Best. Summer. Ever: Check out the fests going down this weekend

Get your summer fest on! Summer 2K-11 kicks off this weekend with five New England festivals that will get you chowing down, feeling artsy, and inhaling the smoky scent of some hot, fresh jazz....

1. Provincetown Portuguguese Festival

If you're in on the Cape this weekend, stop by for soup tasting, a clamfeed, concerts, and traditional Portuguese dancing. Parade Sat at 3 pm and 64th annual blessing of the fleet Sun at 1 pm. Plus, there will be Portuguese puppets. Who doesn't love get sort of really freaked out by puppets?? more

2. WCOD Cape Cod Chowder Fest

Who among us boasts the best chowdah? You'll find out. more

3. Hot Steamed Jazz Fest

Three days of steaming piles of fresh jazz with the Firecracker Jazz Band, Riverboat Ramblers, Galvanized Jazz Band, Bob Seeley, Heartbeat Dixieland Jazz Band, the Festival All Stars and more. more

4. 29th Annual Narragansett Art Festival

More than 100 artists exhibit their work in oils and acrylics, watercolors and pastels, drawings and graphics, photography, sculpture, and three-dimensional media. You can probably find some 'Gansetts to drink while you're there, too. more

5. Boston Harborfest

Here in Boston we tend to get all hot and bothered about things we care about. Baseball, basketball, any-kind-of-ball, really. And patriotism. Which is why we celebrate Independence Day, plus five more. So, what of it? The 30th annual Harborfest kicks off June 29 and runs through the 4th o' July. Don't miss Chowderfest on Sunday. Mmmm. more

 Lost, confused, need more summer guidance? Refer to our Best.Summer.Ever. guide to find out what's going in your 'hood and beyond.