Irish Dance Festival, MAMAPALOOZA and More Make Up 2014 Summer on the Hudson in Riverside Park Season

NYC Parks and Summer on the Hudson are pleased to announce the 2014 season of events in Riverside Park from 59th Street to 148th Street.

All of your favorite festivals are back plus NYC Parks will be teaming up with Rasaad Newsome to present the King of Arms Ball II. Everyone is welcome to the weekly music and dance events and movie showings will begin in July. See it all (and download the pdf) at www.nyc.gov/parks/soh.

A list of Summer on Hudson events follows:

On Sunday, May 4 from 1-7PM at Pier 1 at 70th Street, the Irish Arts Center returns to the park with its 13th annual day-long Irish Dance Festival featuring performances by hundreds of the best Irish dancers, with opportunities for the whole family to join in. www.irishartscenter.org

On Sunday, May 18 from 12-5PM at Pier 1 at 70th Street, come to the 11th Annual Mamapalooza Outdoor Extravaganza. Celebrate mothers and the people who love them at our annual music and art-filled festival featuring family bands, kids activities, Gymboree Play Tent, crafts, eco-environmental information, food, vendors, interactive fun, and more! Everyone welcome.

Thursdays May 22-June 26 from 10:30-11:00am at Locomotive Lawn at 61st, come to Locomotive Lawn Live. songs for seeds is a rockin' music class that encourages kids to dance, play, and sing along with a live band.

Tuesdays May 22-June 26 from 6:30-7:30pm at far end pier 1, Jay Andors (KPA-CTP) of NY Clicker Training and Lauren Wojcik (KPA-CTP) of Lauren's Leash lead a 6-week training seminar that will give you foundation skills for a lifetime of good dog behavior. For the first session leave your dog at home. Pre-registration and NYC dog license required - call 212.408.0219.

On Sundays May 4-August 17 at 8:00am at West 89th Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument Plaza, join Silvana Pizzuti to learn and practice Tai Chi, a slow moving martial art with health benefits for all fitness levels.

Teens 13-17 hit the Beach Volleyball Courts in Riverside Park on Wednesdays May 7-July 30 from 5-7pm for instructional clinics and open play. For more information please call 212.408.0296.

May 24th's nature walk will start at the 79th Street Boat Basin and will explore the trees and birds along the river to the gardens at West 91st Street. The walk will talk place from 9:30-11:00am.

Come have a family play date with your children and bring friends to this outdoor kiddie party featuring children's entertainment, arts & crafts, and neighborhood fun on the second Saturday of the month from 1-4pm at 125th and Marginal Streets.

On May 10, Community Works will feature book-reading, discussion, and game-playing.

Dances for a Variable Population; multigenerational dance, the season's spotlight company, presents workshops and Solstice Steps, a performance featuring special guests. Seniors especially welcome! Workshops will take place May 16, July 18, and August 15 from 6-7pm at 125th & Marginal Sts.

Bring a bag of yummies and eat lunch while drinking in the reverberations on the last Friday of the month from 12-1pm at 130th & Marginal Sts. May 30 will feature Sonnet Man, in which Devin Glover sets Shakespeare's love sonnets to Hip Hop

Shape Up NYC (a NYC Parks program in partnership with Equinox, NYC Service, and Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield) offers free fitness classes to help New Yorkers get and stay fit Saturdays, May 3- September 27 at 11am at 125th & Marginal Sts.

West Coast Swing, a partner dance fusing elements of slow Lindy Hop, Salsa, and booty-shakin', can be danced to R&B, pop, rock, hip hop, and blues! Come dance from 6-9 pm and get a lesson at 7 pm! West Coast Swing will take place Saturdays starting May 31 at 125th & Marginal Sts.

Muna Tseng Dance Projects' newly commissioned choreography engages with Chuck Ginnever's monumental steel sculptures, Medusa and High Rise, overlooking the Hudson River, its metal ice breakers, and the GeorgeWashington Bridge. Performances are co-sponsored by NYC Parks and the Cynthia-Reeves Gallery in association with Gayle Maxon. Performances take place Saturdays, May 17 and 24 at 7pm at 145th St. Lawn

Musical Directions brings you Sweet Spot, a family-friendly gathering of community, cultures and music lovers of all ages, featuring Reggae, Soulful House, Disco and Afro-Beat spun by a rotating collection of North America's most renowned sound architects. Sweet Spot will take place Sunday, May 25 from 2-9pm at the Pier at 125th & Marginal Sts.

New riders 5 years and up will learn to balance, ride, and enjoy life on two wheels. A limited number of kids bikes will be lent by Bike and Roll NYC. Reservations are required, please call (212) 870.2080 First come, first trained; there may be a wait. The event will take place Saturday, May 31 from 11am-4pm at 135th St. and the Greenway (under the highway).

Summer on the Hudson is Riverside Park's annual outdoor arts and culture festival that takes place from 59th Street to 153rd Street along the Hudson River and features a mix of music concerts, dance performances, movies showings, DJ dance parties, kids shows, special day long events, wellness activities, and more. All programs and events are free to the public and no registration is required unless noted. Summer on the Hudson is supported by the NYC Parks Department and the Riverside Park Conservancy.