Dog day delights: The best NYC events to close out summer 2019

Don’t let the haters fool you: Did you know that only earlier this week we hit the mathematical midpoint of summer? Yeah, it might feel like the dog days are taking a lot out of you, but the best way to fight the summer slump is to soak it all up, because before long it’ll be dark at 4 p.m. and you’ll be missing these days.

So keep the sunscreen handy and tell the back-to-school sales to go back where they came from: Here’s how to make the most out of the second half of summer.

Blockbusters under the sky

See a cinematic superhero in a superappropriate setting. “Aquaman” is playing by the ocean at Rockaway Beach. Sunday, Aug. 11 at 8 p.m. on the Boardwalk at 94th Street Plaza; NYCGovParks.org

If you’d rather watch a more landlocked, more classic movie, head to Bryant Park for a screening of “Coming to America.” Tuesday, Aug. 13, lawn opens at 5 p.m., film shows at dusk. Bryant Park; BryantPark.org

Play time

Bastille Day came and went last month but l’esprit d’été lives on: The newly reopened bathhouse at Jacob Riis Beach is hosting a doubles tournament in pétanque (basically French bocce). The super boule features a custom-made course — and prizes. $25-$32 to enter. Saturday, Aug. 17, matches start at 1 p.m. Jacob Riis Park Beach Bazaar, 16702 Rockaway Beach Blvd., Queens; RiisParkBeachBazaar.com

No-auto zone

Pedestrians way outnumber cars in the city, so it’s about time they reclaimed the streets . . . for a few hours, at least. The annual NYC Summer Streets returns two more times, banishing cars from the 7-mile stretch of Park Avenue from Brooklyn Bridge to Central Park and handing the road over to joggers, walkers, cyclists and free-to-roam children instead. Instead of horn-honking cars and exhaust-spewing trucks, these city streets will be filled with free yoga, games, food, music, crafts, a zipline and much more. Saturday, Aug. 10 and Saturday, Aug. 17, 7a.m. to 1 p.m. Park Avenue from Central Park to Brooklyn Bridge; NYC.gov/SummerStreets

Get in the swim

The coolest public city pool may be in the Bronx. It’s in a barge floating off the coast of the Hunts Point section of the borough. The more-than-4,000-square-foot pool also offers splendid views of Manhattan’s skyline. Entry is free, as it is for all city pools, which will remain open through Sept. 8. Open daily, 11 a.m. to 7p.m. Barretto Point Park Pool, Viele Avenue, the Bronx; NYCGovParks.org

Summer jams

When it comes to summer festival fashion, you’ve got the amateur leagues, and then you’ve got Afropunk. Easily the most stylish music festival of the year, Afropunk Festival 2019 returns to Brooklyn this month with headliners Jill Scott, Leon Bridges, Santigold and FKA Twigs plus a lot of other hot up-and-coming acts. $70-$130; Saturday Aug. 24 and Sunday Aug. 25. Commodore Barry Park, Fort Green; Afropunk.com

Fifty summers after he wowed the crowd at Woodstock with his bandmates, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash, David Crosby is a headliner at Americanafest on the Upper West Side. Patty Griffin and Anaïs Mitchell are also on the bill. Saturday Aug. 10 and Sunday Aug. 11, 7:30 p.m. Damrosch Park Bandshell at Lincoln Center, 175 W. 62nd St.; AmericanaMusic.org

Step out

Here’s a festival that would make the tiny town from “Footloose” furious! Billed as New York City’s longest-running free public dance festival, Battery Dance Festival invites 30 dance troupes from 10 countries to perform everything from ballet to traditional Indian dancing. Aug. 11-16, 7 p.m. Robert F. Wagner Jr. Park, 20 Battery Place; BatteryDance.org

Want to be a participant in a dance party? Check out the Tiki Disco, which sets up shop Sunday, Aug. 18, Sunday, Sept. 1 and Sunday, Sept. 15, 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Well, 272 Meserole St., Williamsburg; TikiDisco.com. Or the weekly Mister Sunday party, 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays through Oct. 20, Nowadays, 56-06 Cooper Ave., Ridgewood; MisterSaturdayNight.com

If sweatin’ to the oldies (and by that we mean ’60s soul and garage rock classics) is your thing, famed New York DJ Jonathan Toubin climbs a roof in Bushwick every weekend to spin 45s and sip frozen drinks under the stars, with live bands, too. Sundays through Sept. 1, 8 p.m. Our Wicked Lady, 153 Morgan Ave., Bushwick; NewYorkNightTrain.com

March madness (in August)

New York’s immigrant roots really come out during parade season, and we’ve got a couple to go before the huge West Indian Day parade bookends the season Sept. 2. On Sunday, the Dominican Day march takes over Sixth Avenue from 35th to 56th streets to celebrate La Guerra de la Restauración, which won the country independence from Spain (noon start, DominicanParade.org). On Aug. 18, the India Day Parade celebrates that country’s independence from Great Britain. Parade begins at noon, route runs down Madison Avenue from East 38th Street to East 28th Street; FIANYNJCT.org

Geek out

It’s never too hot for cosplay: The world’s largest queer comic convention, Flame Con NYC, is back for its fifth year, featuring two days of comics, arts, comedy and more from the entire multiverse of LGBTQ fandom along with queer creators behind “X-Men,” “Adventure Time,” “Black Panther” and much more. Tickets from $25. Saturday Aug. 17, noon to 8 p.m. and Sunday Aug. 18, noon to 6 p.m. Sheraton Times Square, 811 Seventh Ave.; FlameCon.org

Bee ready

Celebrate — don’t swat! — our flying friends at two bee-utiful events this month. At Honey Weekend in the Bronx, you can get a firsthand look at all things bees, from candle-making and honey extraction to a chance to dress up like a bee, all while sampling local honey. Tickets $12, free for kids under 6. Aug. 17, 18; 10 a.m. Wave Hill, West 249th Street and Independence Avenue, the Bronx; WaveHill.org

Or head to Governors Island for the National Honeybee Day celebration to learn what goes on inside a beehive and meet the bees who make the sweet stuff. Aug. 17, noon. Governors Island; GovIsland.com

Upward dog

The dog days of summer aren’t complete without actual dogs. Bring your book and your pooch to Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Pup-Up Reading Room to browse a curated collection of books that explore the bond between humans and canines. Expect giveaways, goodies and very good dogs. Aug. 17, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., Brooklyn Bridge Park Pier 3, 334 Furman St., Brooklyn Heights; BrooklynBridgePark.org

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