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Fri 29
Brooklyn Get Down Music Festival Greenwood Beach; 6pm; $10–$18
The inaugural Brooklyn Get Down Music Festival presents four days of house music in Restoration Plaza with DJs Monique Bingham, Ian Friday, Josh Milan and more. The fest also boasts panel discussions, art exhibits and a screening of the 2015 documentary Hands to the Sky.
The Art of Rap Festival Ford Amphitheater at Coney Island Boardwalk; 5:30pm; $20–$126
This annual hip-hop blowout brings old-school rap talent to the beach with a lineup that includes Public Enemy, EPMD, Mobb Deep, Ice-T, Kurtis Blow and Furious Five member Melle Mel.
Lola Star’s Dreamland Roller Disco Lakeside at Prospect Park; 7:30pm; $18
Have you ever wanted to dress up like a character from Xanadu, The Great Gatsby, or the “Thriller” video and then go dance in a park with a lot of other like-minded people? Join the insanity at Lola Star’s Dreamland Roller Disco, at which you’ll need to unleash your inner Rollerblade vixen to keep up with the crowd.
Sat 30
The 6th Annual New York Poetry Festival Governors Island Colonels Row; 11am; free
Frolic through your weekend with a full two-days of verse readings, featuring local poets from reading series such as the Poetry Brothel. Snag a patch of grass on Governors Island and enjoy the artistry in the summer sun. See the website for a full schedule.
Warm Up 2016 MoMA PS1; 3pm; $22–$25
If there's one thing you can depend on, it's that every Saturday from June through August MoMA PS1's courtyard will be packed with top-notch music talent—and sweaty revelers.
Kickstarter Summer Festival Fort Greene Park; 5pm; free
Kickstarter is all about funding, but now the brand is hosting a totally free event that drops the “ding” and focuses on the “fun” part with performances, installations and activities. There’s shuffleboard, candle workshops, guided virtual-reality meditations and, best of all, a life-size game of Exploding Kittens! Audiovisual entertainment is courtesy of Fashawn, House of Yes and DJ Will Scott.
Astoria Flea and Food Night Market Kaufman Astoria Studios; 7pm; Free admission
Fufill your “night shop” quota every Saturday and Sunday evening this summer at Astoria’s open-air bazaar, and pick up all the latest in handcrafted accessories like jewelry and knits, refurbished furniture, vintage ephemera and local brews from the only “all-Queens beer garden.” Just be careful not to get too turnt beforehand, or you may need some“refurbishing” of your own the next morning. Luckily, there will be plenty of tasty grub to help you soak up all those suds.
Depeche Mode & 80s Party Cruise Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises; 8pm; $25–$30
The city’s Depeche Mode maniacs set sail to the tunes of DJs Shred and Ash. The annual event takes place on a two-floor Circle Line riverboat, which offers a full bar, barbecued eats and the opportunity to make terrible puns on "new wave."
Andrew Dice Clay Ford Amphitheater at Coney Island Boardwalk; 8pm; $29.50–$125
Andrew Dice Clay has endured a pretty substantial career slump since being the first comic ever to sell out MSG two nights in a row, but these days his stock appears to be on the rise. He's appeared in Woody Allen's Blue Jasmine and the Martin Scorsese-directed HBO series Vinyl, and his new sitcom on Showtime, Dice, launched in April. If shock comics are your thing, it's hard to think of one more iconic than the Dice Man.
WaterFight NYC Central Park, Great Lawn; 2pm; free
The annual event brings kids-at-heart together to duke it out super-soaker style while getting thoroughly drenched in the process. If you’re not afraid to get a little wet, pick up one of the recommended “weapons” for the event (water guns, super soakers, squirt guns, spray bottles and water blaster) and head to the park for an afternoon of battle. You also might want to pick up goggles, a bucket to store water and five or more water bottles. You don’t want to run low on supplies after all. No RSVP or registration is required.
Five Boro Pizza Challenge Meet at Washington Square Park; July 30; 11am; $25
Consider yourself a diehard pizza lover? Two best friends created a brand-spankin’-new challenge that will test how far you’re willing to go for the best New York pizza. It’s called the Five Boro Pizza Challenge, and as you might have guessed, it involves eating a delicious slice in all five boroughs: Manhattan, The Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn and Staten Island. Interested?
Sun 31
Harlem Week: A Great Day in Harlem Sakura Park; noon; free
Kick off the festivities of this annual celebration of all things Harlem during this daylong outdoor extravaganza. A free ticket grants you access to a fashion show, plus live theater and concerts saluting Harlem’s rich musical history. There’s something for everyone; brainiacs and those with a curious mind should check out interactive activities, like ones that include robotics and smart gadgets.
Backyard Beer-BQ The Bronx Brewery; 1pm; $50–$65
One of our favorite local brewhouses is teaming up with Brut Catering for a backyard cookout featuring live music from Brian Ripps, Jasper Lewis, Heidi Merrill and Amity & 12th, plus delicious eats like pulled pork, Rye Ale brined chicken and watermelon feta salad. Come hungry—and thirsty.
Mister Sunday Nowadays; 3pm; $20
The sun is finally out and teasing you to get out and have some fun! Justin Carter, an avant-garde DJ-composer, and Eamon Harkin, with a flare for Detroit techno, know how to get a party started. This year, the weekly Mister Sunday summer series moves from its previous Industry City location to the outdoor bar-meets-restaurant venue, Nowadays, located on the edge of Bushwick. There’ll be plenty to eat from with Country Boys Taqueria and Nowadays’ vegan and veggie-friendly kitchen, some fresh, locally brewed beer and sangria, sodas from Brooklyn Soda Works and no restrictions on dogs or kids!
New York Spectacular Radio City Music Hall; 8pm; $39–$150
At least the producers of this sensory-overload extravaganza know who the real stars are: the Rockettes. The lovely, lithe and leggy ladies deservedly get top billing, and whenever they're center stage performing one of director-choreographer Mia Michaels's exuberant dances, they're greeted with the kind of ecstatic cheers you'd expect to hear at a revival meeting. And why not? Their dazzling execution of intricately synchronized routines is worthy of worship, whether they're doing an aerobic act in workout wear to a contemporary pop song or a classic kick line in glittery fringe to an old show tune.