Looking for things to do on Long Island this weekend, October 3–4? After last weekend's nor'easter wiped out half the calendar, this one is making up for it. The Islanders open their season at home tonight, the Hamptons International Film Festival is in its first weekend, the Sag Harbor music festival that the storm pushed back is finally happening, and the North Fork is in full harvest mode.

It's also a busy weekend on the roads. The East End is going to be crowded Saturday and Sunday, and the Belmont lots will be full tonight. Here's what's worth your time and how to get there without spending the evening looking for parking.

Islanders Home Opener vs. the Devils — UBS Arena, Elmont

Saturday, October 3, 7:30 p.m. | UBS Arena, Belmont Park, Elmont

The 2026–27 season starts for real tonight. The Islanders host the New Jersey Devils for the home opener, the same team they closed out the preseason against in the rain last Saturday. Opening night at UBS always has more going on before puck drop, so most people will be getting there early.

That's the problem. Home openers sell out, and everyone shows up at once. The Cross Island backs up at the Hempstead Turnpike exit well before 7, the Belmont lots fill from the front, and after the final horn it can take 30 to 45 minutes just to get out of the lot. If you're coming from Melville, Dix Hills or anywhere in western Suffolk, that can be more time than the third period. A drop at the door and a pickup at a set spot after the game takes care of all of it. We run Nassau County every day and we know how that arena empties out.

Hamptons International Film Festival — East Hampton, Sag Harbor and Southampton

Through Monday, October 12 | Guild Hall, Sag Harbor Cinema, Southampton Playhouse, East Hampton Regal UA

The 34th HIFF opened Friday night with the East Coast premiere of Peter Farrelly's "I Play Rocky," and this first weekend is the busiest stretch of the festival. There are 172 films and events this year, including the centerpiece "Wicker" with Olivia Colman and Peter Dinklage, Martin McDonagh's "Wild Horse Nine," and a series of hour-long conversations with Jesse Eisenberg, Ron Howard, Amanda Seyfried and John Turturro. Check the film guide at hamptonsfilmfest.org for screening times. Some of them are already sold out.

Locals who have done this before know the hard part is moving between towns. Screenings are spread across three villages. A 4 p.m. film at Guild Hall and an 8 p.m. one in Sag Harbor means Route 27 through Bridgehampton on a Saturday, then parking on Main Street in Sag Harbor during the busiest weekend of the fall. Then there's the drive home on Sunrise Highway late at night after a party. This is what our Hamptons car service is for. Book a driver for the day by the hour and go from venue to venue without looking for a parking spot each time.

Sag Harbor American Music Festival — Mashashimuet Park, Sag Harbor

Saturday and Sunday, October 3–4, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. | Mashashimuet Park | Free, rain or shine

The nor'easter pushed this one out of September. It's now a two-day festival with all the music at Mashashimuet Park on three stages: the Provisions Tent Stage, the WLIW-FM Stage and the Sag Harbor Express Stage. This year there's nothing at Steinbeck Park or Marine Park, so don't head down to the waterfront. The schedule is posted at sagharbormusic.org.

The festival is free and runs the same weekend as the film festival in the same village, so Sag Harbor is going to be packed. Parking near the park on Jermain Avenue and Main Street will be gone by late morning. If you're coming from up-Island, you've got two hours of driving each way, and the drive home is the hard part after a full day outdoors. It's an easy day trip if someone else is doing the driving.

Hallockville Country Fair and Harvest Stomps — North Fork

Hallockville Country Fair: Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. | 6038 Sound Avenue, Riverhead | $12 adults, $8 kids 5–12 Harvest Stomp Parties: Sunday, October 4, from noon | RGNY Vineyards and Bedell Cellars

This is the 45th year for the Hallockville fair. There's livestock, tractors, tours of the old farmhouses, folk art demonstrations, live music and food trucks. It goes on rain or shine, and admission is half price Sunday from 10 a.m. to noon. On Sunday afternoon, RGNY and Bedell are holding grape stomping parties, which is about as North Fork in October as it gets. Jamesport Farm Brewery is also running its Oktoberfest through Monday.

It's peak pumpkin and apple season, so Sound Avenue and Route 25 will be slow all weekend. The farm stands back up traffic at every turn. If you're planning on the fair in the morning and a couple of tasting rooms in the afternoon, somebody in the group has to drive home, and that person doesn't get to enjoy the wine. A driver for the day solves that. Our hourly service is built for winery days. You pick the stops, and we wait at each one.

Samara Joy and Her Septet — Tilles Center, Brookville

Saturday, October 3, 8 p.m. | Tilles Center for the Performing Arts, LIU Post, 720 Northern Boulevard, Brookville | $79 to $130

Samara Joy is one of the best jazz singers working today, a multiple Grammy winner who's still in her twenties. Tonight she's at Tilles with a seven-piece band, which is about as good as live music gets on the North Shore.

Tilles is a beautiful hall on a campus that wasn't designed around concert traffic. Getting out of the LIU Post lots and back onto Northern Boulevard after a sold-out show takes a while, and Route 25A is dark and winding on the way home toward Huntington or Oyster Bay. If you're planning dinner in Roslyn or Glen Cove first, a car takes care of the night from start to finish.

Ann Wilson — Patchogue Theatre, Patchogue

Sunday, October 4, 7 p.m. | Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts, 71 East Main Street, Patchogue | $71 to $141

Ann Wilson of Heart, a Rock & Roll Hall of Famer whose voice still holds up, plays Patchogue on Sunday night with Tripsitter. "Barracuda" in a 1,100-seat theater is a different thing than it is in an arena.

Patchogue's Main Street is one of the best downtowns on the South Shore, which means the municipal lots behind the restaurants fill up on show nights. If you're coming from Nassau or the North Shore, it's a long Sunday-night drive back on Sunrise Highway with work the next morning. A drop at the door makes it easy. We cover Suffolk County from end to end.

Also on This Weekend

The Old Bethpage Village Restoration has Oktoberfest at the Barn Saturday from 11 to 6, and Seaford is holding its Oktoberfest by the train station Saturday from 11 to 5. Franklin Square has its street fair Saturday, and Massapequa Park has one Sunday. SouthamptonFest is at Agawam Park Saturday. The Cradle of Aviation in Garden City is hosting a free Long Island Family Day on Sunday at noon. Matt Matthews plays the Westbury Music Fair Saturday at 7, The Edwards Twins are at The Suffolk in Riverhead Saturday at 8, and a "Sopranos" cast panel is at The Suffolk Sunday at 7.

Coming Up: Two Weekends to Plan for Now

Two of the biggest outdoor events of the fall land on the same weekend, October 16–18. The Oyster Bay Oyster Festival expects close to 200,000 people at Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Park, and the Greenport Maritime Festival, which the storm postponed, is now set for the same dates. Parking near both is very limited. If you already know you're going, now is a good time to book.

Getting Around Long Island This Weekend

It's opening night at UBS, opening weekend on the East End and harvest season on the North Fork, all in two days. On a weekend like this one, a lot of the evening ends up being spent driving and parking.

We've been driving these roads for 20 years. We know when the Cross Island backs up, which way to get out of Sag Harbor on a festival day, and how long Sound Avenue really takes in October. You shouldn't have to think about this. See our Long Island car service details, or request a quote and we'll take it from there. The car will be there.

Best Things To Do on Long Island This Weekend — October 3–4, 2026