There is so much going on this coming month, you had better have a darn good reason for leaving the Big Apple just as it is coming ripe and ready for you to take a giant, delicious bite.

Shall we start with music?

*On August 1 Herb Alpert and wife, Lani Hall, will perform a mix of Brazilian jazz and classic songs at the Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown, New Jersey.

*August 1-11 Outdoor concerts at Lincoln Center are free and take place in nearby Damrosch Park and the plazas of Lincoln Center, when weather permits.

*Classical music festival from August 1-10 includes concerts, operas, late-night recitals, and world premieres at Mostly Mozart Festival.

*Broadway Hits the Park from August 1-15, on Thursday afternoons at Broadway in Bryant Park. Arrive by 11am to get a seat and watch the pre-show. Completely free.

What about Film?

*The Asian Film Festival takes place from August 1-3 at different locations around town

*August 1-3 are the dates for the Long Beach International Film Festival where 50 films will be screened along with tasting events and parties on Long Island.

*August 2 through September 8 you can catch free movies in parks in all boroughs but Staten Island.

And for something completely different.

*Go see the amazing Dragon-Boat Festival August 3 and 4. You will see 170 dragon-boat teams compete on Meadows Lake. In addition, there will be music, dance, martial arts, folk art and best of all, Chinese food. Its all free at Flushing Meadows Park in Queens.

*From August 10-11 you can go to the Model Train Show at the New Jersey Convention & Exposition Center in Edison, New Jersey. Its free for anyone under 11.

*And my personal favorite: Women Brewing Beer on August 10, from 12pm to 4pm. If you head out to Brooklyn for this event, you will be able to taste beer brewed from 24 women-owned brewers. Billed as Beers without Beards, there will also be food for sale. Open only to adults over 21.

If you want to take in a bit of history and culture while hanging out in the Big Apple this summer, check out different activities occurring at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.  As part of the 2011 Festival, this August you can enjoy the Mostly Mozart program that will be running from August 2^nd to August 27^th.

On opening night as well as August 3^rd, the program will be the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra with conductor Louis Langrée.  On August 4^th and 6^th, there will be the Don Giovanni concert with the Budapest Festival Orchestra, and conductor/director, Iván Fischer.  Prior to the August 6^th concert there will be a discussion with Jane Moss and Iván Fischer.

On August 11^th, enjoy the sounds of the International Contemporary Ensemble, conducted by Matthias Pintscher at the Alice Truly Hall, Starr Theater.  This will be a true celebration of Mozart, opening with a gentle Mozart composition performed in a new Salvatore Sciarrino arrangement.  It will end with Gran Partita, one of the maestro’s most majestic works.

For more information on what is available during August through this program, check out: http://www.ny.com/cgibin/frame.cgi?url=http://www.lincolncenter.org/&frame=/frame/events.html