Its summer, yea!! Summer means the beach, the pool, air-conditioned museums, but best of all, fantastic festivals. Here is a short list of some of the city’s most exciting outdoor parties.

* In the “free department” is the Madison Square Park Kids Concerts. Beginning already in June, these high-quality, high entertainment value shows will continue throughout July every Tuesday and Thursday until August 5th. Well worth the effort, and not to mention the price.

Adventures NYC

* In Central Park, at the band-shell, kids and their families can experience the fun of the great outdoors without leaving town. Kayaking, fishing lessons and a rock climbing zone will enthrall kids of all ages. There will also be an opportunity to meet the NY Liberty basketball team. Live music free bike rentals and bike helmet giveaways make Adventures NYC an amazing activity for families. Even more amazing, it’s all absolutely free.

* Bryant Park Summer Film Festival is another free activity which presents movies on a weekly basis every Monday all summer long. See flicks like the 1940 “The Mark of Zorro,” “Karate Kid,” and “Lover Come Back.” The lawn opens up at 5pm and the film begins as the sun sets.

The month of May is a great time to be in New York if you are an arts fan. Coming our way are at least four, brand new outdoor exhibits for some wonderful new work by some major artists. Enjoy their stunning creations while soaking up some of nature’s greatest creations, the warm, springtime sunshine.  Along with the al-fresco displays are accompanying indoor exhibits which are related in style, theme or materials.

•    Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads– This is Ai Weiwei’s latest public installation, which can be said to be following the lead of ‘The Gates’ by Christo and ‘Waterfalls’ by Olafur Eliasson.  Weiwei was arrested last month by the Chinese government, so he will not be able to attend the opening , which will take place at the Pulitzer Fountain in Grand Army Plaza, (59th and Fifth adjacent to the Plaza Hotel.) The opening is scheduled for May 2, where you can see the installation, which was inspired by the fountain-clock of the Yuanming Yuan, which was an 18th century imperial retreat on the outskirts of Beijing.

•    I Had a Vision- This is the latest from Martin Kippenberger. Opening on May 7th at Luhring Augustine, this display is culled from shows in San Francisco in 1991 and another show in Vienna of the same year, and takes its name from the catalog that accompanied that San Francisco show.  You may see a dumpster full of broken paintings, or an abandoned tunnel, among other things.

•    Echo- this is by far the largest sculpture on display this month. Its reflective surface on a 44-foot-high fiberglass reinforced plastic bust is the work of the Spanish artist Jaume Plensa, and portrays the head and neck of a nine year old girl. You can see this amazing artwork beginning on May 5 at Madison Square Park, where it will rival the surrounding trees by its size.