It’s time for a spring THAW this Friday, Saturday and Sunday in the Hamptons

March 23, 2018March 23, 2018 Jaclyn Gangi Bay Street Theater, Guild Hall, LongHouse Reserve, South Fork, Southampton Cultural Center, Southampton Historical Museum, THAW, The Hampton Art Network, The Hamptons, The Hamptons Art Weekend Festival, The Watermill Center, Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center

How appropriate, as the island begins to defrost from its 4^th Nor’easter, to take in a festival on the first weekend of spring, March 23-25, that goes by the name of THAW – The Hamptons Art Weekend Festival.

The Hamptons Arts Network, an alliance of not-for-profit organizations that works together to create a unified arts community of the Hamptons, presents this inaugural, Hamptons-wide, weekend fest to celebrate spring, and promote a diverse range of cultural programs and institutions that make the South Fork of Long Island unique.

With offerings of 18 nonprofit organizations, such as Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor, Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center and Madoo Conservancy in Sagaponack, there is clearly something for every taste, with exhibitions, theater performances, films, garden tours, music, workshops and more.

“Hunting the Whale,” at Southampton Historical Museum

Gene Casey and the Lone Sharks will perform at Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center

“Bayberry” by William Merrit Chase, at Parrish Art Museum in Water Mill

For instance, you can head to the Southampton Historical Museum for “A Whale of a Weekend,” from Friday to Sunday, where you can explore the 20-room Gilded Age Rogers Mansion and see the exhibit “Hunting the Whale: The Rise and Fall of a Southampton Industry.” You can also experience the mansion by candlelight, on Friday and Saturday, from 4-5:30 p.m. And/or, go see performances of Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” at the Southampton Cultural Center; perfect for families or Disney-lovers in general. For a modern presentation of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet,” stop in for this show presented at Guild Hall in East Hampton. Both performances are featured Friday through Sunday.

In Water Mill, at The Watermill Center, you can take a guided tour, on Friday, at 2 p.m., of the building, grounds, gardens, art collection and study library. Another outdoor gem, the LongHouse Reserve in East Hampton, is offering guided tours of the 16-acre reserve and gardens on Saturday, at noon and 2 p.m. You can see various sculptures on the grounds.

After four storms in three weeks, going to the South Fork during THAW Fest to get in on such compelling presentations sounds like just what we all need to bring on SPRING! For a full list of participating organizations and events, see the schedule at hamptonsartsnetwork.org.

THAW Festival
Various venues on the South Fork
hamptonsartsnetwork.org