Summer guide: This season's hottest events

With this year's long string of wintry weather, the summer season could not have arrived a beat earlier.

Alongside the re-emergence of the sun comes a serious lineup of concerts, film screenings, outdoor festivals and other events galore. Here are some ideas for filling the next few months with all the sound and color that the city has to offer.

JUNE

4. Get up close and personal with actor Kevin Bacon as he chats about his current role in Fox's "The Following." (Paley Center for Media, $25-$35, paleycenter.org)

5. Brooklyn-based dance troupe LAVA performs its latest boundary-pushing production, "The Rocks," featuring an exploration of the female form in movement. (BAM Fisher, Fort Greene, $25, lavabrooklyn.org; through June 9)

6. It wouldn't be summer without a Dave Matthews Band concert: The band hits the area for an outdoor show. (PNC Bank Arts Center, New Jersey, $40.50-$75, 732-203-2500)

7. The Governors Ball Music Festival is three days of nonstop music from big names like Kanye West, Guns N' Roses and Kings of Leon. (Randall's Island, $95 (day pass) - $220 (3-day pass), governorsballmusicfestival.com; through June 9)

8. At the Big Apple Barbecue Block Party, New Yorkers can chow down on award-winning BBQ for $9 a plate, all while swinging to the tunes of live rock and country bands. (Madison Square Park, FREE admission, bigapplebbq.org; through June 9)

9. A slick Neil Patrick Harris returns as host of the Tony Awards for the fourth time, with a huge simulcast of Broadway's biggest night taking over Times Square. (Times Square, FREE, tonyawards.com)

10. Paul McCartney has certainly still got it: Go see him rock out in Brooklyn. (Barclays Center, $69.50-$304.50, barclayscenter.com; also June 8)

11. The 35th annual Museum Mile Festival is a huge block party that includes free access to 10 top museums. (Fifth Ave. from 82nd St. to 105th St., FREE, museummilefestival.org)

14. Step outside the movie theater: The Rooftop Films Summer Series offers flicks, some of which are free, at outdoor locations across the city throughout the summer. (Rooftopfilms.com, through Aug. 17)

16. Bang on a Can Marathon is a nine-hour extravaganza of diverse musical stylings. (Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts at Pace University, FREE, bangonacan.org)

18. The hotly anticipated outdoor free theater experience Shakespeare in the Park is back with two shows: "The Comedy of Errors" and "Love's Labour's Lost," a modern, musical spin on the Bard classic. Preview and opening dates vary; tickets on a first-come, first-served basis. (Central Park's Delacorte Theater, FREE, shakespeareinthepark.org; through Aug. 18)

19. Get your dancing shoes ready for ¡Arriba! -- a series of community dance parties on the High Line featuring local Latin tunes. (The High Line, FREE, thehighline.org; also on July 24 and Aug. 21)

21. From 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on this longest day of the year, the city's streets and stoops, plazas and even cemeteries, awaken with the sound of 1,000-plus free outdoor concerts during Make Music New York. (FREE, makemusicny.org)

22. Thanks to a Kickstarter donation campaign that was necessary after Superstorm Sandy, the annual Coney Island Mermaid Parade will go on this year as planned, with what's sure to be a fantastic display of costumes and cheer. (Starts at W. 21st St. and Surf Ave. in Coney Island, FREE, coneyisland.com)

23. There's no party like a bacon-tasting party. Celebrating the "candy of meats," the second annual Bacon Bash features bacon-inspired dishes from local eateries. Don't worry about quenching your thirst, too: Bacon beer and bacon vodka are on the menu. (Bowlmor Times Square, $35-$45, iadventure.com)

27. Check out "Scrim Veil - Black Rectangle - Natural Light," an installation by Robert Irwin, an artist of the Light and Space movement. (Whitney Museum of American Art, FREE-$20, whitney.org; through Sept. 1)

29. Dance, music and art come together at MoMA PS1's Warm Up, a weekly outdoor music series. (MoMA PS1, Long Island City, $15-$18, momaps1.org; Saturdays through Sept. 7)

30. Show off your LGBTQ pride at the annual Pride March, which has been a part of the city's culture since 1970. A bevy of other pride-related events are taking place in the days leading up to the march. (Starts at 36th St. and Fifth Ave., FREE, nycpride.org)

JULY

4. Celebrate the birth of these here United States with some good old American fare at Nathan's Famous Hot Dog-Eating Contest (Coney Island, FREE, nathansfamous.com), then top it off with Macy's Annual Fourth of July Fireworks (macys.com/fireworks).

10. Enjoy classy tunes on the green courtesy of the New York Philharmonic's Concerts in the Parks series. (Various locations, FREE, nyphil.org; through Jul. 16)

11. Brooklyn Bridge Park's Syfy Movies with a View series kicks off with a classic that never gets old: "E.T." (Brooklyn Bridge Park, Brooklyn Heights, FREE, brooklynbridgepark.org; Thursdays through Aug. 29)

14. Bastille Day on 60th Street gathers together the crème de la crème of French culture in the city for live music, cheese and crepes. Ooh la la! (Between Fifth and Lexington Aves., FREE, bastilledayny.com)

16. It's not over until the fat lady sings in all five boroughs ... during the Metropolitan Opera Summer Recital Series. (Various locations, FREE, metoperafamily.org; through Aug. 1)

19. You'll want to pull out the suit and tie for Justin Timberlake and Jay-Z's show. (Yankee Stadium, $49-$279.50; also Jul. 20)

22. fun. and Tegan and Sara meet for an indie fusion of youthful sound. (Hudson River Park's Pier 26, $42.50; also Jul. 23)

24. Music, dance and spoken word collide for three straight weeks at Lincoln Center Out of Doors. (Lincoln Center, FREE, lcoutofdoors.org; through Aug. 11)

NJ's finest band-- Bon Jovi -- is back home for two nights on its Because We Can Tour. (MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, $19.50-$575, metlifestadium.com; also July 27)

27. A diverse neighborhood shows its stripes during Harlem Week (which lasts for more than a week) a celebration of its vibrant history. (Across Harlem, FREE, harlemweek.com; through Aug. 24)

28. More than 50 poetry organizations and 200 poets descend on Governors Island for the New York City Poetry Festival. (Governors Island, FREE, poetrysocietyny.org)

AUGUST

3. Beyoncé will grace the city with her "Bootylicious" presence during her three-day Mrs. Carter Show Tour stop. (Barclays Center, $49.50-$254.50, barclayscenter.com; through Aug. 5)

6. The Ballet v6.0 Festival shines light on small, independent performance companies. (Joyce Theater, $10-$39, joyce.org; through Aug. 17)

9. Enjoy a breath of fresh theater-minded air at the New York International Fringe Festival, an alternative to the bigger playbills of the city. (Various locations, $10-$18, fringenyc.org; through Aug. 25)

10. Sound isn't just for the musicians anymore, as MoMA shows us with its cool exhibit "Soundings: A Contemporary Score." (Museum of Modern Art, $14-$25; through Nov. 3)

17. Lingering Gatsby fever will make this summer's Jazz Age Lawn Party the hottest yet. (Governors Island, $30-$35, dreamlandorchestra.com; also Aug. 18)

26. The world's tennis all-stars hit the courts for the U.S. Open Tennis Championships. If you're not a huge tennis fan, celebrity stalking in the stands could be a sport all on its own. (usopen.org, through Sept. 9)

30. Dress code at the Electric Zoo Music Festival: neon and sparkles, no shirt required. (Randall's Island Park, $249-$1,199 for various day and three-day passes, madeevent.com/ElectricZoo; through Sept. 1)

31. Madness on one wheel rolls through the NYC Unicycle Festival, where seasoned riders and first-timers alike take the handlebars in a series of races, competitions and exhibits. (Governors Island, FREE, nycunifest.com; also Sept. 1) (with Julie Gordon)