cultural fests / food events / markets / shopping events (free admission, unless noted otherwise):
► thru 9/10: grand street summer restaurant week: east williamsburg. >>
► sat 12-6pm: lesbian renaissance: a medieval themed lavender market: boyfriend co-op café + bar (bed-stuy / bushwick). >>
► sat 2-7pm: brasilian independence day fest: 31st avenue between 33rd + 35th streets (astoria’s open street). >>
► sat thru mon (12-8pm): 46th annual richmond county fair: historic richmond town, staten island. $15 general, $12 seniors, $7 youths. >>
► sun 1-3pm (+ 9/13): free olive oil-y ice cream: mccarren parkhouse (williamsburg). >>
► sun 1-6pm (rain date 9/13): west side county fair: pier i in riverside park south (uws). >>
► sun 3-5pm: our little bake sale fundraiser for make the road new york: the play ground at little island, free admission, $10 per pastry. >>
► mon 11am-6pm: 59th annual west indian day parade: eastern parkway from utica avenue to grand army plaza (brooklyn). >>
dolly parton tribute events:
► sun 8pm: we will always love you: a dolly parton celebration with cover band doll parts: littlefield (gowanus), $20. >>
► tues 8pm: dolly: a live musical tribute: c’mon everybody (bed-stuy), $13.39. >>
friday
fri thru 9/10: brailed it: blind and low-vision kids take the cameras into their own hands in this documentary about the annual braille challenge, where top young braille readers and writers from around the world compete in los angeles. audio description is woven into the film as part of its storytelling. q+a with filmmakers david grabias and brendon schulze will follow the 9:40pm shows on 9/4 + 9/5. quad cinema (greenwich village), $18 general, $16 seniors. >>
fri thru tues (8pm): public works’ public record: presented by the public theater’s public works program, more than 100 new yorkers come together with musicians and dancers at central park’s delacorte theater to create a live album in real time, capturing how our city sings, moves, and tells its story in this moment. the resulting album will be preserved by the new york public library for the performing arts. ways to get free tickets: in-person at the theater in the park, at an in-person lottery at the public theater in noho, and via a digital lottery on the todaytix app. >>
thru mon: the metropolitan opera’s summer hd festival: catch encore screenings from the met’s live in hd series projected onto the opera house’s façade at lincoln center plaza. 2,500 seats will be available, first come, first served. free admission. >>
fri thru sun (5pm): cake zine at little island: james beard award-winning literary food magazine cake zine curates a reading series at little island about the past, present, and future of the city’s ever-changing food scene. the readings will be followed by an open writing group guided by cake zine authors. seating opens 30 minutes before showtime. >>
fri thru sun (5pm doors): 27th annual tromadance film festival: troma entertainment’s annual celebration of outrageous, low-budget filmmaking returns with three nights of screenings, drag, and bingo at pine box rock shop (bushwick). free admission. >>
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 6:30pm (monthly): lower east stories: p+t knitwear bookstore + café (les) presents a storytelling salon where each month brings a fresh theme and fresh tales. tonight’s theme: ‘class.’ hosted by matt storrs. $10 admission. >>
fri 7pm (monthly): immigrant jam comedy: german-born, nyc-raised comedian and actor lucie pohl (overwatch) celebrates all things cross-cultural, international, and delightfully different at the immigrant jam stand-up show, featuring immigrant and first generation comedians. tonight’s lineup reps canada, china, colombia, egypt, germany, india, norway, and romania with performers sahib singh (subway takes), salma hindy (comedy central), alyce chan (@momcomnyc), daniel simonsen (hbo), and santi espinosa (@santiagocomedy). a portion of the proceeds will go to new women new yorkers. caveat (les), $13.61 with promo code ‘skint’ (reg. $24-25). >>
fri 7pm: bryant park picnic performances: the annual summer performance series is back with two dozen free music, dance, and theater events in the heart of midtown. blankets and bistro chairs are provided for use. bring your own picnic or purchase food and drinks from on-site vendors. next up: bryant park’s first-ever brass festival, featuring traditional brass blended with r+b, pop, and soul from new brass band, brass queens, and aberdeen. >>
fri 7:30pm doors: the femmes: gay prom: get dressed up for a queer prom night with live music by the femmes, an all-woman and nonbinary party band playing songs by female and nonbinary artists. c’mon everybody (bed-stuy), $20.09 adv, $25 door. >>
fri 8pm doors: the horror show: a fundraiser for negative space cinema: negative space cinema, a new horror + genre microcinema opening in brooklyn this fall, hosts a horror-inspired drag show fundraiser at secret pour (bushwick / bed-stuy). free admission, but bring cash for raffles and to tip the performers. >>
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 joe rumrill (fantasmas), rojo perez (comedy central), isa medina (@isaamedinaa), jill weiner, and angel contreras. free admission (a tip jar will be passed around at the end of the show). >>
saturday
sponsored: sat thru 9/27: molière in the park: don juan: brooklyn’s home for free, world-class theater invites you to experience don juan – a thrilling tale of desire, power, and hypocrisy. translated by stephen wadsworth, directed by lucie tiberghien, and featuring a live cello score by johnathan moore, don juan is a masterful blend of comedy, tragedy, and the supernatural. running from september 5 through 27 at prospect park’ lefrak center at lakeside. free reservations are encouraged. >>
sat 12-10pm: the second annual melofest: melophobe, a bushwick music recording studio and diy artist space, celebrates two years with a day of back-to-back bands and djs across two stages, an ambient room, casino games, a bouncy house, vendors, bar, grill, and more. sunfish studio (bushwick), $20. >>
sat 7pm (monthly): tom d’s big new york show: comedian and licensed nyc tour guide tom delgado takes you through different aspects of nyc each month, with history, comedy, trivia with prizes, and special guests. tonight’s show features comedian carolina montesquieu (don’t tell comedy) and visual artist + historian john vasquez mejias (author, the puerto rican war). save $5 with promo code ‘tomdnyc’ >>
sat 7pm (monthly): you see black (ucblk): a variety show spotlighting black performers: join hosts justin catchens, dominique kaplowitz, and shem pennant for a night of improv, sketch, stand-up, and more—featuring a dynamic lineup of black performers. ucb (east village), $18.91 with promo code ‘ucblksept’ (reg. $23.91). >>
sat 7:30pm (monthly): feel the news with marcela onyango: an anarchist comedy news hour: in this monthly anti-capitalist, anti-fascist comedy show, comedian and writer marcela onyango breaks down the latest headlines—helping you decide whether to be mad, glad, or just deeply confused. each show supports direct action efforts, raising funds for mutual aid projects. tonight’s guests include darius dinkins, kristal adams, achille vann ricca, john o’donnell, julianna dudley, and danielle deluty. friends and lovers (crown heights), $10. >>
sat 8pm doors: scream scene horror hangout: tales from the hood: scream scene’s latest horror hangout features a screening of rusty cundieff’s 1995 horror anthology tales from the hood. tiny cupboard (bushwick), free admission. >>
sat 8pm-midnight: carly rae jepsen night: get into the full crj catalog with hits, deep cuts, b-sides, one-offs, new singles from her upcoming album, and more alongside other pop favorites. wonderville (bushwick), free admission. >>
sunday
sun 2-6pm: free show brain concert: show brain returns to tompkins square park (east village) with a free, all-ages concert featuring sid simons, 95 bulls, dauber, and more. >>
sun 2-6pm: union pool’s summer thunder concert series: the free daytime backyard concerts series closes the season with heavy blanket (feat. j mascis), crickets (jd samson, roddy bottum, michael o’neill), and tami hart. rain or shine. >>
sun 7pm: what i did for love: improv based on your love story: upright citizens brigade improvisers interview an audience member about their love life, then turn the stories into a fully-improvised performance. ucb (east village), $15. >>
monday
mon 4pm, 7pm: (monthly): movie musical mondays: singin’ in the rain: a series of iconic movie musicals hits the big screen at village east by angelika. the 2026 season continues with stanley donen and gene kelly’s singin’ in the rain (1952), starring kelly, debbie reynolds, and donald o’connor. >>
mon 5pm lawn opens, 8pm film starts (weather permitting): free outdoor movie: galaxy quest at bryant park (midtown). >>
tuesday
tues thru 9/25: ars nova ant fest: ars nova’s annual ‘all new talent’ (ant) festival showcases new theater, comedy, music, and hybrid theater across two weeks. ars nova theater (hell’s kitchen), $20+. >>
tues thru 9/20: 2-for-1 broadway week tickets: score broadway show tickets for less during this seasonal promotion! 2-for-1 tickets are now on sale for 25 shows, including buena vista social club, hadestown, maybe happy ending, oh, mary!, operation mincemeat, shmigadoon!, stranger things: the first shadow, the lost boys, and more. >>
tues 6:30pm: the common good economy: how to make capitalism work for us all: economist mariana mazzucato launches her new book with a conversation about rethinking capitalism around the common good, joined by pulitzer prize-winning poet natalie diaz and economist darrick hamilton. a book signing and reception will take place from 6:30-7:45pm, followed by the panel at 8pm. introductory remarks will be provided by deputy mayor of economic justice for new york city, julie su. the new school’s tishman auditorium (greenwich village/union square), free admission. >>
tues 7pm: risk! live show and story slam: hear guests tell true stories they never thought they’d share in public at kevin allison’s risk! show. tonight’s ‘that’s a surprise’ edition includes storytellers kelly auerbach, tyler fowler, and liza treyger, plus a mini-story slam featuring short stories told by selected audience members. featuring guest host jc cassis. caveat (les), $9.49 with promo code ‘skint’ (reg. $18+). >>
tues 8pm: scream scene presents die laughing at basket case: what’s in the basket? find out at scream scene’s new show where comedians watch a so-bad-it’s-funny horror movie along with you and share their reactions live. tonight: frank henenlotter’s basket case (1982). flop house comedy club (williamsburg), $15. >>
coming up
sponsored: weds 5-6:15pm (weekly thru 9/30): gather round: let’s dance at manhattan west: manhattan west plaza (midtown west at 385 9th avenue) features a free weekly dance and music series in partnership with works + process featuring live bands, captivating performances, and a participatory component! this week: freestyle showcased by layerhythm, who creates street/club music and dance experiences built on live improvisation, where the audience’s energy and ideas shape what happens on the floor in real time. >>
ongoing
our roundup of 50+ ongoing events: coney island friday night fireworks and brooklyn cyclones baseball (last chance!), tarot! renaissance symbols, modern visions at the morgan library + museum, rooftop cinema, and more. >>
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