Photo: Nicole Freezer Rubens

While it’s sad to see summer coming to a close, there is no lack of fun things to do while we’re still in sandals with our hair blowing in the wind.  Head to Pier 76 for the Blues BBQ Festival. If dance is your thing, the Battery Festival is happening this weekend. And the first week of September brings free outdoor opera back to Lincoln Center. Our Long Island reporter transports us to a harbor village where the ferry drifts by, and a little further from home, our roving photographer takes us to Quebec. Year-round outdoor dining is making a comeback and now is the  perfect time to become a NYC Insider’s Member…see what’s ahead.

The Adventures Await

This month marks the first anniversary of our NYC Insider’s Club. This is a perfect time to join with some great adventures in the works for the fall. Learn more.

The Blues BBQ Festival Happening Today

Head to the West Side’s backyard at Pier 76 in Hudson River Park for a fun-filled day and evening, including performances across two live stages, take part in dance lessons, test your mettle in Hot Sauce Alley, browse the festival marketplace and enjoy family-friendly activities and games for all ages.

The Blues BBQ Main Stage features world-renowned talent, while the Blues Second Stage delivers popular locals and accomplished artists alike, curated by the Jazz Foundation of America. Saturday, Aug 15 from1:00 PM – 9:00 PM

This Weekend. The Battery Park Dance Festival

This is New York City’s longest-running free public dance festival. Each year, the Festival draws a combined audience of over 12,000 in-person and over 35,000 virtual viewers. Head to Robert F. Wagner, Jr. Park. Saturday and Sunday at 7 PM to see the live performances. GET THE DETAILS.

Sept. 2-7.  Metropolitan Opera’s Summer HD Festival

This wonderful event returns to Lincoln Center with a week of free, open‑air screenings that spotlight some of the season’s most compelling productions. The festival opens September 2 with Act I of Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde, followed the next night by Acts II and III, offering audiences the full sweep of Wagner’s transcendent meditation on love, longing, and fate. The lineup continues with Bellini’s I Puritani on September 4, a major new staging of the bel canto classic featuring a powerhouse quartet of stars. Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin follows on September 5, bringing Pushkin’s tale of passion and regret to life with sweeping lyricism. On September 6, the festival turns to contemporary opera with Gabriela Lena Frank’s El Último Sueño de Frida y Diego, a magical‑realist portrait of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera reunited on the Day of the Dead. The week concludes September 7 with Puccini’s beloved La Bohème, presented in Franco Zeffirelli’s iconic production.

The event transforms Lincoln Center Plaza into one of New York’s most inviting cultural gatherings—an open‑sky opera house where newcomers, families, and longtime fans sit side by side. With no tickets required and seating for thousands, the festival offers a rare chance to experience the Met’s artistry in a relaxed, communal setting. As dusk settles and the massive screen illuminates the plaza, each evening becomes a celebration of storytelling, music, and the shared joy of summer in the city. GET THE DETAILS>

Year-Round Outdoor Dining is Back: Good Idea?

The City Council has reversed course with a vote that allows roadway dining structures to remain up all year, ending the old requirement that they be dismantled every winter. Supporters say this will boost business, cut costly seasonal teardown expenses, and help restaurants add seating and jobs. At the same time, the Council added stricter rules: owners must keep setups clean and rodent‑free, maintain clear sidewalks, and respect an 11 p.m. closing time — with fines up to $500 for violations. Opponents worry that permanent structures could worsen noise, garbage, and parking challenges, especially in dense residential areas. While sitting under heat lamps in the winter outdoors was a welcome option during COVID, will it have the same appeal now? Leave comments below.

Spotlight on Long Island: Daycation in Port Jefferson

Port Jefferson proves the best vacation doesn’t require luggage. All you need is a charming village, a beautiful harbor, and a summer day with nowhere else to be. This week, Long Island reporter Andrea Peponakis explores this North Shore gem—morning coffee, boutique browsing, afternoon tea, harbor breezes, waterfront dining, live music, and a sweet ending. READ MORE.

Roving in Quebec

Nicole Freezer Rubens writes:

August is the time of year I am fortunate to spend some quality time in the Great North Woods of the Gatineau Valley in Quebec. The days pass in cottage time, and at dusk, when the sun begins to set, I am always a bit surprised by how quickly the hours fly.

Our shared cottage invites fishing, swimming, floating on a giant loon, home-cooked meals, lake-life activities, and precious time together with family and dear friends. My long getaway every summer is exactly the reset I need to gear up for the busy fall ahead.

I am grateful for the generations before me who had the foresight to build a little cottage in the woods, on the shores of a serene, sparkling lake, a true home for quietly making history and memories while celebrating longstanding traditions. This serene life is simply the best and is the welcome exclamation point at the end of my summer.

~Nicole Freezer Rubens, author of “The Long Pause and the Short Breath”