tuesday

tues thru 9/30: psychic self defense: here art center’s women-led season of world premieres opens with normandy sherwood’s psychic self defense, where curtains open and close, revealing and concealing characters, objects and scenes in hypnotic patterns. here arts center (south village), $25 general (there will be 10 tickets available for $10 each at every performance). >>

tues 5-7pm: silent writing happy hour: launching in the back room of pete’s candy store (williamsburg), this new weekly writing workshop offers short readings, 30-minute exercises, and space to practice your writing skills. open to writers of all experience levels. free admission. >>

tues 6pm: voilà vegan: pastry chef and cordon bleu paris alumnae amanda bankert of boneshaker donuts + coffee in paris presents her debut cookbook, voilà vegan, in a conversation with baker and author dorie greenspan at archestratus books + foods (greenpoint). $10 admission, $35 ticket includes a copy of the book. >>

tues 6pm (+ 10/24, 11/21): tues 6pm: miller theater’s pop-up concert series: longleash: the columbia university school of the arts’s musical happy hour returns for a new season of free concerts where the audience is permitted to sit onstage with the performers and enjoy a free drink. tonight’s season opener: longleash ensemble brings a program of new music, including two world premieres and igor santos’ sounding petals, an imagined sonification of mobiles inspired by the work of sculptor alexander calder. columbia university’s miller theatre (morningside heights), free admission. >>

tues 7:30pm (weekly): let’s see, what else? comedy show: courtney maginnis and tom delgado host this (seven years running) weekly stand-up show in the basement of lucky jack’s (les). tonight: judah friedlander (30 rock), matt pavich (mtv), brittany carney (hbo), henry sir (comedy central), and abby washuta (buzzfeed). $10. >>

tues 8pm: gay shame: sheria mattis and ely kreimendahl head this queer comedy show, where they wrestle shamefully gay anecdotes from a lineup of comics, the crowd, and each other. featuring janeane garofalo (wet hot american summer), ái vy luu (vulture), glo butler (glo in the city comedy), sabrina wu (fallon), and more. littlefield (gowanus), $10 adv, $15 day of. >>

tues 8:30pm (2nd + 4th tuesdays): mommy comedy show: get pampered with laughter at glennis laroe and rylan sylvester’s mommy comedy show, held on the patio of gowanus gardens. tonight: sahib singh (comedy central), sabrina wu (fallon), lizzy cassidy (siriusxm), and bobby condon. $10. >>

tues 8:30pm (weekly): i made you a playlist: stand-up meets after-party at this weekly comedy show and dance party, hosted by kelly bachman and jaffer khan. tonight’s show features tess vergult, alex castagne, meno fernandez, julia desmond, claire alexander, and deanna ortiz. the three diamond door (bushwick), free admission. >>

tues 10pm: a talk about things with jordan klepper: comedian and political commentator jordan klepper (the daily show, jordan klepper fingers the consipracy) does a talk about things, from his time on the road, to an instagram famous dog, to encounters with a president and their wisdom, and more. union hall (park slope), $10. >>

wednesday

weds thru 10/23: : rockefeller center will host an installation of large-scale works by artist robert indiana, including the return of his iconic 12-foot-high love sculpture as well as one through zero (the ten numbers). free admission. >>

weds (various times): free outdoor movies (weather permitting):
back to the future at chelsea park >>
the big lebowski at mccarren park (williamsburg/greenpoint) >>

weds 6pm: allison c. meier: grave: the municipal art society of new york presents a book talk with writer, researcher, and cemetery tour guide allison c. meier about grave, her ground-level view of how burial sites have transformed over time and how they continue to change. in conversation with art historian and tour guide tiernan morgan. housing works bookstore cafe (soho), free admission. >>

weds 6pm: trivia aboard a tall ship: go head-to-head against professional tour guides aboard the seaport museum’s permanently-moored 1885 tall ship wavertree. question categories will include ‘bodies and bars,’ ‘statues and seaport,’ and ‘squares and pairs.’ $20 admission includes wine and non-alcoholic beverages. >>

weds 7pm (monthly): fantastic fiction: the speculative-fiction reading series at kgb bar (east village), hosted by editor ellen datlow and writer matthew kressel, welcomes benjamin percy (the sky vault, wolverine) and josh rountree (the legend of charlie fish, weird horror). free admission. >>

weds 7pm (monthly): artists + beers: pair cinema with cervezas at ‘artists + beers,’ a monthly screening series highlighting short films, music videos, and short docs by local filmmakers. hosted by nancy pop and chip parham. all night skate (bed-stuy), free admission. >>

weds 7-10pm: hot + fresh burlesque night: first timers and up-and-comers show off their moves, strip down, and test out new material at this recurring burlesque open mic night at house of yes (bushwick). free admission (bring cash to tip the performers). >>

weds 7:30pm (weekly): ambush comedy show – with free beer: josh johnson, lucas connolly, and brittany cardwell serve up slices of standup at two boots pizza (williamsburg), where they’ll be joined by usama siddiquee (hbo), kc shornima (snl), peter revello (comedy central), april body (adult swim), and cprey humm. bonus: free beer from 7:30-8pm. free admission (rsvp to enter the pizza raffle). >>

weds 7:30pm (weekly): we have fun: a stand-up show: hosts zach sims and dan wilbur bring the fun-ny to young ethel’s (park slope), with stand-up by alison leiby (the marvelous mrs. maisel, oh god, a show about abortion), matt goldich (seth meyers), rob stern (comedy central), mary cella (comedy central), and brandon lacarrubba. free admission. >>

weds 8pm (weekly): savage! a comedy show: lizzie martinez and melissa rocha’s stand-up show comes roaring back with sets by ginny hogan (comedy central), matt goldich (seth meyers), peter wong (tosh.0), bridget foley (avant giggle), daniel perafan (new york times), and shayne gayle. bonus: rsvp for a chance to win free drinks. logan’s run (park slope), free admission. >>

weds 10pm: (monthly): and every one a witch: stop by for a spell (and a song) at ‘and every one a witch,’ an evening of piano karaoke, open mic performances, and musical rituals hosted by good witch lauren maul at club cumming (east village). free admission (one drink min). >>

thursday

thurs thru 12/16: drawing as practice exhibition: the national academy of design’s inaugural exhibition at its new location in the chelsea arts district highlights drawings by 78 artists and architects from the academy’s collection. opening reception 9/14 6-8pm. free admission. >>

thurs thru 10/14: pete and me: a non-depressing look at autism and family: comedian graham kay (colbert) uses levity to tell the story of his lifelong relationship with his autistic brother, reflecting on how it’s shaped his career, romantic relationships, and future. under st. marks theater (east village), $20. >>

thurs thru 9/24: university open air: immigrant teachers, professors, and academics who were trained outside of the u.s. share their knowledge with the public at a series of free outdoor classes on the grounds around the prospect park boathouse. topics for the 11 days of programming include abstract painting, eco printing, effective use of artificial intelligence, macro photography and cinematography, making music from our surroundings, the chinese zodiacs, the health benefits of tea, the symbolic language of dreams, yoga, and more. >>

thurs thru 9/24: the feast of san gennaro: celebrate italian culture at the 97th san gennaro fest, taking over the streets of little italy with food, live music, vendors, and a procession featuring the statue of san gennaro led by grand marshall kathrine narducci (euphoria, godfather of harlem). free admission (pay-as-you-go). >>

thurs thru sun: 11th annual morus film festival: held in a different community garden in the east village and alphabet city each night, the museum of reclaimed urban space presents a series of documentaries offering perspectives on urban housing solutions. free-$10. >>

thurs (various times): free outdoor movies (weather permitting):
pbs’s america outdoors with baratunde thurston watch party at fort greene park >>
the croods: a new age at play area in blake hobbs playground (east harlem) >>

thurs 4-10pm (second thursdays thru october): uptown night market: the annual open-air cuisine and culture fest returns for a third season to under the arches at 12th avenue and west 133th street (west harlem) with 60+ local vendors. free admission (pay-as-you-go). >>

thurs 7pm (season ends today): bryant park picnic performances: bryant park’s outdoor performance series wraps the season with vocalist josé james, who’ll perform songs from his album honoring erykah badu. free admission. >>

thurs 7-10pm (6pm doors): summerstage: tanya tucker with alex hall: nyc’s annual summer concert and performance fest returns with 80 free and benefit performances in 13 parks across all five boroughs. tonight: country music hall of fame inductee and two-time grammy winner tanya tucker at rumsey playfield in central park. free admission. >>

thurs 7:30pm: wrong answers only: wit and wisdom collide at wrong answers only, a science comedy game show where a guest expert challenges three comedians to play games and answer audience questions. tonight, nyu neuroscientist dr. pablo ripollés puts comics jo firestone and karen chee to the test about the science of music, memory, and emotion. hosted by chris duffy (how to be a better human). caveat (les), $5. >>

thurs 7:30pm: trace mountains: new york-based indie band trace mountains plays a free show at lincoln center’s david rubenstein atrium (uws). >>

thurs 8pm (every other thursday): landline comedy at wild east brewing co.: get hoppy at the barrel cellar at wild east brewing co. (gowanus), where standups lukas arnold, meka mo, sam otter, amber hendrix, jules posner, and joe bates are on tap for a night of laughs. hosted by andre medrano. bonus: rsvp for a chance to win a free drink. free admission. >>

thurs 8pm (monthly): mortified: you’re not the only one who had an awkward phase. from journals to angsty poetry to home movies, adults share their most embarrassing childhood artifacts at the mortified storytelling show. littlefield (gowanus), $12 adv, $15 day of >>

thurs 8pm: sh*t show with jordan klepper: one-year anniversary: comedian and political commentator jordan klepper (the daily show, jordan klepper fingers the consipracy) hosts a panel show about the sh*t show we call ‘the news,’ with guests michael cruz kayne, asher perlman, zhubin parang, nicole conlan, jenny hagel, and steve waltien. the bell house (gowanus), $20. >>

thurs 9pm: drule comedy: claire alexander and liv amerling present drule, a standup comedy show featuring a mostly women and non-binary lineup at fette sau bbq (williamsburg). tonight: sarah tollemache (comedy central), maddie wiener (comedy central), deanne smith (netflix), cansu karabiyik, and deanna ortiz. free admission. >>

ongoing

our roundup of 60+ ongoing events and attractions: free outdoor concerts and performances, night markets, art exhibitions, film screenings, and more. >>

stay safe and healthy
– the skint