May 29, 2026 · Updated May 29, 2026
Nassau County's north shore fills its June calendar with free outdoor concerts at North Hempstead Beach Park, the 52nd annual Long Island Bavarian Festival in Franklin Square, a three-day international food festival in Deer Park, a traveling carnival at Suffolk County Community College, and the Empire State Fair opening in Uniondale the last weekend of the month.
Nassau County's north shore has a packed June and early July calendar: free outdoor concerts at North Hempstead Beach Park, a long-running German festival in Franklin Square, a three-day food festival in Deer Park, an 11-day traveling carnival, and the Empire State Fair anchoring the last weekend of June. Here are six events worth putting on your calendar.
The summer concert series run by the Town of North Hempstead has become a fixture on the local calendar, drawing families to the town's waterfront and park settings for free Thursday night shows that run through most of the season. Two of the strongest June bookings fall within a week of each other.
Thursday, June 17 | 7:30 p.m. | North Hempstead Beach Park Amphitheatre
The town's summer concert series opens one of its more anticipated evenings with Genessa and The Selena Experience, a tribute act performing the catalog of Selena Quintanilla. The show is free and open to the public. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Parking at the park is limited on concert nights; arriving by 6 p.m. or carpooling from nearby commercial areas gives you better odds on a spot without a long walk.
Thursday, June 24 | 7:30 p.m. | Whitney Pond Park, Port Washington
The following week, the series moves to Whitney Pond Park in Port Washington with The Remedy, a rhythmic top-40, rock, and country act. The lawn setting works for blanket-and-chair crowds, and the Port Washington location makes it a natural extension of an evening that starts with dinner nearby. Admission is free.
June 13-14 | Plattduetsche Park Restaurant, 1132 Hempstead Tpke, Franklin Square
The 52nd annual Long Island Bavarian Festival returns to Plattduetsche Park Restaurant for a weekend of German food, imported beer, live polka and traditional music, and a street-fair atmosphere that draws families from across Nassau County. The event has run for more than five decades, making it one of the few large-scale cultural festivals on Long Island with a genuine multigenerational following. Tickets are sold at the gate.
June 19-21 | Deer Park
The Famous Food Festival lands in Deer Park for a three-day run under the theme "Taste the World," with vendors covering a range of international cuisines alongside live entertainment and outdoor seating. The festival has operated at multiple Long Island locations in recent years. Vendor lineups and ticketing information are posted on the event's website in the two weeks before opening day.
June 11-21 | Suffolk County Community College, Selden
The Long Island FunFest carnival sets up at the Suffolk County Community College campus in Selden for an 11-day run with rides, games, and food stands. A companion carnival operates simultaneously at Smith Haven Mall in Lake Grove, giving families on both sides of central Long Island a nearby option. Wristband pricing and daily hours are posted at the Dreamland Amusements website.
June 26 through July 19 | Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale
The Empire State Fair opens the last weekend of June at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum grounds in Uniondale and runs through the middle of July, spanning the Fourth of July weekend. The fair features rides, multiple live music stages, agricultural exhibits, food competitions, and family entertainment across nearly four weeks. Single-day tickets and multi-day passes are available; military and senior discounts typically apply.
Dates and times reflect current publicly available information. For North Hempstead Beach Park and Whitney Pond Park concerts, check northhempsteadny.gov for any last-minute schedule updates before heading out. Outdoor events on Long Island are subject to weather cancellations, which organizers announce through their websites and social media channels.
