Pier 17 at South Street Seaport.

1. Harlem Meer Performance Festival
What's better than music in the park? Free music in the park. Bring a blanket, and kick off the festival (it runs through July 7) with the percussionists of the Spirit Ensemble. (Charles A. Dana Discovery Center, 110th Street and Lenox Avenue; May 26 at 4 p.m.; 212-860-1370.)

2. Fleet Week
Don red, white, and blue for the Parade of Ships, and greet the 6,000 sailors and Marines flooding into town. On Sunday at 2 p.m., watch the Marine Corps simulate a raid on Pier 86. (Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum, Twelfth Avenue at 46th Street; May 22–28; visit fleetweek.navy.mil/index.htm.)

3. South Street Seaport
Pier 17 hosts four days and nights of outdoor concerts and street performers. Saturday from 4 to 6 p.m., catch the funky, folksy rock band New Blood Revival, or check the Website for the full program. (May 24–27; call 212-seaport or visit www.southstreetseaport.com.)

4. Haitian Day Parade
Enjoy a day of Caribbean art, steel bands, and dance -- and though there's no food at the parade, you can always slip into one of the Haitian restaurants lining the route. (Nostrand Avenue from Empire Boulevard to Foster Avenue, Brooklyn; May 26, 10 a.m.–7 p.m.)

5. New York Philharmonic
Cap off the weekend with a euphoric performance of Mahler's Symphony No. 1 at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine. Free tickets will be handed out at about 6:15 p.m. (Amsterdam Avenue at 112th Street; May 27 at 8 p.m.; call 212-662-2133 for info.)

Related:

• Archive: “Top Five”
• Articles by Lauren DeCarlo
• Table of Contents: May 27, 2002 issue of New York | Subscribe!