The little green buds on trees are back and women are starting to flash a little flesh. If you’re wondering how New York City—and those other parts of the state—is celebrating springtime, take a gander at these 26 activities and events, ranging from cook-offs and rooftop films to tulip festivals, an Earth Day bar bash, and eco-friendly kites in flight.

Brooklyn

Park Slope | On May 1 and 2, the 2nd annual Brooklyn Lyceum Spring Food and Craft Market will reopen with everything from silk-screening workshops, handmade toys for kids, locally-sourced artisanal eats, and the guidebook launch of Markets of New York City.

Grand Army Plaza | On rainy days, cozy up inside the Brooklyn Public Library for events for the entire family, including themed photography exhibits covering Brooklyn’s wartime role during WWII, woodcut prints of wild fauna based in Brooklyn, and an exhibit capturing ordinary New York with recycled materials.

Gowanus | You might not be a chimney sweep, but you will be skimming the rooftops this season with the return of Rooftop Films 2010 Summer Series on May 14th through August 15th.

Starting in April, Edible Magazines will throw a trio of food events featuring cocktails, Long Island wine, and regional beers in Gowanus and Dumbo.

Downtown Brooklyn | Swig by the Brazen Head Spring Cask Ale Festival, which is being held Friday, April 30 through Sunday, May 2, and will feature up to 20 Casks with 11 on tap at any given time. Or come earlier on Saturday, April 10, for the bar’s Spring Clam & Oyster Shuck where Little Neck Clams, Bluepoint Oysters, and two Clam Chowders will be paired with four Long Island beers from Blue Point and Southampton Breweries.

Fort Greene | Join green rockstar and actor Adrian Grenier at his favorite spring stomping ground, Habana Outpost, for the Earth Day Expo 2010 on April 17.

Queens

Long Island City | It’s amazing what you can do with former landfills these days. At the Socrates Sculpture Park, get a whiff of creativity at its finest when the spring exhibit is unveiled on May 2. Now that temperatures are on the up and up, outdoor film screenings and free fitness classes will return. And don’t miss seeing recycled art soar in mid-air at the annual Kite Flight on April 25.

Flushing Meadows Corona Park | Queens Theatre presents two May performances from Philadelphia-based dance groups that justify crossing the bridge: the sophisticated moves of Jeanne Ruddy Dance company and the energetic fusion of dance styles with Philadanco.

Staten Island

Red and verde chili aficionados can prep their pots and palettes for the first and only New York City Chili Cookoff sanctioned by the International Chili Society.

Governors Island

Bring the kids and bikes onto the free ferry and over to the Opening Day Family Festival for some arts & crafts, musical performances, and theater at noon on Saturday, May 30th.

Manhattan

Upper East Side | The Brooklyn Museum will showcase two costume collection exhibits at the Metropolitan Museum of Art this spring: ”American High Style: Fashioning a National Collection” (May 7-Aug 1) and “American Woman: Fashion a National Identity” (May 5-Aug 15).

Chelsea | Park your bike on the west side of town and reward yourself with a little seafood, beer, and ping pong at the city’s favorite lightship, the Frying Pan, which will be open “on days in April predicted to be over 70 degrees” and then from May 1 until October 1.

Bronx

Take the subway to Wave Hill on Saturday, April 17 for the “Paradise Contained: Gardening with Miniature Plants—Make an Alpine Trough” family-friendly event, which will have you learning about the art of cultivating plants in handmade troughs. Make a ‘hypertufa’ container and start a little garden in your home. (No more spending $10 on hydrangeas that only last a week.)

Upstate NY/Westchester

Saratoga County | The Saratoga Performing Arts Center will be a musical epicenter this spring when Live Nation hosts concerts by American rock band Kings of Leon, country duo Sugarland, and The Dave Matthews Band all before summer officially hits.

Pocantico Hills | Take the train to the Stone Barns Center on April 11 for the panel discussion on sustainable meat and seafood production, “The Carnivorous Kitchen.” Or visit on April 15 for the free film screening of Fresh, which will be accompanied by a panel discussion with local farmers and staff from the American Farmland Trust.

Albany | To see spring bloom in all its colorful glory, we’d suggest a trip to the state capital’s three-day tulip festival. (There is also a 61-variety Daffodil festival in Connecticut, and Boston will show 400 types of lilacs on Lilac Sunday.)

Photo: Courtesy of rmsano