tuesday

🎃 thru 10/29: our roundup of 30+ spooky halloween-themed events thru thursday! >>

tues 6:30pm: hair/power: essays on control and freedom: author kajal odedra discusses her new book exploring the politics of hair, from buzz cuts and afros to the natural hair movement, and how hair can be a form of self-expression, control, and resistance, at williamsburg’s salon. she’ll be joined by salon founder and hairstylist rubi aguilar, with instyle beauty director lauren valenti moderating. free admission. >>

tues 7pm: camille de peretti: portrait of an unknown woman w/ julie satow: author camille de peretti discusses her new novel, which imagines the story of the mysterious woman depicted in gustav klimt’s portrait of a lady, with author julie satow (when women ran fifth avenue) at books are magic (brooklyn heights). $10 admission includes a store gift card, $20.69 ticket option includes a copy of the book. >>

tues 7pm (monthly): we love a theme: a storytelling show: a lineup of performers tell funny, heartwarming, and cringe-inducing tales at bailey swilley’s monthly storytelling show. tonight’s ‘scared stupid’ theme features lynn battaglia, michelle chai, betsy friedman, and john mcginniss. pete’s candy store (williamsburg), free ($5 suggested donation). >>

tues 8pm (tuesdays): house party comedy: sima sepehri and zubi ahmed’s standup show returns to bushwick’s house party cafe + lounge with performances by julianna dudley, judah friedlander, sydney duncan, and salvin chahal. $10. >>

tues 8pm: live band karaoke at arlene’s grocery: pick your song, grab the mic, and be a star with your very own live band (nakatomi5) backing you up at arlene’s grocery (les). bonus: online ticket purchasers are entered in raffles to win prizes like drink tickets, skip-the-line song passes, or free admission to future shows. $10 adv, $15 day-of. >>

tues 9:30pm: story-oke: sing and tell: part karaoke, part confessional, this karaoke storytelling show invites performers and audience members alike to share a true story about their connection to a song – or the song itself – and then sing the hell out of it. hosted by shyaporn theerakulstit. caveat (les), $13.61 with promo code ‘skint’ (reg. $18.76-20). >>

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wednesday

weds thru the season: ice skating! lace up and get your skate on at these outdoor rinks opening for the season:
► winter village at bryant park (10/28-2/28) >>
► wollman rink in central park (10/28-3/16) >>
► lefrak center at lakeside in prospect park (10/31 thru ?) >>
► the gottesman rink at the davis center in central park (11/1-3/7) >>
► roebling rink at brooklyn bridge park (11/14-1/31) >>

weds 6pm: eighth annual european literature night: award-winning authors from 14 countries celebrate the english translations of their latest books during an evening of readings and discussions at the ukrainian institute of america (ues). throughout the evening, audiences can move between individual author readings and conversations and four thematic panel discussions moderated by pen america. free admission (rsvp). >>

weds 6:30pm: an evening with the new york times op-docs 2026, part 1: the new york times op-docs presents a screening of four acclaimed short documentaries, followed by a discussion with filmmakers and members of the op-docs team. ifc center (greenwich village), $18 general, $15 seniors. >>

weds 7pm: junk journal hang and zine trade: seasoned zine fans and newbies alike are welcome to hang and create junk journals at purgatory (bushwick). supplies will be provided, but feel free to bring your own to share. free admission (donations welcome). >>

weds 7pm: letters + sodas reading series: writer lana schwartz (the new yorker, mcsweeney’s) brings together comedians and writers for a night of standup, humor pieces, fiction, and essay readings. the greats of craft (lic), $5. >>

weds 7pm: science tonight: the one billion episode: hosted by astronomer dr. mark popinchalk of the american museum of natural history, science tonight is a comedy talk show where prepared scientists and unprepared improvisers team up to talk all things science. tonight’s season finale explores billionths, billions, and billionaires with guest sarah adelman (blow my mind). $14.64 with promo code ‘scitoniskint’ (reg. $24-25). >>

weds 7pm (wednesdays): baby shoes comedy: clare donaher and alex murdoch’s baby shoes comedy show delivers grown-up laughs with a fresh lineup of comedians each week. tonight’s show features ellen harrold, spencer wright, rohan dias, and chiara montali. black cat les, free admission. >>

weds 7pm: the vinyl word: the smiths vs. the cure: the vinyl word pits the smiths’ the queen is dead against the cure’s disintegration with a back-to-back album listening party where the crowd votes on the winner. alphaville (bushwick), $15 adv, $20 door. >>

weds 7:30pm (wednesdays): we have fun: a stand-up show: hosts zach sims and dan wilbur team up to bring the fun-ny to young ethel’s (south slope), with stand-up by katie hannigan (colbert), matt koff (the daily show), emily walsh (peacock), and jordan wold funny or die). free admission. >>

weds 7:30pm: southern oracles: the black air poets fuse jazz, hip hop, poetry, dance, and more in a multidisciplinary concert that touches on all things conceptually south: neighborhoods, music, history, culture. the adam space/bamcafé (fort greene), free admission. >>

weds 8pm (monthly): ditmas lit: a diverse range of fiction writers, storytellers, poets, and essayists share their work at the ditmas lit series, returning to the urbane arts club (ditmas park) with andrew colarusso (pettyg-d: poems), margaret kogan (steppingstones), maxim matusevich (six trains of no return), and kailee pederson (sacrificial animals). hosted by sarah bridgins. free admission. >>

weds 8:30pm: comedy on kingston: the comedy on kingston show returns with a night of stand up featuring reg thomas, andrew durso, cab washington, courtney reynolds, and zubi ahmed, plus music by kenan banks. hosted by nolawee. salon on kingston (crown heights), $15. >>

thursday

thurs 6:30pm: data by design: p+t knitwear welcomes lauren klein, tanvi sharma, and silas munro to celebrate and discuss the release of their book data by design, which explores how the history of data visualization holds the key to designing a more just future. p+t knitwear bookstore (les). $10 admission, $44.52 ticket option includes a copy of the book. >>

thurs 6:30pm: newsreel presents: a midterm mania panel + party: five days before the election, new york city council member chi ossé, morris katz of the mamdani campaign, vox’s astead herndon, and newsnation host batya ungar-sargon talk midterms at a phone-free panel, followed by a party with a dj. 100 sutton event space (greenpoint), $15 with promo code ‘skint15’ (reg. $40). bonus: ticket includes a drink. >>

thurs 7pm: carnegie science spooky social: space is full of things that should scare you more than ghosts. join astronomer dr. scott sheppard for a spooky evening exploring hidden planets, ‘planet-killer’ asteroids, and other mysteries lurking in our solar system. hosted by science comedians sarah rose siskind and willa barnett, the night features trivia, prizes, an optional costume contest, and a q+a with sheppard and carnegie science president john mulcahey. $17.85 with promo code ‘helloscicom’ (reg. $23-25). >>

thurs 7pm: a final reading with the center for fiction / susan kamil 20266 emerging writer fellows: the center for fiction’s nine 2026 emerging writer fellows come together to conclude their cohort year and share their published writing and works in-progress. the center for fiction (fort greene), free admission (donations welcome). >>

thurs 7pm (monthly): golden spiral comedy show: at mindy raf and katie compa’s golden spiral comedy show, stand-up set lengths follow the fibonacci sequence (5, 8, 13, and 21 minutes each). tonight’s show at whiskey cellar nyc (east village) features courtney maginnis (hbo), matt goldich (seth meyers), amanda gordon (subway takes), and kofi thomas (secret sauce comedy). advance ticket purchase includes a raffle ticket for a free drink. a limited number of tickets are available for $7.18 with promo code ‘skintspiral’ >>

thurs 7pm-10pm: the sixth annual francon: mingle with other fran fans at this annual tribute to iconic new york writer and humorist fran lebowitz, where you can swap books, smoke candy cigarettes, and drink themed cocktails. holiday cocktail lounge (east village), $5-17 admission. >>

thurs 8:30pm (monthly): connor ratliff presents: the acting class: a fully improvised show disguised as an acting workshop, where host connor ratliff demonstrates ‘what acting truly is’ with the help of a guest performer and occasional audience participation. ucb (east village), $15. >>

ongoing

our roundup of 40+ ongoing events: hitchcocktober, the amazing maize maze, and more. >>

support us

if you enjoy this newsletter and would like to help keep it going, please consider supporting us here

the roundup is broken out into three sections:
• parties + events
• tribute bands
• movie-related

note: events marked with a pumpkin 🎃 will have a costume contest.

parties + events

10/27 6:30pm: haunted brooklyn: ghosts, folklore, and the stories we tell: andrea janes, founder of boroughs of the dead and an expert in new york city’s haunted histories, is joined by a panel to bring brooklyn ghost stories to life. center for brooklyn history (brooklyn heights), free admission. >>

10/27 7pm: aerobicide: slimer edition: workout/dance to john carpenter, the cure, spike hellis, dead or alive, ray parker jr, and more. saint vitus (ridgewood), $25. >>

10/27 7pm: black cherry sideshow: ‘sawtober ii: tales from da cherry pit massacre’: featuring the first and only all bipoc, all trans sideshow drag troupe. ars nova theater (hell’s kitchen), $20-35. >>

🎃 10/27 8pm: high + mighty brass band halloween party: sleepwalk (bushwick), $17. >>

10/27 9:30pm: monster mash: improv comedy by your favorite characters from tv, movies, real life… and beyond: ucb (east village), $13.50 with promo code ‘monstermash’ (reg. $18.50). >>

10/28 6pm: boroughs of the dead + the merchant’s house museum present: houdini among the villagers: a panel talk on houdini’s rise to fame in new york and his detour into the worlds of ghosts and spiritualism. church of the village (greenwich village), free admission. >>

10/28 6pm: pumpkitecture! the eighth annual architectural pumpkin carving competition: the center for architecture (greenwich village), $15 admission. >>

10/28 8pm: horror classics book club: the legend of sleepy hollow + other storeis by washington irving : the twisted spine bookstore and café (williamsburg), free admission. >>

10/28 8pm: nyc’s halloween punderdome: pun-slam and pun-costume compuntition: pun-masters have a war of the words at the beloved pun-slinging competition. hosted by fred firestone. littlefield (gowanus), $14 adv, $16 day-of. >>

10/28 8pm: the savage garden: a drag tribute to the work of anne rice: c’mon everybody (bed-stuy), $20.09. >>

🎃 10/29 7pm: tim curry costume ball: costume contests | trivia | games | prizes | all-night, curry-centric chaos. come dressed as your favorite version of tim curry! sanger hall (sunnyside), free admission. >>

🎃 10/29 7pm doors: niche night nyc presents: y2 slay baby one more time 90s + 2000s halloween party: costumes encouraged. friends and lovers (crown heights), free admission. >>

10/29 8pm-midnight: nightbreed: queer dark wave night: a night of synth, post punk, goth, and 80s sleaze for queer bats. costumes and spooky wear encouraged. purgatory (bushwick), free admission. >>

10/29 8pm-late: dyke-o-ween: a sapphic + trans dance party: the sultan room at the turk’s inn (bushwick), $20.09. >>

10/29 8:30pm: venomous verses in the gloaming: an evening of supernatural ballads with shinbone alley: jalopy theatre (columbia street waterfront district), $23. >>

10/29 11pm: blade rave: the brooklyn monarch (east williamsburg), $31.75. >>

tribute bands

10/28 7pm: halloween cover band showcase: tributes to the white stripes, can, and simon + garfunkel. trans-pecos (ridgewood), $12 adv, $15 day of. >>

10/28 7pm: twee halloween: tributes to belle + sebastian, magnetic fields, velvet underground. union pool (williamsburg), $12.98. >>

10/28 7pm: tealeaf collective’s halloween covers night: tributes to smashing pumpkins, alice in chains, hole, and the singles soundtrack. arlene’s grocery (les), $11-13 adv, $15 day of. >>

10/28 7:30pm: diyween: tributes to the beatles, the kinks, and more. tv eye (ridgewood), $19.57. >>

10/28 7:30pm: halloween cover show at the broadway: tributes to title fight, distillers, oasis, boygenius, and sufjan stevens. the broadway (bushwick/bed-stuy), $12 adv, $15 day of. >>

10/28 7:30pm: the annual sally can’t dance tribute to the cramps: hosted by michael t at bowery palace (east village). $18.78. >>

10/28 8pm: fredaween presents the rocky horror picture show: frank-n-furter edition: tributes to rocky horror, violent femmes, and tom petty. bar freda (ridgewood), $10 adv, $12 door. >>

10/29-31 (8pm-midnight): the gutter’s annual gutterween: 20+ tribute bands over three nights. costumes recommended. the gutter (williamsburg), free admission. >>

10/29 8pm:: hood park 2nd annual coat drive + cover show: tributes to bad brains, sick of it all, warzone, youth of today, and more. tv eye (ridgewood), $15 cover, $10 with coat donation. >>

10/29 8pm: melt ice: benefit show for undocumented new yorkers: tributes to mannequin pussy, my chemical romance, l7, and more. bar freda (ridgewood), $10 adv, $15 day of. >>

10/29 9:30pm: live coverage: post-punk, new wave, power-pop, and indie rock. costumes encouraged. bowery palace (east village), $12.44. >>

movie-related

10/27-29 (7pm): monster movie mini series at elizabeth street garden (nolita): clue, james and the giant peach, addams family values. free admission. >>

10/28 7pm: aesop’s sound fables presents: strange animations monster party:ensemble band aesop’s sound fables preforms original soundtracks to curated short films, followed by a q+a with local directors. purgatory (bushwick), $17. >>

10/28 7:30pm: nosferatu (1922) with an original live scores by the flushing remonstrance: cobble hill cinemas (brooklyn), $20. >>

10/29 6pm (weather permitting): free outdoor movie: corpse bride at sunset park (brooklyn). >>

10/29 7pm: secrets of the dead short horror film festival: film noir cinema (greenpoint), $12. >>

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if you enjoy this newsletter and would like to help keep it going, please consider supporting us here

🎃 halloween is still a week away, but the spooky season is already in full swing! we’ve rounded up more than 40 halloween parties, shows, cover band concerts, screenings, pet parades, and more happening this weekend. check ’em out here.

cultural fests / food events / markets / shopping events (free admission, unless noted otherwise):

► fri 10am-5pm: sixth annual cider village at the union square greenmarket: union square park, manhattan. >>

► fri + sat (fri 1-7pm, sat 11am-6pm): threadbare vintage clothing + antique textiles show: 26 bridge street, brooklyn (dumbo). $15 admission. >>

► sat + sun (11am-6pm): fad (fashion art design) pop-up market: st. paul’s church (boerum hill/cobble hill). >>

► sat 11am-9pm: the 11th annual diwali times square: broadway from 46th st to 48th st. >>

► sat 12-6pm: the 12th diwali on hudson: exchange place in jersey city. >>

► sat 11am-4pm: the third annual offset art book fair: sheila c. johnson design center at parsons school of design (greenwich village). timed ticket required. >>

► sun 11am-4pm: maum market: asian makers market: industry city (brooklyn). >>

► sun 11am-6pm: five boro foto fest: photographs, prints, zines, books, and mixed media: culture lab lic. >>

film fests / series:

► fri + sat: 12th nordic international film festival: scandinavia house (ues), $13 general, 50% off for students with code ‘student’ >>

► fri thru 10/29: william greaves 100: once upon a time in harlem, symbiopsychotaxiplasm: take one, nationtime, lost boundaries, and more. film forum (south village), $18. >>

► fri thru 10/29: area coded: american regionalism in film: giant, grey gardens, move ya body: the birth of house, shakedown, the texas chain saw massacre, and more. >>

sponsored

Photo: Roy Cox

Get $10 General Admission tickets and bring the kids FREE to hear one of the “greatest quartets of the last 100 years” (BBC) – Dover Quartet – on Halloween night at the historic Washington Irving campus near Union Square! Doors open at 6:45 and the concert begins at 7:30 PM.

Peoples’ Symphony’s former Resident Ensemble returns to the series’ longtime home with a soulful program of quartets by Dvořák and Brahms and a special orchestration of Rattle Songs (Pura FE) by indigenous composer Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate.

Dover Quartet is a two-time Grammy-nominated string quartet based in Philadelphia at the Curtis Institute of Music.

Founded in 1900, Peoples’ Symphony Concerts is New York City’s oldest chamber music series, offering affordable top-quality concerts for as little as $10 each. Learn more about our 127th Season at PSCNY.ORG.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31
Dover Quartet
Doors: 6:45 PM
Concert: 7:30 PM
40 Irving Place, between 16th & 17th Sts, Manhattan

GET TICKETS

friday

sponsored: fri thru 10/25 (+ 10/30-11/1): get $35 tickets to the ripple, the wave that carried me home at playwrights horizons!: it’s 1960s kansas, and janice’s parents are fighting for the integration of public swimming pools — a fierce civil rights struggle that overshadows her childhood and drives a wedge between janice and her family. it’s also 30 years later, when janice is asked to speak at a ceremony honoring her father, forced to reckon with the scars of a past she has tried to forget. a piercing, theatrically vivid story about the personal toll of fighting for justice, and the ultimate challenge of forgiveness. get $35 tickets (incl. fees) with code ‘ripplesk’ for tier 1 and tier 2 tickets for friday-sunday performances through 11/1. >>

sponsored: fri thru 10/29: ditch the ordinary and discover some of nyc’s most unique experiences with new york adventure club!:
• watch medieval knights battle it out in a thrilling, full-contact armored combat experience >>
• go behind the scenes of temple emanu-el, one of the world’s largest synagogues >>
• unleash your inner artist at an after-hours pastel painting workshop inside the akc museum of the dog >>
• and more! >>

sponsored: fri + sat (various times): flop house comedy club: nyc’s friendliest indie comedy club—with great comics and a cozy atmosphere—has some incredible lineups this weekend! save 50% with promo code ‘skint’ on tickets to these shows at 362 grand street in williamsburg: friday 8pm, 9:30pm, and 11pm; and the east village location is back at 201 allen st store 2 friday + saturday at 8:00pm. new: monthly member’s pass ($20) to see as many shows as you want + happy hour drinks + secret drop in announcements! >>

fri 6-9pm: housing works fifth annual taylor swift karaoke competition: grab the mic and unleash your inner swiftie at the same housing works bookstore featured in the ‘all too well (taylor’s version)’ music video. singers can compete for gift cards, and all attendees will be entered in a raffle to win a $200 ‘stolen lullabies’ vinyl variant of folklore. housing works bookstore (soho), $10 adv, $15 door. >>

fri 7pm: looking for laughs: love island meets whose line is it anyway? two blindfolded singles meet four comics for a real blind date. on stage. hosted by douglas widick and tess tregellas. caveat (les), $14.43 with promo code ‘skint15’ (reg. $22-23). >>

fri 8:30pm: bitches brew comedy show: this women-produced-and-hosted comedy show conjures up big laughs in the back room of halyards (gowanus). tonight’s lineup includes matt koff (the daily show), hoodo hersi (colbert), julia shiplett (netflix), oba olaniyi, olivia stadler, and andrea allen. free admission (a tip jar will be passed around at the end of the show). >>

fri 9:30pm: yesterday’s horoscope, live!: the stars are aligned for yesterday’s horoscope, a cosmic comedy show with an astrological bent, hosted by ‘the all seeing, all knowing, and occasionally withholding skies’ (kristina gustovich and jane mitchell). $15.67 with promo code ‘mamalovesskint’ (reg $24-25). >>

saturday

sat + sun (11am-6pm): lincoln center open house: get a taste of lincoln center’s performing arts programming with a day of family-friendly performances, workshops, storytelling, music, dance, puppets, costume-making, and more, including jazz from jazz at lincoln center, an opera workshop with the metropolitan opera, and dance workshops from the school of american ballet and new york city ballet. free admission. >>

sat 10am: brooklyn’s black trailblazers: cemetery trolley tour: visit the memorials of artist jean-michel basquiat, civil rights activists grace nail johnson and james weldon johnson, mathematician charles l. reason (the first black college professor in the united states), and other visionaries on this guided tour of green-wood cemetery examining the life and accomplishments of prominent black brooklynites. free admission (rsvp). >>

sat 4pm: we’re ready to (dis)believe you: (conspiracy) theories debunked: stand-up comedy, true stories, live music, and bs-detector games meet neuroscience in a live variety show exploring why our brains fall for conspiracy theories and misinformation, and how you can build a sharper bs detector of your own. hosted by gabriel berezin of the fuguespodcast. caveat (les), $14.64 with promo code ‘brokebuthappy’ (reg. $20.09). >>

sat 5pm: relationsh*t storytelling show: stories about all kinds of relationships meet on-stage advice from actual therapists. hosted by lynn bixenspan and morgan pielli. q.e.d. (astoria), $12. >>

sat 9:30pm (monthly): drunk planet earth: mst3k meets animal planet meets drinking game at this participatory show that revolves around watching an animal documentary, drinking, and the audience trying to stump the hosts with animal trivia. hosted by brian morabito and stephen buckley. caveat (les), free admission. >>

sunday

sun 2pm (+ 2/7, 3/18, 5/2): the broadway bach ensemble: fall concert: the broadway bach ensemble, a community orchestra that presents four free concerts of music from the baroque era to the 21st century every year, kicks off its 42nd season with an afternoon program featuring works by grace williams, igor stravinsky, and robert schumann at the broadway presbyterian church (morningside heights). >>

sun 7:30pm: poetry overnight at bam: bam’s first-ever poetry overnight takes over the adam space (bamcafé) for an all-night poetry reading, with featured readers, special guests, and unique collaborations until sunrise. come and go as you please, or stay for the whole event. curated by bam curator at large and macarthur ‘genius’ hanif abdurraqib and hosted by jon goode. brooklyn academy of music (fort greene), free admission. >>

sun 8:30pm: improv with my friends from work: ceara jane o’sullivan (snl, petty crimes podcast) hosts a long-form improv show with cast and writers from saturday night live. ucb (east village), $20. >>

monday

mon 6pm: get lit! t kira madden and fenne lily: author t kira madden joins wnyc’s all of it host alison stewart for a discussion about her debut novel, whidbey. the conversation will be followed by a musical performance from folk singer-songwriter fenne lily. nypl’s stavros niarchos foundation library (midtown), free admission. >>

mon 7pm: the story collider podcast science storytelling show: ‘stepping up’ edition: science meets storytelling. five storytellers take the stage with true tales about how science impacted their lives in touching, funny, and interesting ways. tonight’s edition explores stories about stepping up, from coming of age to fulfilling expectations. hosted by diana li and paula croxson. caveat (les), $14.22 with promo code ‘skint’ (reg. $24-25). >>

mon 7:30pm (monthly thru may): 24th annual music mondays concert series: the music mondays concert series returns with a new season of classical and contemporary chamber music at advent lutheran church (uws). tonight, claremont trio and clarinetist kinan azmeh perform works by azmeh, rebecca clarke, and maurice ravel. a casual reception will follow the performance. free admission (note: if online reservations are sold out, there will be a standby line). >>

ongoing

our roundup of 40+ ongoing events: hitchcocktober, the amazing maize maze, and more. >>

support us

if you enjoy this newsletter and would like to help keep it going, please consider supporting us here