August Is Not What It Used to Be

August is no longer what it was, and July is not either. Political predictions and economic forecasts have spent years filling headlines with explanations of why expected events failed to happen. Meanwhile, the weather forecasters, and the scientists whose conclusions they followed, have proved more reliable.

For years, authors interviewed about climate change warned that society had gone too far, that it needed to slow down, prepare for unavoidable changes, and build resilience. Those warnings were heard with rational concern, but also with the distance reserved for prophecies about flying cars. Now the heat has arrived. July and August may retain their imperial names, but many people might replace them with the name of a roast if given the choice.

The writer turns to culture and wonders what these changes will mean. Summer festivals as they were once understood are becoming more difficult. The promise of a cool outdoor evening can now feel, on many days, like another performance inside a microwave. Yet people still want to meet, share experiences, and see culture, especially during the summer, provided they do not have to sweat through it.

The coming question is how culture functioned this August. Did people find welcome climate shelters in museums, or did they avoid venturing into the streets? Even staying home may offer little comfort if August’s cultural schedule consists largely of leftover programming and routine events. Cities no longer empty as they once did, the writer argues, and more appealing, cooler proposals could lift the spirits during a month that is no longer what it was.