Hamptons Top Events This Weekend: Film Festival, Live Music, Fall Fests and Art

The Hamptons International Film Festival opens, Sag Harbor’s music fest gets its rain-delayed encore, and SpringsFest, SouthamptonFest and major art openings fill the first weekend of October.

October comes in busy in the Hamptons. The Hamptons International Film Festival launches an 11-day run, the Sag Harbor American Music Festival finally gets its weekend in the park after the nor’easter, and Southampton and Springs are both in festival mode. Add some strong new art — including East End Collected 9 and Dear Mazie — a live jazz singalong, the banned books project, and a blessing of the animals, and there’s plenty competing for your weekend.

EDITOR’S TOP 5

Hamptons International Film Festival

Sag Harbor American Music Festival

East End Collected 9

SpringsFest

SouthamptonFest

FESTIVALS

Hamptons International Film Festival
Friday, Oct. 2-Monday, Oct. 12
Various times and ticket prices
East Hampton, Sag Harbor and Southampton

Amanda Seyfried

Dominic Cooper in "The Light Keeper"

:"Drug in our Pocket," Anne Sundberg

John Malkovich, Sam Rockwell in "Wild Horse Nine"

The 34th annual Hamptons International Film Festival opens Friday with I Play Rocky and rolls through 11 days of films, premieres, conversations and special events. Opening weekend includes The Life and Deaths of Wilson Shedd, “Anatomy of a Scene: Project Hail Mary,” Barbizon USA and a conversation with Amanda Seyfried. Check out Spark Hamptons’ Week 1 festival guide for our highlights and films making some Spark.

filmguide.hamptonsfilmfest.org

Sag Harbor American Music Festival
Saturday-Sunday, Oct. 3-4, 10:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m.
Free
Mashashimuet Park, Sag Harbor

Take two. After last weekend’s nor’easter forced a postponement, the Sag Harbor American Music Festival is back with two full days of free live music on three stages at Mashashimuet Park. The rescheduled lineup ranges from Real East End Brass and Inda Eaton to Randy Brecker, Danny Kean, Aqua Cherry and plenty more. Rain or shine.

Read more about the Sag Harbor Music Fest in our feature story, here.

SpringsFest
Saturday, Oct. 3, 4-7 p.m.
Free; donations encouraged
Parsons Blacksmith Shop, Springs

There’s some literal Spark at this one. The third annual SpringsFest brings three local bands, 15 craft vendors, food trucks, beer and wine, yard games and a blacksmith demonstration to the historic Springs Triangle. Proceeds support preservation of its historic buildings.

SouthamptonFest
Saturday, Oct. 3
Free
Agawam Park and Southampton Village

Southampton Village goes full fall for its 14th annual SouthamptonFest, with arts and crafts, live entertainment, shopping, local food and family activities around the village.

SouthamptonFest Kickoff Party
Friday, Oct. 2, 6:30-9:30 p.m.
$60
Agawam Park, Southampton

Start SouthamptonFest a night early at the Southampton Rotary’s fundraiser in Agawam Park, with live music by Retroverse and beer and wine through 8:30 p.m.

Fall Family Fun Festival
Sunday, Oct. 4, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
Evelyn Alexander Wildlife Rescue Center, Hampton Bays

Meet a great horned owl and Vlad the turkey vulture while supporting the center’s wildlife rescue work. The family afternoon also brings local vendors, food trucks, pumpkin decorating, crafts and wildlife education.

ART

East End Collected 9 Opening Reception
Saturday, Oct. 3, 5-7 p.m.
Southampton Arts Center, Southampton

One of the East End’s homegrown art showcases returns for its ninth edition, bringing together 29 Suffolk County artists working across painting, sculpture, drawing, printmaking and ceramics. Paton Miller and Southampton Arts Center Executive Director Christina Mossaides Strassfield co-curate.

Dear Mazie: Discussion and Exhibition Opening
Saturday, Oct. 3, 5-7:30 p.m.
$10 panel; opening reception free
The Church, Sag Harbor

Curator Amber Esseiva and Jessica Bell Brown discuss the life and legacy of pioneering architect, educator and artist Amaza Lee Meredith before the opening reception for Dear Mazie, The Church’s first presentation of a traveling exhibition developed by another museum.

Irina Alimanestianu | Walter Bobbie
Friday, Oct. 2, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
KEYES ART, Sag Harbor

KEYES ART pairs Irina Alimanestianu’s layered paintings of landscape, memory and myth with work by Walter Bobbie, the Tony Award-winning director of Chicago whose other creative life is as a painter. The exhibition runs through Oct. 30.

Banned Book Project Art Exhibition — Artist Reception
Sunday, Oct. 4, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
Free
Springs Library, Springs

Local artists respond to book bans and celebrate the freedom to read in this exhibition at Springs Library, with an artist reception Sunday morning.

Family Workshop: Cyanotypes
Saturday, Oct. 3, 11 a.m.-noon
$7.18 adults; free for children
The Watermill Center, Water Mill

Sunlight becomes part of the art in this all-ages workshop led by former Watermill artist-in-residence Matthew Leifheit. Participants use plants and natural materials from the grounds to create blue-and-white cyanotype prints.

MUSIC

The American Sing-Along Jazz Jam Session
Sunday, Oct. 4, 2-4:30 p.m.
Free
Southampton Cultural Center, Southampton

Here’s your chance to do more than listen. East End Jazz invites the audience to sing American Songbook standards, with lyric sheets supplied and a featured set by vocalist Vanessa Trouble. Instrumentalists can get into the act, too.g

OUTDOORS & COMMUNITY

Mashashimuet Park Friends and Family 5K Run/Walk
Sunday, Oct. 4, 8:30 a.m.
$28.63
Mashashimuet Park, Sag Harbor

Run or walk a 5K through Sag Harbor with live music along the course, refreshments at the finish and awards by age group. Proceeds benefit park improvements and a scholarship fund.

Blessing of the Animals
Saturday, Oct. 3, 5 p.m.; Sunday, Oct. 4, noon
Free
Christ Church, Sag Harbor

Bring the four-legged members of the family to this outdoor weekend blessing for pets and their people at Christ Church.

Angela LaGreca

Editor, Co-Founder/Publisher

Angela LaGreca, Editor-in-chief and co-Founder/Publisher of Spark Hamptons, is a four-time Emmy Award-winning journalist, producer, writer and comedian/host. Her TV credits include NBC’s “Today,” ABC’s “The View,” and, most recently, the primetime cable news program “Cuomo” on NewsNation. On the East End, she was the Creative Director at LTV, VP Features/Events/Photo Editor at Dan’s Papers, and has performed at Guild Hall, Bay Street Theater and the WHBPAC. Her publishing career began at Modern Photography, where she was managing editor. LaGreca lives in Manhattan and East Hampton and can be reached at angelatvmedia@gmail.com and angela@sparkhamptons.com .