Things to do / Travel Guide
February
Stand and gape at the finest, newest, and best yachts and personal watercraft at the annual Long Island Boat Show. The Long Island Boat Show takes place at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale.
March
Eating at Long Island's swankiest restaurants becomes more affordable during the Hamptons Restaurant Week around the end of March and beginning of April. Participating restaurants on the East End of Long Island offer three-course prixe fixe meals for about half the usual price.
April
Strumming their way to the people, the yearly Long Island Guitar Festival held at Long Island University features guitar workshops, master classes, as well as performances by well-known international guitarists such as Arthur Kampela and Carlo Domeniconi.
June
Don't miss the sweet Strawberry Festival in the North Fork town of Mattituck featuring strawberry concoctions of every variety, raffles, carnival rides, and the Strawberry Festival Queen Crowning.
July
14,000 film fanatics flock to the Stony Brook Film Festival at Long Island's Staller Center for the Arts. Premieres of films with star-studded casts and critically-acclaimed independent films are shown and prestigious awards granted to the festival's best.
For a 4th of July pyrotechnic extravaganza head to Jones Beach State Park for the North Fork Bank Star Spangled Blast. The fireworks show (Long Island's largest) usually starts around 9 p.m.
If you're in the mood to hob-knob with the rich and famous, don't miss the Mercedes-Benz Polo Challenge held yearly at the Bridgehampton Polo Club. Billy Joel and Paris Hilton have been seen among the spectators, so pack a gourmet picnic, dress to the nines, and you'll likely fit right in.
August
An exquisite equestrian exhibition, the Hampton Classic Horse Show in Bridgehampton draws more than 60,000 spectators to watch 1,300 horses and riders compete in one of the largest hunter/jump competitions in the United States.
A whale of an event, the Sag Harbor Harborfest commemorates Sag Harbor's once booming whaling industry, with whaleboat races, food and wine tastings, historic tours, and the Sag Harbor Charity Cup Challenge, an historic American's Cup sailing yacht race.
September
Sing, dance, and pray with one of the oldest self-governing tribes in the United States at the Shinnecock Pow Wow. This colorful harvest and Shinnecock heritage hoedown takes place at the Shinnecock Reservation at the East End of Long Island.
October
Boat enthusiasts cruise over to the annual Tobay Beach In-Water Boat Show at the Tobay Beach Marina in Massapequa, NY, to peruse more than 500 of the newest and latest nautical specimens. A free water taxi service is available for tourists arriving by boat.
Steven Spielberg and Julianne Moore are listed among the more prestigious attendees of the yearly Hamptons International Film Festival featuring five days of some of the world's most talented filmmakers. Films are shown at various venues, and the box office is located at the Osborn-Jackson House in East Hampton.
Whether you like ‘em raw, swimming in butter, barbecued, or fried, you'll certainly enjoy Oyster Bay's Oysterfest. Held at Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Park, participants can take part in oyster-eating and oyster-shucking contests, plus maritime exhibits.
December
Chestnuts roasts, Ghost of Christmas Past puppets parade, and Victorian homes open for touring at the Port Jefferson Village; The Charles Dickens Festival is Long Island's longest costumed event.
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