE HUDSON
SPECIAL EVENTS
Sunday May 2, 1:00 - 8:00pm
Pier I @ 70th St
Irish Arts Center New York City Irish Dance Festival
The Irish Arts Center is back in the park with its 9th annual celebration of traditional Irish dance and music, featuring performances by stars of the Irish dance world and NY area dance schools. Join in on the fun with live music, workshops in traditional Irish dance for all skill levels, a singer's circle, Irish language classes, face-painting, children's craft table and more! This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, and by the New York State Council on the Arts, a public agency.
Sunday May 23, 12:00-5:00pm
Pier I at 70th St / Special PURE Yoga-Thon pre-event, 11am.
7th Annual Mamapalooza Outdoor Extravaganza
Moms Rock! Celebrate mothers and the people who love them at our annual music and art-filled afternoon featuring mom bands Swingset Mamas, KORE, AudraRox and Moey's Music Party, Catholic Girls, Jump With Jill, Skye ‘The Soul Poet', Nancy Lombardo ‘Momedy' MC, as well as a Gymboree Play Tent, arts & crafts, eco-environmental information,Smart4Kidz, food, vendors, interactive fun, and more!
Sunday, September 12, 1:00pm - 6:00pm Park-wide
8th AnnuAl West Side County Fair
Enjoy a little country right here in Manhattan and celebrate the change of seasons with carnival rides and games, music, square dancing, sideshow performers, a petting zoo, greenmarket and more! Visit the "Green Acre" environmental corner, with hands-on activities for kids about environmental awareness, green living, and animal care.
