30 Fun Things to Do on Long Island this August

Our list of fun things to do on Long Island this August includes low-cost and free family shows, festivals, and more in Bellmore, Centerport, Cold Spring Harbor, East Islip, Garden City, Great Neck, Huntington, Old Westbury, Port Washington, Riverhead, and beyond.

Jester Jim

Aug. 11 in Wildwood State Park, off Hulse Landing Road in Wading River

With his hallmark orange T-shirt, Jester Jim is short on props but long on personality. His comical shows will keep the entire family in stitches. FREE!

Summer Arts Festival

Heckscher Park, Huntington
Aug. 7

Members of the Long Island Ballet Theatre will illuminate the night at the Huntington Arts Council’s Summer Arts Festival, where they will present a mixed program of contemporary and classical work including excerpts from their original production of Alice in Wonderland. FREE!

National Circus Project: ‘Solo Circus’

Long Island Children’s Museum, Garden City
Thursdays, Aug. 1-29

Summer wouldn’t be complete without a circus, and the National Circus Project: Solo Circus does not disappoint. A single professional performer entertains the audience with various circus antics—plate or ball juggling, unicycle riding, and other artistry skills. No one can keep a straight face during this performance, so be prepared to laugh a lot.

Green Teens

Long Island Children’s Museum, Garden City
Aug. 1-23: Monday-Friday

Green Teens is an environmental education program at the Long Island Children’s Museum that trains high school students to become outdoor educators. Each week, Green Teens members lead visitors through an activity, craft, or game with a different nature-related theme. Kids learn fun ways to help the environment, enjoy a variety of outdoor experiences, and try their hands at cooking, crafts, and other science activities.

‘My Way’

The Showplace at Bellmore Movies, Bellmore
Aug. 11

Plaza Theatrical Productions presents My Way, a musical tribute that celebrates the musical legacy of entertainment icon Frank Sinatra. The show’s score, full of songs made famous by Sinatra, are bound to make you reminisce. Who can resist such classics as “Fly Me to the Moon,” “I Only Have Eyes for You,” “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” “New York, New York,” and the world-renowned “I’ll Do It My Way?”

Darlene Graham and the Shades of Green Band in Concert

Great Neck Library, Great Neck
Aug. 13

Darlene Graham and the Shades of Green Band present a concert that kids will love. Children respond enthusiastically to Graham’s velvety voice and the band’s pop-country rhythms and the Celtic-rock beats. It’s a high-energy, interactive show that will keep everyone rap tap tappin’! FREE!

The Al E. Gator Variety Show

The Suffolk Theater, Riverhead
Aug. 17

The Al E. Gator Variety Show is a musical puppet and marionette show featuring talented gnomes, a roller skater, a puppet choir, and more. Al E. Gator hosts this quirky talent show perfect for ages 2-10. Lunch is available for an extra fee.

Bari Koral Family Rock Band in Concert

North Hempstead Beach Park, Port Washington
Aug. 18

Kids should get ready to sing and dance at a concert with the Bari Koral Family Rock Band. Koral performs simple and tuneful songs from her pop-rock collection in an interactive live show where kids get to “pop like popcorn,” “surf the waves,” and “run like the Gingerbread Man.” Koral’s spirited performances have gained the band thousands of young (and not so young) fans across the country.

Turtle Hatch Day

Cold Spring Harbor Fish Hatchery & Aquarium, Cold Spring Harbor
Aug. 24

Help the Cold Fish Hatchery & Aquarium celebrate the hatching of its baby turtles at Turtle Hatch Day. Staff members provide answers to your questions, refreshments will be available, and children can make a turtle craft as part of the day’s activities.

Scottish Festival and Games

Old Westbury Gardens, Old Westbury
Aug. 24

The bagpipes are calling and the Scots are coming to town in full regalia. Don’t miss the 53rd annual Scottish Festival and Games, which features concerts, caber toss, bagpipes, highland dancing, vendors selling Scottish fabrics, an auto show, and authentic foods and gifts for sale. The Long Island Scottish Clan MacDuff, co-host of the event, always provides lots of entertainment during this festival. Be sure to catch the Grand Opening Ceremony at 12:30pm as the bagpipers march down the North Lawn to open the games.

End of Summer Sea-lebration

Cold Spring Harbor Whaling Museum and Cold Spring Harbor Fish Hatchery & Aquarium
Aug. 28

Summer is coming to an end, but there are still a few fun events left before school starts. Take your kids to the End of Summer Sea-lebration, co-hosted by Cold Spring Harbor Whaling Museum and Cold Spring Harbor Fish Hatchery & Aquarium. Families will enjoy a day celebrating the world of water by racing through the sprinkler, playing with bubbles, going on a scavenger hunt, and making colorful crafts.

Tots Cooking Classes

Garden of Eve Farm, Riverhead
Wednesdays in August

What could be more delicious than a small fry in the kitchen? At Garden of Eve’s Tots Cooking Classes, children ages 2-6 take a tour of the farm to learn about how produce grows and to gather the ingredients necessary to make a healthy and tasty dish. These mini-chefs then head back to the farm market to create something from the day’s harvest. Each class focuses on a different dish or ingredient, such as pasta (Aug. 7), jam (Aug. 14), fruit pies (Aug. 21), and fresh veggies (Aug. 28).

Family Shows: Movies, Concerts, and Theater

Across Long Island
Throughout August

Catch family-friendly outdoor concerts, outdoor movie screenings, or indoor (air-conditioned!) shows at parks and theaters across the Island this month.