April showers bring May flowers! And, that’s what you can expect to see this weekend with loads of festivals and other outdoor events. On Friday, head over to the Long Island Orchid Festival at Planting Fields Arboretum State Historic Park, enjoy an exhibit on car culture at Heckscher Museum of Art and get in on the activities happening around the 2013 Long Island Marathon. On Saturday, consider doing some volunteer work to help out at parks through the I Love My Park Day program, stop by the New York Pet Expo at Nassau Coliseum and enjoy a fair with crafts and gifts at Joseph A. Edgar School. On Sunday, head out to Heckscher Park for the annual tulip festival or head over to Port Jefferson Harbor for the annual boater’s maritime festival. The Massapequa Community Street Fair also takes place over the weekend. Check out the details below!

FRIDAY – MAY 3, 2013

Who: Long Island Orchid Festival At Planting Fields Arboretum State Historic Park
Info: Today kicks off the three-day festival! It’s the first annual Long Island Orchid Festival held by the Long Island Orchid Society at Planting Fields Arboretum State Historic Park. There’ll be orchid vendors from around the world and lectures to enjoy from advanced orchid growers.
Cost: Free Event, $8 Parking Per Car at Planting Fields Arboretum
Time & Place: 9AM to 5PM at Planting Fields Arboretum State Historic Park, 1395 Planting Fields Road, Oyster Bay – festival@longislandorchidsociety.org

Who: Car Culture – Art And The Automobile at Heckscher Museum of Art
Info: On exhibit through August 11, the exhibit Car Culture: Art and the Automobile goes on to explore the transformation of the automobile. Other artwork is also on display using car parts such as scrap metal and tires.
Cost: $8, $6 Seniors, $5 Students, Reduced Rates Available for Huntington Township Residents
Time & Place: 10AM to 4PM at Heckscher Museum of Art, 2 Prime Avenue, Huntington – (631) 351-3250

Who: 2013 Long Island Marathon
Info: Today kicks off the Long Island Marathon weekend. The Health and Fitness Expo at the Mitchel Athletic Complex opens.  The Cradle of Aviation Museum is also open for the “Carbohydration” Pasta Dinner. Reserve your pasta tickets.
Cost: Races and Activities for Participants, Friends and Family, Prices Vary
Time & Place: 3PM to 8PM at Mitchel Athletic Complex, 6:30Pm to 9PM at Cradle of Aviation Museum, Uniondale – (631) 694-6462

SATURDAY – MAY 4, 2013

Who: I Love My Park Day
Info: Celebrate the magnificent state parks and historic sites by taking part in I Love My Park Day. The Governor invites you to join the state wide volunteer relief to clean up our state’s parks and historic sites. You’ll have the opportunity to clean, plant, build, repair and/or paint. Your efforts will help maintain the beauty of the parks. Volunteers need to complete a simple online form to register for a specific park.
Cost: Free Event
Time & Place: Hours Vary By Park. A list of participating Long Island parks is available here.

Who: 2013 New York Pet Expo At Nassau Coliseum
Info: If you have a pet or you’re looking to adopt one, this is the event to attend! Enjoy fabulous prize giveaways, a mega-adoption event, discounted vaccinations, microchipping and heartworm and flea prevention. Free nail trimming is also available as well as agility demonstrations and much more! This is also the place you can learn about pet care, volunteering, grooming, pet behavior and training and more.
Cost: Free Event
Time & Place: 10AM to 6PM at Nassau Coliseum, 1255 Hempstead Turnpike, Uniondale – (800) 977-3609 ext. 108

Who: Spring Fest Craft And Gift Fair At Joseph A. Edgar School
Info: Stop by this fair featuring gifts, food, music and fashion accessories, including handcrafted designs. There’ll be over 90 exhibitors at this rain or shine event.
Cost: Free Event
Time & Place: 10AM to 5PM at Joseph A. Edgar School, 525 Route 25A, Rocky Point – (631) 848-1459

SUNDAY – MAY 5, 2013

Who: 13^th Annual Tulip Festival At Heckscher Park
Info: Come out with the entire family to enjoy a day of fun with children’s activity booths, a stage performance of “Wonders of Spring,” African drumming, dancing, acrobatics, stilt-walking and much more. The park will also be abundant with planted tulips and tulips for sale. A shuttle bus is also available for a visit to the Sheep to Shawl Festival.
Cost: Free Event
Time & Place: 11AM to 4PM at Heckscher Park, 2 Prime Avenue, Huntington – (631) 351-3099

Who: 2^nd Annual Port Jefferson Boater’s Maritime Festival
Info: There’ll be over 50 boats on display at this show. Events will also be held throughout the village including free open demos for kayaks, paddle boats and inflatables, harbor cruises, sailing demos, boat building, fishing, clam shucking, eating contest and much more!
Cost: Free Event
Time & Place: 11AM to 6PM at Port Jefferson Harbor, Port – (631) 473-4724

Who: Massapequa Community Street Fair
Info: This annual community street fair is led by the Massapequa Chamber of Commerce. There’ll be entertainment, amusements, special attractions, food and merchants.
Cost: Free Event
Time & Place: 11AM to 6PM at Parking Lots M-1, M-8 and Broadway Between Veterans Boulevard and Clark Avenue, Massapequa – (516) 541-1443

To check out all of the Nightlife Events happening on Long Island, check out the LongIsland.com Events Calendar, or, head over to our Nightlife Section for Happy Hour Happenings all week long! If you're looking for some local insight on the best things to do on LI, or want to share your favorite Nightlife Hot Spots, check out the Nightlife Forum, and see what the locals have to say!