Point Lookout Events: A Year on the Island

The photo at the top is a Point Realty drone photograph of Point Lookout. The other pictures in this post are illustrations, not photographs of Point Lookout events.

Point Lookout's calendar runs all year, from the Leprechaun Crawl in March to the Santa Run on Christmas Eve. Much of it is put on by three groups: the Point Lookout Civic Association (the Welcome to Summer party, Children's Day, the beach concerts and the Halloween parade), the Town of Hempstead (the fireworks and the free concerts at Town Park), and the fire department, which sponsors the Fourth of July parade that the Civic Association posts. Dates change from year to year, so each section below says who posts them.

Clubs, leagues and studios have their own post, Things to Do in Point Lookout. This one is the calendar, season by season.

Spring: the Leprechaun Crawl and the air show

In 2026 the Chamber of Commerce's Leprechaun Crawl came in mid-March, an afternoon hop between four spots in town, costumes encouraged.

Jones Beach sits just across Jones Inlet, and the air show is flown off its beachfront a few miles east. Plenty of locals watch it from the beach here. The FourLeaf Air Show, long known as the Bethpage Air Show, is normally held on Memorial Day weekend. In 2026 it moved to the July Fourth weekend for the nation's 250th anniversary, so check the air show's own site each spring. If you plan to drive that weekend, the Civic Association warns residents to "anticipate extensive travel delays and possible closure of the Meadowbrook and Loop Parkways on each afternoon of the air show if Jones Beach reaches full capacity." The houses that face the inlet are covered in our guide to living on the inlet.

Early summer: fireworks and the Fourth

The fireworks. Every summer the Town of Hempstead holds its Independence Day concert and fireworks at Town Park Point Lookout, 1300 Lido Blvd, on a Saturday in late June. In recent years the concert has started at 7:30 pm with the fireworks around 9:30. In 2026 the Town also billed the night as a Salute to Veterans. It is free; bring chairs and a picnic. Plan around the roads: per the Civic Association, the Loop Parkway and Lido Blvd are typically closed in all directions from around 9 pm until the show ends around 10:30, with no driving in or out of Point Lookout. In some summers the Town adds a second fireworks show; in 2025 it closed its Labor Day weekend concert with one, and the Civic Association's March 2025 minutes said the parkway would close that night too. Jones Beach's own July Fourth fireworks are a separate State Parks show across the inlet.

The Fourth of July parade. On the Fourth itself, at 10 am, the parade sponsored by the Point Lookout-Lido Fire Department steps off. Participants assemble from 9:30 at the park entrance, and the route, per the Civic Association, "begins heading south down Mineola Avenue and ends heading east down the full length of Lido Blvd." The Civic Association's listing calls it "a small town 4th of July parade for everyone," with brass bands, fire trucks and local organizations, and children welcome to decorate their bicycles and march. Afterward, in the Civic's words, comes "a BBQ to be held at the park," and all are welcome. Lido Blvd and the route are closed to traffic from 10 to 11 am. The blocks along the route are in our guide to Mineola by the park.

Illustration: a small-town summer parade. Not a photograph of the Point Lookout event.

High summer: parties, concerts and the garden

The Welcome to Summer party. On a Saturday evening in mid-July the Civic Association throws its Welcome to Summer party at Civic Beach, by the pavilion, with food and drinks, live music, raffles and a 50/50. The Civic calls it "a beloved tradition for over 50 years." It is open only to active Civic Association members.

Civic concerts at the pavilion. When the Army Corps rebuilt the dunes, the Civic Association planned a new pavilion at Civic Beach to be "a focal point for town events," and it now hosts the Welcome to Summer party. Civic members' dues fund the Association's movie nights at the beach and its concerts, which locals know from evenings at the pavilion. The Civic does not publish a fixed schedule; nights are announced in its members' e-mail and on its Facebook page. Civic Beach itself, free for residents at the east end by the jetty, is explained on our Essentials page.

Town concerts at Town Park. The Town also puts on free Saturday concerts at Town Park through the summer, usually with food trucks, including an Endless Summer show on Labor Day weekend in recent years. The Town's Endless Summer listing puts it simply: "Bring your family, friends, and lawn chairs." The Town's Neighborhood Concert Series also stops at the East Marina, 1501 Lido Blvd, on a Friday evening in summer. Line-ups change every year and are posted at townofhempsteadevents.com (516-670-1050). The houses facing the park are in our guide to living on Parkside.

Illustration: a summer concert on the lawn. Not a photograph of the Point Lookout event.

The Garden Party. A summer Garden Party is part of the local calendar, but the only one we have found in print is the Civic Association's. Its calendar last listed a Garden Party in 2022, in the Point Lookout Community Garden, the Civic's 42-box garden beside the playground and ballfields. That listing promised a party "under the stars" with music and refreshments, asked guests to bring a dish to share, and invited garden members and their friends. It fell on a Saturday evening in August that year. We have not seen a listing since, so we will add the next date here when we have it.

Illustration: a summer garden party table. Not a photograph of the Point Lookout event.

Late August and Labor Day weekend

The Point Lookout Art Show. The Art Show was first held in 1969 by the Point Lookout Community Theatre, and the Chamber of Commerce called it the theatre's last legacy. In the years the Chamber published it, the show took place on a Sunday in late August on Ocean Boulevard at the beach entrance, with artwork, handmade jewelry and Historical Society exhibits, and the Bishop Molloy Recreation Center as the rain site. The Historical Society posted a 2019 show, the latest one we have found online. The Art Show is still part of the local summer, per longtime residents. Dates are posted locally and passed along by word of mouth; we'll add them here when we have them.

Children's Day. The Civic Association dates Children's Day to the early 1930s, and it is now held on Labor Day weekend. The day runs on the beach, with swimming, boogie-board and running races, a sandcastle contest, an egg toss and rides, and ends with dinner and a DJ at the pavilion. The Civic has described it as the summer's farewell to Marybeth's ice cream truck.

Fall: Dance by the Sea and the Halloween parade

Dance by the Sea. Dance by the Sea has been a September evening fundraiser for the Long Island Toy Lending Center, a nonprofit for children with disabilities whose South Shore location is at the East Marina. The 2015 dance, at the Bishop Molloy Recreation Center at Lido Blvd and Parkside Drive, was billed as the 25th. That is the latest listing we have found; dates are posted locally, and we'll add them here when we have them.

The Halloween parade. On a Saturday afternoon in late October the Civic Association's Halloween parade, also listed as the Pumpkin Walk, leaves the Rec Hall in costume and heads down Lido Blvd to what the Civic's listing calls a Halloween party "done in Octoberfest style at the park." In 2025 Marybeth's truck came along.

Winter: the stroll and the Santa Run

In early December the Chamber's Holiday Stroll brings specials to the shops (in 2024 it also had kids' crafts at the library), and the Historical Society holds its Holiday Fair and Poinsettia Sale at the Rec Hall, with Santa. On Christmas Eve the fire department's Santa rides a fire truck to every street.

Every four years: the Spectagala

Once every four years comes the Spectagala, a party that raises money for Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. Ask at the parish (516-432-0045) about the next one. The church, the Rec Hall and the rest of the town's story are on our history page.

Where to find this year's dates

• Civic Association (Welcome to Summer, Children's Day, beach concerts, the Halloween parade, the July Fourth parade listing): pointlookoutcivic.org, its members' e-mail and its Facebook page.
• Town of Hempstead (fireworks, Town Park and East Marina concerts): townofhempsteadevents.com, 516-670-1050.
• Point Lookout-Lido Fire Department (sponsors the July Fourth parade; the Santa Run): watch the Civic calendar, which lists both.
• Chamber of Commerce (the Holiday Stroll, the Leprechaun Crawl, both also listed on the Civic calendar): 516-317-5333.
• Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal parish (the Spectagala): 516-432-0045.
• Everything else (the Art Show, Dance by the Sea, the Garden Party): posted locally and passed along by word of mouth; we'll add dates here when we have them.

Questions people ask

When are the Point Lookout fireworks? The main show is the Town's Independence Day concert and fireworks at Town Park on a Saturday in late June; in some years (2025, for one) the Town's Labor Day weekend concert ends with fireworks too. On the June night, roads in and out close from about 9 pm until the show ends.

Is the Welcome to Summer party open to everyone? No. The Civic Association limits it to active members.

Can you see the Jones Beach Air Show from Point Lookout? Jones Beach sits just across Jones Inlet, and the show is flown off its beachfront a few miles east. Plenty of locals watch it from the beach here. The show is usually on Memorial Day weekend, but 2026 moved to July, so check the air show's site.

When is Children's Day? Labor Day weekend, run by the Civic Association.

Can I drive out of Point Lookout during the parade or fireworks? Not during the closures. Lido Blvd is closed from 10 to 11 am for the July Fourth parade, and the Loop Parkway and Lido Blvd close on the June fireworks night from about 9 pm until the show ends. For the Labor Day weekend show in 2025, the Civic Association reported that the parkway would close as well.

Living here

Most of these happen on Lido Boulevard, in the parks or on the beach. If a summer here appeals, start with our rentals. If you already own here and wonder what the house is worth, ask us, call the office at (516) 476-2009, or stop by 24A Lido Boulevard.