With only half of summer left, it’s time to get serious. August on Cape Cod is jam-packed with events that take all your favorite summer activities and turn them (way) up a notch.

Some favorites not to miss:

The coolest jazz night: You can always count on the Provincetown Jazz Festival to take a great night of jazz and make it a little bit cooler. A tribute to renowned jazz trumpeter Lou Colombo will be held Monday, August 7 at 7:30pm at the Cultural Center of Cape Cod in South Yarmouth. The action moves to the Provincetown Art Association & Museum on Saturday, August 8th, Cuban pianist, composer Zahili Gonzalez Zamora and guitarist Steve Hambleton make their Provincetown Jazz Festival debuts at 6 pm.

The al fresco dinner party of your dreams: If you’ve never starred in a romance set in Tuscany, you’re about to. The annual LaTavola: Italian Feast Under the Stars (Friday, August 4) is a five-course feast on Steeple Street, in front of the Mashpee Public Library at Mashpee Commons—featuring family-style tables, checkered table cloths, and the live Italian music of tenor Aaron Caruso and accordion player Cory Pestauro. You will eat, you will drink and you will be merry and dance.

The pool party gone wild: Every year, the week-long Provincetown Carnival (August 12-19) is bananas, and every year, the kick-off party at the Crown & Anchor is responsible for getting the whole multi-day extravaganza (featuring pride-flag raising, gallery strolls, carnival cruise, 5k run/walk, pool and dance parties, and much more) off to a spectacularly perfect start. This year’s theme, MLand of Toys, will be on full display at Carnival's pinnacle event, the parade down Commercial Street on Thursday, August 17.

The big-time antiques show: You’ve got 40-plus exhibitors and six hours to peruse them all at the Cape Cod Antique Dealers Association's annual Summer Antique Show at Nauset Middle School in Orleans (Saturday, August 5 from 9 am to 3 pm). It’s under the big top on the school's front lawn, rain or shine, not that there was any weather that was ever going to keep you away from the treasure-hunting to your heart’s content at this show, one of the area’s best.

The ultimate foodie event: The wildly popular Cape Cod Food Truck and Craft Beer Festival barrels into the Cape Cod Fairgrounds in East Falmouth on Saturday, August 5 from noon to 5 pm. More than 30 food trucks from all over New England are on hand to serve up their best bites. Try everything from spicy Korean treats that melt in your mouth to traditional BBQ and wood-fired pizza. There’s also a beer tent, live music, kids' activities, and a craft market to keep you entertained once you’ve satisfied your appetite.

The granddaddy of scenic road races: If ever there was inspiration to keep going on a seven-mile road race, the route along the water in the ASICS Falmouth Road Race (Sunday, August 20) is it. From the picture-perfect drawbridge at Woods Hole to the bend around Nobska Lighthouse and over the beach along Vineyard Sound, everything about this classic local race (a tradition since 1973) will make you sorry to see the course come to an end. If the scenery isn’t enough to give you instant runner’s high, here’s another bonus on the Falmouth route: the home stretch is all downhill.

Start your engines: Car enthusiasts will go crazy for the Dennis Chamber of Commerce's 65th Antique Car Parade (Sunday, August 27), which departs West Dennis Beach at 11 am and winds through the villages of Dennis before ending at the Cape Playhouse. There are several great vantage points along the parade route to admire the procession of prized wheels in all makes and models.

Scavenger Hunt: Discover each of the family-friendly sand sculptures along the spectacular Yarmouth Sand Sculpture trail, available for viewing until Columbus Day. Find a trail map here so you can spot all 32 of the whimsical sculptures, which range from mermaids and ice cream cones to majestic whales. Make a day of it, then congratulate yourself on finding them all with a round of mini-golf along Yarmouth's Route 28 and a cone at Cape Cod Creamery!