Make the most of summer with these events in Boston

The Art of Abstraction

This exhibit of paint­ings and prints by African Amer­ican artists that evoke the impro­vi­sa­tion of jazz music is now on dis­play at North­eastern Crossing.

The pieces come from the per­ma­nent col­lec­tion of the Museum of the National Center of Afro-American Artists, and the exhibit was curated by Edmund Barry Gaither, the exec­u­tive director of the Rox­bury, Massachusetts-based museum.

He will be at North­eastern Crossing on Thursday, Aug. 4, for an opening recep­tion and gallery talk from 5:30 to 7 p.m.

Boston Seafood Festival

Boston is known for its out-of-this-world seafood, and this weekend you can feast on the best lob­sters, oys­ters, and fish the region has to offer at the Boston Seafood Fes­tival. In addi­tion to tast­ings, which will include non-seafood options, there will also be arts, crafts, an oyster shucking com­pe­ti­tion, and live entertainment.

The fes­tival, now in its fifth year, is sched­uled for Sunday, Aug. 7, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Boston Fish Pier. You can pur­chase tickets here.

Well­ness and Fit­ness Day

North­eastern will host a day of fit­ness and well­ness ses­sions in front of the Rug­gles MBTA sta­tion on Thursday, Aug. 11.

Free classes in Zumba, cardio boxing, and yoga will be offered from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. There will also be team-building games for kids, per­sonal trainer con­sul­ta­tions, and free chair massages.

Check out the North­eastern Crossing Face­book page for a com­plete schedule and more information.

Take a magic carpet ride on Centennial

Grab some pop­corn and a blanket for out­door movie night on Cen­ten­nial Common on Friday, Aug. 12. The Disney classic Aladdin will be screened under the stars starting around 8:30 p.m.

This event is free but reg­is­tra­tion is required.

Boston Comic Con

Comic book fans will con­vene for this three-day comic book extrav­a­ganza from Friday, Aug. 12, to Sunday, Aug. 14, at the Sea­port World Trade Center.

In honor of the 50th anniver­sary of Star Trek, actor William Shatner will be at the show Friday and Sat­urday to meet with fans.

Tickets are avail­able here.

Red Bull Flugtag

The hang time of home­made flying machines will be tested on Sat­urday, Aug. 20, at this unique event along the shores of the Charles River at the DCR Hatch Shell.

The Red Bull Flugtag com­pe­ti­tion chal­lenges 30 teams to each create a piloted flying machine that will take off from a 28-foot-high deck in the hopes of trav­eling the far­thest dis­tance into the Charles.

Par­tic­i­pants will be judged on dis­tance, cre­ativity, and show­man­ship. The event, which is free and open to the public, kicks off at 11 a.m.

Summer ice skating

Lacing up ice skates in the summer? It is pos­sible with the Skating Club of Boston’s weekly public skating hours Friday nights from 8 to 10 p.m. at the rink at 1240 Sol­diers Field Road in Brighton.

To accom­pany your skating skills, the night’s fes­tiv­i­ties includes a DJ. Admis­sions is paid at the door.

Summer in the City Enter­tain­ment Series

The Boston Harbor Hotel hosts this weekly water­front enter­tain­ment series with music on Tues­days, Wednes­days, and Thurs­days, and an out­door movie on Friday. For a com­plete schedule of bands and movies, check out the schedule here.

(Published with permission from News at Northeastern University.)