The first day of summer, June 21, ushers in the lazy months of pool-side relaxation, weekend getaways and blissful heat-induced lethargy. It's a day celebrated around the globe, and it's no surprise that in New Orleans, summer's coming-out can be a party. That's exactly what the creative forces at 3 Ring Circus Productions, along with Mondo Bizarro, a recently formed arts production company, are planning with A SUMMER SOLSTICE FESTIVAL. The event will be held Saturday at 3 Ring Circus' gallery, The Big Top (1638 Clio St.), from 5 p.m. until midnight. The Summer Solstice Festival will combine street-party ambience with beat-the-heat indoor offerings, a melding of heat and humidity with air conditioning that will provide art, live music, theater, dance, food and more. The entire block of Clio Street from St. Charles Avenue to Carondelet Street will be blocked off, allowing vendors to set up to sell goodies such as food and juices from Surrey's Cafe and Juice Bar, and sno-balls from Fruit Island. Music will fill the street with performances by local musician Josh Bennet and the Civil Disobedients, and DJ Happenstance. An exhibition of local artists will also be displayed outside, featuring works by MJ Robitaille, Shaun Yount, Jillian Gibson, Nancy Lasowski-Maas, Will Smith, David Momyer, Juliet Lockwood, Blake Haney, Zack Smith, Jeannine Flores, Michele Flores and Tanya Manou (pictured) -- all part of the summer-themed Oasis exhibition. Inside The Big Top at 7:30 p.m., the theater portion of the event begins, featuring new work by playwright R.J. Tsarov, and performances by Adela Adela the StoryTella, Allen Walters, the New Orleans School of Circus Arts, and Zhoux Zhoux Theater and Dance Company. Patrons wishing to attend the theater shows should be ready to enter at 7:20 p.m., with the program expected to last until 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 and available through 3 Ring Circus at 569-2700, or at each entrance to the festival. -- Frank Etheridge

Burlesquefest 9 p.m. Tuesday, June 17 House of Blues, 225 Decatur St., 529-BLUE The recent closing of the Shim Sham Club creates an entertainment gap on several levels, not the least of which is what to do with the stellar Shim Sham Revue -- which had truly hit its stride at the end. That's not to say burlesque is no longer on view, as the traveling road show Burlesquefest proves. It will be interesting to see how this troupe matches up with our local fave. Some of the featured performers include Catherine D'Lish, who boasts a wide range of titles including Miss Nude USA, Miss Exotic America, and Miss Erotic World (now THAT's a resume!), and Denver's Oracle Dance, a three-member mini-troupe with an acrobatic flair and a yen for Tom Waits music. Speaking of music, that's provided by Devotchka, which blends Middle Eastern, eastern European and American folk music with good old-fashioned punk rock. (Maybe these guys should have a drinking contest with our own Bingo!) Tickets $25. -- David Lee Simmons

Elisabeth Estivalet: Landscapes of Provence Through June Hanson Gallery, 229 Royal St., 524-8211 Ah, Provence; who can resist the charms of that fabled landscape, the light, the color, the sights and smells? Certainly not Elisabeth Estivalet, a native of Poland who made it her home and devoted herself to celebrating its beauty in paint, despite her professional background in economics. Over the past two decades she has followed Cezanne's advice, choosing not merely to depict nature but to work with light and color in such a way that the canvas itself becomes an expression of nature. And so her paintings strive to "embody the poise and serenity of those gently rolling hills, sun-swept villages and the pleasures of winding country roads in the uncompromising medium of oil paint" applied strictly with a palette knife. Well received at home and abroad, her paintings are exhibited at popular exhibition spaces like the Hanson Gallery. -- D. Eric Bookhardt

The Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 18 The Parish at House of Blues, 229 Decatur St., 529-BLUE The members of the Trachtenburg Family claim to be changing the future of entertainment, and, in a way, they are. Led by Seattle singer-songwriter Jason Trachtenburg, the three-piece family band created a kitschy variation on the modern multi-media experience when members started buying vintage slideshows at estate sales and making up songs to go with them. Trachtenburg plays guitar and piano and sings along with 9-year-old daughter Rachel, who handles the drums Meg White-style, while mom Tina runs the projector. The Trachtenburgs are a new kind of Partridge Family, touting liberal politics, environmentalism and the power of imagination. Not surprisingly, this one-of-a-kind novelty act is a festival favorite this season, landing slots at major gatherings such as Austin's South by Southwest, California's Coachella, and Tennessee's Bonnaroo. Eccentric New York City performer Langhorne Slim joins the Trachtenburgs for their "Summer Slideshow Bizarre Tour." Admission $10. -- Cristina Diettinger

Lula Elzy New Orleans Dance Theatre 8 p.m. Thursday-Friday, June 19-20 Dillard University, Samuel J. Cook Theatre, 2601 Gentilly Blvd., 828-8441 The Lula Elzy New Orleans Dance Theatre will wrap up its 12th season with "Dance and Music from the Heart," a concert of dance set to the music of composers Donny Hathaway Stevie Wonder, local trumpeter Irvin Mayfield and the late Moses Hogan. Featured with the dancers are vocalist Lady BJ Crosby, Mayfield, pianist Ronald Markham, flutist Kent Jordan and actress Carol Sutton. Dancers in the ensemble include Kevin Gaudin, Kesha McKey, Lula Elzy, Lisa Leithman, Michael Means, Vincent James, Jerbean Gilkes, Allyn Hayden, Collette Williams, Adrian Lindsey and Kenneth Bryan. Elzy says that the title of her show is in response to how people rush around forgetting about the simple things in life. "Music is inspirational," she says. Tickets are $20 and are available at Community Book Store (217 N. Broad, 822-2665), or at the box office one hour prior to each performance. -- Heidi Braden

Summer RAIN 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday, June 20 Contemporary Arts Center, 900 Camp St., 528-3800 RAIN Vodka and the Contemporary Arts Center are teaming up for the second year to celebrate summer with Summer RAIN. The event features live music from Theresa Andersson, open bar with a wide variety of cocktails made with RAIN Vodka, catered food from area restaurants, a summer fashion show of wardrobes from Rubenstein Brothers, and, perfect for predictably unpredictable summer storms, a sale of umbrellas designed by local artists with 3 Ring Circus. The event also honors this year's RAINmaker, an award honoring a New Orleans-area woman who has worked in the development of female leaders in the community. This year's RAINmaker is real estate attorney Staci Rosenberg, who in 2000 founded the Krewe of Muses. Advance tickets $25 CAC members, $55 non-members; tickets at the door are $35 CAC members, $65 non-members. -- Etheridge

Music Maker Relief Foundation Benefit with Beverly "Guitar" Watkins, Little Freddie King, Slewfoot and the Angels 10 p.m. Friday, June 20 Tipitina's, 501 Napoleon Ave., 891-8477 Little Freddie King joins a host of blues musicians for the Music Maker Relief Foundation Benefit on Friday at Tipitina's. When young guitarist Tim Duffy met veteran bluesman Guitar Gabriel in 1990, Gabriel introduced Duffy to fellow elderly blues players in the North Carolina area. Duffy was so disheartened by the artists' financial hardships and so moved by their music and spirit, that he founded the nonprofit Music Maker Relief Foundation. Thirteen years later, the foundation assists musicians across the country with donations ranging from food and shelter to medical care. The foundation has also recorded artists such as Cootie Stark and John Dee Holeman, offering these unheralded bluesmen exposure and touring opportunities. A number of high-profile musicians, including Eric Clapton, Taj Mahal and B.B. King have also championed Music Maker's cause, allowing it to help players like its newest addition to the roster, New Orleans' own Little Freddie King. King joins a bill tonight with female electric-guitar firebrand Beverly "Guitar" Watson and longtime local blues advocate and guitarist Slewfoot. Tickets $10. -- Scott Jordan

Mr. Legs III 6 p.m. Saturday, June 21 735 Club, 735 Bourbon St., 522-2124, ext. 13 or 17 Mocking traditional beauty contests with a parade of legs from local men ranging from well-known chefs to police officers, the annual Mr. Legs contest is a benefit for Bridge House, a nonprofit offering hope to those coping with substance-abuse problems. Each Mr. Legs contestant is asked to raise a $300 minimum in donations, and the one raising the most money is crowned Mr. Legs III. In addition, a group of judges including City Councilwoman Jackie Clarkson and Gennifer Flowers will award prizes for Best Costume, Hairiest Legs, Sexiest Legs, Skinniest Legs and Most Muscular Legs, among others. The Zone WKZN 105.3 DJs Jeff Thomas and Tierza Simmons will serve as hosts. The 735 Club will donate food throughout the evening and open bar for well drinks and draft beers from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. for a donation of $15 to Bridge House. Tickets $20. -- Etheridge

Sheik Rasheed's Blue Universe Quartet 7:30 p.m. Saturday, June 21 Blue Nile, 534 Frenchmen St., 948-2583 New Orleans, birthplace of traditional jazz and longtime home to bebop and hard bop, is fast becoming a great place to hear jazz that defies convention. Saxophonist Sheik Rasheed is one of the musicians spurring on this movement. Whether he is playing with the bands Winds of Change, Unit 1, the Naked Orchestra, or assorted bands in Jackson Square, Rasheed is always encouraging the music and musicians. His Blue Universe Quartet has a late 1960s feel to it, sounding at times like Wayne Shorter with more exotic rhythms and other times like a more avant-garde Joe Henderson. His band includes the best of the improvisers and innovators from the Frenchmen Street scene, including Andre Landsnes on drums, Ed Barrett on guitar, and the hard-working Dr. Jimbo Walsh on bass. Admission $7. -- David Kunian

Cradle of Filth >6:30 p.m. Monday, June 23 House of Blues, 225 Decatur St., 529-BLUE As they dance on the line between shock rock and death metal, it's a wonder the members of Cradle of Filth are able to keep the outfit together. Founding vocalist Dani Davey is the only original member who still holds a permanent slot in the lineup, with instrumentalists coming and going throughout the '90s and into the 2000s. Despite all that turmoil, the British band released its major-label debut this past spring. The album, Damnation and a Day, is a 77-minute metal opera of sorts, featuring a full 40-piece orchestra and a 32-piece choir. Despite an unrelenting obsession with death and darkness, Cradle of Filth's latest music finds a positive note in politics, with a promise to fight "the freaks, fools, and monsters who rule us." Fans flock to the band's live shows for the empowering emotions fomented by its large-scale production and cathartic noise overload. This will be one of Cradle's last few Southern club dates before it jumps on Ozzfest in San Antonio this weekend. Killswitch Engage, and Cephalic Carnage are also on the bill. Tickets $20. -- Diettinger

The White Stripes 8 p.m. Monday, June 23 Morris F.X. Jeff Municipal Auditorium, 1201 St. Peter St.., 565-7470 The White Stripes get cheeky on Monday (June 23) at the Morris F.X. Jeff Municipal Auditorium. The White Stripes can thank late-90s aggro overdrive bands like Limp Bizkit for their unlikely superstardom. The Detroit duo's bare-bones style helped bring rock back to ground zero in sound and spirit, sparking a whole new generation of retro-rock fans in candy cane clothes. With the unsophisticated sonics of a bar band/novelty act, Jack White and his "sister" Meg refresh audiences by recycling the essential elements of rock 'n' roll without all the worries of playing well. Now with their fifth album of unpolished, folky ditties, Elephant, drawing critical comparison to the likes of Led Zeppelin and the Kinks, the White Stripes are the current champions of the "the band" movement. Their live show is, at least, amusing. It's fun to watch Meg struggle over her childlike drumming. And when she and Jack make eye contact, you can almost see them smirk. Whirlwind Heat, the first band to sign with Jack White's label Third Man Records, opens. Tickets $27.50.-- Diettinger