Get your Rockaway lobster fix and more things to do around NYC in the coming week

Seven Picks a Week is our guide to what’s worth catching in arts, culture and activities during the week ahead, with contributions from reporters throughout the WNYC/Gothamist newsroom and colleagues from WQXR and “All of It.”

Head to Rockaway Beach for a free concert and (not-free) lobster bake

There are so many reasons to visit Rockaway Beach this summer, starting with the dozens of free concerts, and acts ranging from reggaeton to rock. On Thursdays, you can enjoy dinner with an ocean view and live reggae music at the Rasta Lobstah Jam. Your $39 ticket gets you a pound-and-a-half of fresh Maine lobster, corn and potatoes – other items like oysters and fries are extra. Pre-order your meal via the Red Hook Lobster pound website and claim it any time between 5 and 8 p.m. All musical performances take place at Sand Shark Bar, and all ages are welcome. If you don’t have a car, you’re in luck: There are several options via public transit.

– Kerry Shaw

Gaze upon infinity in an extensive new Yayoi Kusama show

The idiosyncratic Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama is one of the art world’s top draws, and her new show at David Zwirner, “Yayoi Kusama: I Spend Each Day Embracing Flowers,” has proved one of her biggest shows to date in several ways. The show sprawls across three Zwirner spaces on West 19th Street, and includes Kusama’s customary sculptures inspired by flowers and pumpkins, original paintings and a new Infinity Mirror Room. You definitely should anticipate substantial lines – but you can register for a chance to skip them on the Zwirner website, here. The show runs through July 21, and you can find out more here.

– Steve Smith

Blast off for Saturn with the Sun Ra Arkestra

The visionary keyboardist, bandleader and composer Sun Ra shook off his earthly bonds and soared away into the cosmos three decades ago, but his vision, message and music remain a vital concern for his Arkestra, now under the leadership of 99-year-old saxophone firebrand Marshall Allen. Playing in the wake of its latest album, “Living Sky,” the Arkestra appears this Sunday, July 2, at Nublu in the East Village as part of that club’s ongoing 21st anniversary series; details here. Then next Sunday, July 9, the band performs at Pioneer Works in Red Hook with trumpeter Ahmed Abdullah, whose forthcoming memoir of his time in the group, “A Strange Celestial Road: My Time in the Sun Ra Arkestra,” arrives in September; details here.

– Steve Smith

Shake a leg in Sugar Hill with one of NYC’s top swing orchestras

Carnegie Hall’s Citywide program features the vibrant and varied sounds of New York City in free concerts across the boroughs. A concert coming up next Thursday, July 6, at the Jackie Robinson Park Bandshell in Sugar Hill features the George Gee Swing Orchestra. The band, adored by listeners and Lindy Hoppers alike, will play timeless, high-energy big-band swing on a fine summer evening. (I’ll admit enthusiastically that I’m as much a sucker for Glenn Miller as I am for classical music.) For more information, go here.

– Ed Yim, WQXR

Witness a “Tiny Desk Concert” on a big Brooklyn stage

NPR Music’s popular and influential “Tiny Desk Concerts” series comes to life this weekend at the Lena Horne Bandshell in Prospect Park, hosted by the BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! free concert series. Both of the headliners, French-Lebanese trumpeter Ibrahim Maalouf and the Ecuador-born guitar duo Hermanos Gutiérrez, had their careers bolstered by appearing on the show, and the same is already holding true for Little Moon, the Utah folk band that won this year’s Tiny Desk Contest. You can see all three acts perform live on Saturday at 7 p.m., but true fans will want to turn up around an hour early to hear series producer Bobby Carter talk about what it takes to get booked. More details here.

– Steve Smith

Explore “Chicago” without leaving New York

Since it opened last November, the Museum of Broadway has pulled back the curtains to provide visitors with a behind-the-scenes look at the New York City theater world’s rich, varied history. A new exhibition opening on Friday focuses on one of the most successful musicals of all time: “All That Jazz: The Legacy of ‘Chicago’ the Musical” lives up to its marquee billing, showcasing artifacts, costumes, photography and marketing materials associated with the show and its 26-year run. Entry to the exhibit is included in the cost of museum admission, and a portion of every ticket sold will be donated to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Learn more here.

– Steve Smith

More than six years after releasing her first EP, Madison McFerrin has made her full-length debut with the album, “I Hope You Can Forgive Me.” The vocalist and producer joined us this week to perform live in our studio. She’ll be back in town in August to perform at this year’s AfroPunk Festival in Brooklyn.

– Alison Stewart, “All of It”