New York Salsa Congress
Some 3,000 Tito Puente aficionados hit the New York Salsa Congress, a Latin-dance marathon kicking off at 3 P.M., and shimmy away until 5 A.M.—sweeping you right into a chock-full September.
• Time: TBA
• Place: New York Hilton Hotel, 1335 Sixth Ave.; 212-586-7000

Freaks
In Tod Browning's horror flick, a mercenary blonde gets her comeuppance when her midget husband's sideshow friends find out about her duplicitous ways.
• Time: 8:30pm
• Place: Coney Island Museum, 1208 Surf Ave., between Stillwell Ave. and West 12th St.
• Cost: $5
• See complete schedule

U.S. Open Tennis
The world's best tennis players descend on Flushing Meadows for the last of the year's four Grand Slam tournaments.
• Time: Times vary
• Place: USTA National Tennis Center, Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, 11101 Corona Ave., at 55th Ave.; 718-760-6565
• Cost: $22-$130

Shakespeare in the Park: Mother Courage and Her Children
Meryl Streep headlines this revival of Bertolt Brecht's masterpiece in a new translation by Tony Kushner; George C. Wolfe directs.
• Time: 8pm
• Place: The Delacorte Theater, Central Park; use the 79th Street and Fifth Ave. entrance and follow the footpath; 212-539-8750
• Cost: Free