Governors Island

Photographs: Jazz age lawn party: Holly Van Voast; Prince Harry: PA EMPICS/ABACA USA; Governors Island: JAY ZIMMERMAN/CORBIS

May 30 Polo may not be the ideal sport for a recession, but we recommend temporarily shelving your populist ire at the Veuve Clicquot Manhattan Polo Classic. Twenty-four-year-old British military stud Prince Harry of Wales will face off against Argentine polo star and (Ralph Lauren model) Nacho Figueras. Call out your insults and marriage proposals from the bleachers, or spring for VIP tickets ($500–$50,000) and pretend you’re a member of the aristocracy. FREE South Island Field (vcseason.com). 3–4pm.

Starting June 5 Biking in Manhattan can be harrowing when you’re avoiding car-door death flips, so enjoy a bucolic pedal session on Governors’ 2.2-mile waterfront promenade. Bring your own wheels, or take advantage of Bike and Roll’s “Free Bike Fridays” through October 9: You can borrow a bike for an hour (10am–5pm) at no cost and rent one for cheap ($12–$20) on Saturday or Sunday (10am–6pm). Rental stand is 100 yards to the left of the ferry (bikeandroll.com, 212-260-0400).

June 6, 7 Dust off your seersucker suits and cloche hats! The fourth annual Jazz Age Lawn Party may have lost state funding, but the mood will still strive for pre-Depression decadence. Michael Arenella and his Dreamland Orchestra resurrect the ghost of Jay Gatsby with hot jazz music from the Roaring ’20s, and there’s plenty to do off the dance floor, too: Silently judge your favorite period headgear during the “Parade of Hats,” listen to readings by the F. Scott Fitzgerald Society, compete in an old-timey horseshoe game and imbibe Prohibition-era cocktails. Follow the music to Colonels’ Row (dreamlandorchestra.com). 11am–6pm, $5.

June 12–14 Consider Figment Art Festival a Burning Man for the urban set. The imagination celebration will feature upwards of 400 projects by more than 1,000 artists—not to mention the eventgoers, whom Figment organizers prefer to think of as participants instead of attendees. You’ll find installations like a massive orange cone with an LED beacon attached to the top, a 30-foot dragon sculpture made from found furniture and an 18-hole golf course with a built-in “hole in one.” FREE Throughout the island (figmentnyc.org). June 12 10am–5pm; June 13, 14 10am–7pm.

June 21 Make Music New York turns the volume back up for its second “Punk Island” festival. More than 70 punk bands will play a dozen stages, each tailored to specific acts (all-girl, ska, etc.) Don’t miss one-time CBGB staple Reagan Youth, buccaneer band Captain Ronzo & the Thirsty Pirates, and Star Fucking Hipsters, a politically active outfit comprising East Village squatters. After you’re done moshing, check out the Worship Skateboards’ half-pipe, where pros inlcluding Mat Stevenson will demo their skills. FREE (917-779-9709, makemusicny.org/punkisland). 11am–5pm.

Opens July 4 Wlliamsburg’s McCarren Park Pool is being converted back from cool-kid hangout to public swimming facility, but the Beach at Governors Island might be your next-best spot for open-air rockin’. On weekends when there are no concerts scheduled, come for the DJs and beers. No word yet on the possibility of a Slip ’N Slide. (212-307-7171). Visit nywatertaxi.com for fares and schedule information, and govislandconcerts.com for more info. Fri 4pm–2am; Sat, Sun 11am–2am.

August 8 It might be kid-friendly, but The African Film Festival’s Family Day Celebration offers plenty to do even if you’re not carrying around a tiny, drooling person. A menagerie of African short flicks will screen in the island’s St. Cornelius Chapel, and you can also sample cuisine from the continent, like Senegalese thiebou diene (a rice bowl served with fish). Or, take a free African dance class, including Senegalese Sabar dance and drum (2:30–3:45pm), which event director Mahen Bonetti compares to “jumping on hot coals.” FREE Follow the chalk arrows to Colonels’ Row (212-352-1720). Noon–6pm.

August 8, 9 Considering the head-to-toe woolen uniforms that Union and Confederate soldiers will don for Civil War Living History Weekend, you might wonder if Sherman’s March to the Sea was actually a ploy to get closer to beach balls and thongs. Dozens of volunteer Civil War enthusiasts will roam the island in full regalia, behaving as if the war never ended. In addition to an artillery demo near Fort Jay, you’ll be able to interact with jailed Confederates and the odd soldier roasting meat on a bayonet. Hey, you gotta BBQ however you can. FREE Throughout the island (212-825-3045, nps.gov/gois). Sat 11am–4pm, Sun 11am–3pm.

See more Islandhopping

More in Own This City