FIREWORKS? They’re so last year.
Movies? Shopping? Not exactly exciting.
But there’s plenty to do today. Hear some music, dance in the streets or cruise New York Harbor. Here are our picks for a festive Fourth.
* Central Park’s SummerStage presents the “universe of funk and interplanetary jazz” of Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe and Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews, and a deejay set by Vikter Duplaix. Central Park’s Rumsey Playfield, 72nd and Fifth Avenue, (212) 360-2777; 3 p.m., free.
* Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz Orchestra of Lincoln Center will be at Battery Park’s Fourth of July Concert, along with Arturo O’Farrill and the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra, and the Juilliard Jazz Ensemble. The lawn at Battery Park, (212) 835-2789; 2:30 p.m., free.
* Music at the Piers features Total Remix, playing covers from the ’60s to the present at Pier 62, 23rd Street at the Hudson River, (212) 336-6861; noon to 4 p.m., free.
* Luis Fonsi, Latino pop ballad and R&B star, performs tonight at Sam Goody’s free “Home Before Midnight Concert Series.” South Street Seaport, Pier 17, (212) SEAPORT; 6 to 8 p.m.
* Move your feet at Lincoln Center Midsummer Night Swing’s disco and funk night. Roy Ayers’ band, Ubiquity, and deejay Bobby Morales’ disco set are the double bill.
The $12 admission fee includes access to the dance floor and lessons. The overflow crowd dances on the Plaza for free. Lincoln Center, Josie Robertson Plaza, Columbus Avenue at 63rd Street, (212) 875-5456; dancing, 8 to 10 p.m.; tickets go on sale at 5:45 p.m.
* Got a hankering for the highbrow? Try the “Wall Street Rising’s Art Downtown” exhibit, a self-guided walking tour of galleries in five magnificent downtown buildings, showcasing works by Jeff Koons, Julian Schnabel, Andy Warhol and Robert Mapplethorpe. Pick up a map at any of the stops and see 17 million bucks worth of art – for free. Start at 48 Wall Street, between Pearl and William streets, (212) 509-0300; galleries open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., through Sept. 15.
* If you’re not sure when New York entered the Union, the 50-Round Gun Salute is for you. The Veterans Corps of Artillery will fire its traditional salute and there’ll be a out-loud recitation of the 50 states, in the order in which they joined the Union. Then there’ll be a flag-raising ceremony inside Castle Clinton, where the Stars and Stripes were raised after the British troops were defeated on Nov. 25, 1783. The Esplanade at Battery Park, (212) 249-3919; 11 a.m.
* A 90-minute guided Wall Street Walking Tour covers some historic events and architecture downtown. Meet on the steps of the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian. One Bowling Green Street, (212) 606-4064; noon, free.
* See how the revolutionaries lived it up on Big Onion Tours’ Revolutionary New York walking tour. This two-hour tour includes a refreshment stop at Fraunces Tavern. Broadway and Murray Street, the entrance to City Hall Park, (212) 439-1090; meet at 1 p.m.; $12 for adults, $10 for kids and seniors.
* Enjoy musical entertainment and food booths at the all-day Annual Outdoor Fair at Pier 17. South Street Seaport, (212) SEAPORT; 11 a.m. to 2 a.m.
* The annual Great July 4th Festival street fair has music, food, cultural and corporate displays, and crafts. Water Street, from State to Fulton streets, (212) 809-4900; 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
* Cornelia Street Cafe in Greenwich Village is throwing an old-fashioned block party with music, food, dancing and lawn chairs for the pooped. Bleecker and Fourth streets, (212) 989-9319; noon to 5 p.m.
* If you’re feeling untraditionally patriotic, head to off-off-Broadway for the premiere of “No Meat No Irony,” complete with waterworks instead of fireworks, and veggie burgers and tofu dogs on the barbie. Ohio Theater, 66 Wooster St. between Spring and Broome streets, (212) 966-4844; reserved tickets $15, 6 p.m.
* The day wouldn’t be complete without the annual Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest. Watch Japan’s Takeru Kobayashi defend his title against competitors, including Long Island’s Eric Booker, who set a hot-dog-eating record at the qualifying round. It’s sure to be an appetizing event. 1310 Surf Avenue at Stillwell Avenue, Coney Island, (212) 627-5766; warm-up activities, 11 a.m.; contest, noon.
* If fireworks aren’t your thing, but you do like pretty lights, head to Nam June Paik’s “Transmission” laser light show in Rockefeller Center. By day, the rungs of a radio tower erected for the show glow with neon lights, but from dusk until midnight, colorful laser beams rocket from the top of the tower and ricochet through the streets. Rockefeller Center, 49th and 50th streets and Fifth and Sixth avenues; through Sept. 2.
* Two cruises around New York Harbor offer dinner, an open bar, entertainment, and breathtaking views of the fireworks. The South Street Seaport Museum’s Pioneer Cruise departs from Pier 16. South Street Seaport at Fulton Street, (212) 748-8744; boards at 5:40 p.m., sails 6 to 11 p.m.; $200 per person.
* Cloud Nine’s 4th of July Fireworks Cruise departs from the New York Skyport Marina. 23rd Street and East River, (212) 248-3800; boards at 6 p.m., sails 6:30 to 11 p.m.; $175 for adults, half-price for kids.
