cultural fests / food events / markets / shopping events (free admission, unless noted otherwise):
► fri 8pm-midnight: chinatown night market: forsyth plaza. >>
► fri thru sun: 45th annual thunderbird american indian powwow: queens county farm museum, $18 (admission supports thunderbird american indian dancers scholarship fund and the queens county farm museum education program). >>
► fri thru sun: 114th annual st. ann italian festival: 7th + jefferson streets (hoboken). >>
► sat 1-7pm: 11th annual bed-stuy stoops summer festival: enter at stuyvesant ave and decatur street. free admission (donations welcome). >>
►sat 2-8pm: eighth annual kingsland wildflowers festival: kingsland wildflowers green roof + community engagement center (greenpoint), free admission (donations welcome). >>
► sat-sun (11am-6pm): fad market summer pop-up: the invisible dog art center (boerum hill). >>
► sat + sun (12-7pm): african restaurant week african pop-up festival: hillel plaza at flatbush/nostrand. >>
► sun 10am-5pm: summer brunch + shop – women-owned businesses at grand bazaar nyc: indoors and outdoors at 100 w 77th st at columbus ave (uws). >>
► sun 12-6pm: ballet folklórico mexicano de nueva york’s 12th annual guelaguetza festival: socrates sculpture park (lic). >>
► sun 1-5pm: arcade swap meet: wonderville (bushwick). >>
► sun 3-4pm: comic swap: anyone comics (crown heights). >>
► mon 4-10pm (monthly thru october): brooklyn night market: industry city. >>
friday
thru 8/18 (thursdays-sundays at 6:30pm): hudson classical theater company: twelfth night: hudson classical theater company continues its 21st season with an intimate outdoor production of twelfth night, adapted by susane lee and directed by nicholas martin-smith, at the soldiers’ and sailors’ monument in riverside park (uws). donations will be accepted following the show. >>
thru 8/11: where to watch the summer olympics: from outdoor venues to beer halls to arcades, gothamist rounds up their picks for the best places to watch the olympics in nyc. >>
thru 8/3 (thursdays-saturdays at 7pm): shakespeare in the parking lot: twelfth night: celebrating its 29th year of free shakespeare productions in an actual parking lot, drilling company presents its adaptation of twelfth night in the lower east side. chairs will be provided on a first come first served basis (or byo). the parking lot adjoining 145 stanton street (entrance on rivington street between norfolk and suffolk streets), free admission (donations welcome). >>
fri (various times): free outdoor movies (weather permitting):
barbie at wnyc transmitter park (greenpoint) >>
first man at intrepid musesum’s flight deck (hell’s kitchen) >>
flight at highbridge park (washington heights) >>
jumanji: the next level at hamilton fish park (les) >>
moulin rouge at north oculus plaza (fidi) >>
purple rain 40th anniversary + dance party at brooklyn bridge park’s pier 3 plaza >>
the golden ball (le ballon d’or) at pier i in riverside park (the hudson) >>
thru sun: latino punk fest: the annual latino punk fest returns with 30+ bands from argentina, canada, chile, columbia, spaid, and throughout the us. 18+. tv eye (ridgewood), $10-30. >>
thru sun (various times): third annual lincoln center’s summer for the city: lincoln center hosts 200+ free or choose-what-you-pay concerts, dance parties, performances, films screenings, and more thru august. this weekend: urban bush women’s 40th anniversary performances, workshops, and talks (fri thru 8/4), fefita la grande (fri 7:30pm), kazem abdullah conducts brahms and stravinsky (fri + sat at 7:30pm), patrice roberts (sat 7:30pm), astro disco with the illustrious blacks (sat 9pm), la dimensión latina (sun 7:30pm), s.n.o.b.: sunday night on broadway silent disco (sun 8pm), and more. free and choose-what-you pay admission. >>
fri + sat (various times): 46th annual bric celebrate brooklyn! festival: nyc’s longest-running, free, outdoor performing arts festival returns with concerts, films, dance, and more for 10 weeks. this weekend: ronald k. brown / evidence dance company (fri 8pm) and watchhouse and humbird (sat 7:30pm). lena horne bandshell at prospect park (brooklyn), free admission. >>
fri 4-10pm (fridays thru 8/16): warm up 2024: moma’s annual outdoor party series brings beats and bodies to ps1’s long island city courtyard for six nights. celebrating its 26th season, this year features a stage designed by artist stewart uoo and a lineup that includes djs and artists from new york city, detroit, miami, los angeles, london, and são paulo. tonight: uniiqu3, easyfun, evilslime (evilgaine + slimesito), and african-american sound recordings. $18-22 general, $15-18 students. >>
fri 5pm-sunset (fridays thru 8/16): summer sway at the shed: celebrating the roots of hip hop and digging into the artforms it inspired, djs, musical artists and dance collectives will take over the shed’s outdoor plaza for a series of free performances highlighting queer, trans, and bipoc community-based and community-born art. tonight: dj perly and uptown vinyl supreme. free admission. >>
fri 5-9pm (+ 9/27): the intrepid’s free friday with astro live: go to the moon and beyond at the intrepid sea, air + space museum’s free friday night, where you can view the exhibition apollo: when we went to the moon, hear a talk from artemis launch director charlie blackwell thompson and former nasa astronaut mike massimino, watch a screeniing of first man on the flight deck, and participate in family-friendly programming. >>
fri 7pm (monthly): tale storytelling show: harmon leon (this american life, the new yorker) hosts an evening of performances by some of the city’s best storytellers, including rhonda handsome (sirius xm), sean o’brien (moth grandslam), susie felber (comedy central), and bailey swilley (we love a theme). with music by max newland. the red room at kgb bar (east village), half price with promo code ‘disountskint’ or if you mention the skint at the door (reg. $15), plus a two-drink minimum. >>
fri 7-10pm (fridays thru 10/25): dreamland roller disco: lola star’s themed skate parties return to prospect park’s lefrak center for another season. tonight’s theme: beyoncé. $25 admission includes skate rental. >>
fri 7:30pm laugh it off – a comedy show in a dog cafe: bring your problems and your pups to the laugh it off variety show, where audience members submit their everyday problems and comedians try their best to ‘fix’ them. drinks and food will be available for purchase. boris and horton (east village), $15.99. >>
fri 7:45pm doors: rooftop films summer series: new york non-fiction: rooftop films presents a night of new short documentaries about the people and places that make new york the place we call home. with live music from mike osei, q+a with filmmakers, and an after party. green-wood cemetery (brooklyn), $18. >>
fri 8pm: the roast of your teenage self: comedians take jabs at their younger selves by sharing old photos, diary entries, and the occasional angst-filled musical number. hosted by alise morales. littlefield (gowanus), $9-12 with promo code ‘roast5’ (reg. $15-18). >>
fri 8:30pm: bitches brew comedy show: see what all the brew-ha-ha is about at this women-produced and-hosted comedy show, returning to the back room at halyards (gowanus) with stand-up by molly austin (comedy central), jamie shriner (the onion), shaunak gokhindi, victoria vincent, catherine mcafferty, and jon randall. free admission (a tip jar will be passed around at the end of the show). >>
saturday
sat + sun 6-10pm: summerstage: nyc’s iconic summer performing arts festival returns with 85 free and benefit shows in central park and 12 neighborhood parks across the five boroughs. this weekend: piano people in the park with scorpion kings, kelvin momo, oskido, dj tunez, dj moma, aqutie, mohogany, and descendants at rumsey playfield in central park (sat 3-10pm, ticketed benefit show); catalan sounds on tour: sidonie, balkan paradise orchestra, lau noah, and dj turmix at rumsey playfield in central park (sun 6-10pm, free admission). >>
sat (various times): free outdoor movies (weather permitting):
back to the future at north oculus plaza (fidi) >>
kung fu panda 4 at de witt clinton park (hell’s kitchen) >>
sat 7am-3pm (saturdays thru 8/24): nyc summer streets festival: the streets of nyc become your playground as the annual summer streets festival returns for five saturdays. miles of streets will be closed to vehicular traffic and open for the public to enjoy in each borough, with live performances, fitness classes, free bike rentals, refreshments, kids’ activities, and more at rest stops along the way. today: queens (long island city and astoria) and staten island. >>
sat + sun (6pm, + 8/3-4): shakespeare in the garden: stag + lion theatre co. presents their take on shakepeare’s love’s labour’s lost in west side community garden’s floral setting. free admission. >>
sat 6pm: rhapsody for this land: the amerian odyssey in music: wnyc and dumbo’s st. ann’s warehouse celebrate the 100th anniversary of george gershwin’s anthem rapsody in blue with a free, outdoor concert at emily warren roebling plaza under the brooklyn bridge, featuring pianist and npr host laura downes, christian mcbride, rosanne cash, john leventhal, arturo o’farrill, trio time for three, orchestra elena, and conductor aram demirjian. hosted by terrance mcknight. the contest will be broadcast live. >>
sat 7:30pm (monthly): the odd rock comedy hour: comedy musician rob paravonian, known for his viral ‘pachelbel rant’ and other videos, hosts a music and comedy variety show with performances by jessica delfino, rachel green, and others at q.e.d. (astoria). $10. >>
sat 8pm doors: rooftop films summer series: mind-altering shorts: rooftop films presents a night of new trippy shorts, with live music from medium, q+a with filmmakers, and an after party. industry city courtyard 5/6 (brooklyn), $18. >>
sat 11pm: (+ 8/16, 8/30): seventh annual mx. nobody pageant: ‘brooklyn’s most transgressive’ all-gender, all-style, all-skill level drag competition returns to purgatory (bushwick) for its seventh year. $19.27. >>
sunday
sun 12-4pm: the public theater block party: the public theater hosts an afternoon block party featuring alumni performances of songs from hamilton, hair, fun home, suffs, and other musicals, a dance workshop lead by four-time tony nominated director/choreographer camille a. brown, family-friendly activities, and more. astor place + lafayette street, and inside the public (425 lafayette street), free admission. >>
sun 2-10pm: tiki disco: the tiki disco crew hosts another banger outdoor dance party at knockdown center (maspeth). free (rsvp). >>
sun 5pm (monthly): the literary saloon: the center for fiction (fort greene) hosts a monthly mixed-genre reading series, focusing on local, emerging talent and diverse voices. curated and hosted by wesley straton (the bartender’s cure), tonight’s edition features authors kiran bath, chloe caldwell, maura cheeks, courtney denelle, lauren aliza green. drinks will be available for purchase from the café + bar. free admission (donations welcome). >>
sun 7pm (ends today): summer on the hudson: amplified sundays: the amplified sundays series returns with danceable live music accompanied by sunsets at riverside park south’s pier i (uws). tonight’s edition features baklava express, performing middle eastern fusion influenced by the traditions of the arab world. free admission. >>
sun 7:30pm (+ 8/15, 8/30): celebrity memoir book club: live: celebrity memoir book club podcast hosts claire parker and ashley hamilton are getting ready to take their live show to australia. join then as they test out segments and games with a new york audience. union hall (park slope), $10 adv, $15 door. >>
sun 7:30pm: sleepaway camp with robert hiltzik: ifc center (greenwich village) presents a 35mm screening of 1983 slasher cult classic sleepaway camp, followed by q+a with director robert hiltzik. $18 general, $15 seniors. >>
monday
mon (various times): free outdoor movies (weather permitting):
breakfast at tiffany’s at astoria park great lawn (astoria) >>
dora and the lost city of gold at the hudson (inwood) >>
how to lose a guy in 10 tens at bryant park (midtown) >>
mon 7pm: risk! true tales boldly told: hear guests tell true stories they never thought they’d share in public at kevin allison’s risk! show. tonight’s show includes storytellers mitch applebaum, nonye brown-west, and nisa, plus a mini-story slam featuring short stories told by selected audience members. caveat (les), save 20% with promo code ‘riskfriend’ >>
mon 8:30pm: welcome to the chat room: join in the collective embarrassment as stand-ups deliver their sets and share cringe-worthy internet posts from their teenage years at julia zhen and sara bergmark’s welcome to the chat room comedy show. tonight’s lineup: jay jurden (fallon), ian lockwood (vulture), and shosh brodman (hound dog comedy). ucb (east village), $10 adv, $15 day of. >>
ongoing
our roundup of 70+ ongoing events and attractions: art exhibits, film screenings, and more. >>
stay safe and healthy
– the skint