What to do on Friday in New York City: 50 great ideas

Cohost Chris Goldteeth (who corrals the crowd along with Lord Easy) describes this weekly shindig as a “karaoke dance party,” but there’s more to the show than that. Brave souls can select a song from the duo’s more than 18,000 available tracks; Goldteeth and Easy keep the crowd pumped by acting as backup dancers or instigating water-gun fights. “We do our best to rev the crowd up so everyone feels like a star,” explains Goldteeth. Duly noted. Free.

The Strokes played some of their first gigs at LES mainstay Arlene’s Grocery, so you can take comfort in the fact that you’re rocking out where a rowdy Jules & Co. did likewise. Just make sure you bring it—cuts by Zeppelin, Aerosmith, Guns N’ Roses, AC/DC and other tried-and-true rock staples (the more anthemic, the better) require some serious wailing. $10.

This cinephile haven has arguably the best roster of classic films in town—it’s almost as if the Criterion Collection opened its own theater. Many of FF’s revival screenings are presented in spiffy new prints and are occasionally introduced by the stars. The lineup of new international indies is top-notch, too. If you view moviegoing as a nonchatty—or even solo—endeavor, this is the place for you. 212-727-8110, filmforum.org

Take advantage of New York’s enviable views by getting an aboveground buzz. Among Manhattan’s wealth of hotel toppers, we recommend Upstairs, on the 31st floor of the Kimberly, which has a retractable glass roof. The urbane setting, with ivy-covered walls and nary a cabana in sight, is best experienced at night, when the canopy of lightbulbs strung above the terrace sets off the sight of the Chrysler Building. For more great vistas, check out our guide to rooftop bars in New York.

Three of the city’s coolest, best-booked indie-rock spaces—Death by Audio (49 South 2nd St between Kent and Wythe Aves, Williamsburg, Brooklyn), Glasslands (289 Kent Ave between South 1st and 2nd Sts, Williamsburg, Brooklyn; 718-599-1450, glasslands.blogspot.com) and 285 Kent (285 Kent Ave at South 1st St, Williamsburg, Brooklyn)—are all within a block of each other. So catching a few buzzy bands in one evening (especially since you don’t have to work in the morning) just got a whole lot easier. In 2012, these venues hosted big rock names like King Tuff, Ty Segall, the Men and Cloud Nothings—and rising groups are on their stages often.

For more than ten years, New Yorkers have toasted the end of the workweek at this steamy, down-and-dirty bash, where DJ Jess mans the decks, pumping out indie-electro and new-wave cuts, while a bevy of freaky Trash! regulars add to the delightfully seedy vibe. How? By almost any sexed-up means necessary—so don’t rule out witnessing topless ladies careening around a stripper pole. Go to iwannabetrash.com to get on the reduced-admission list. $10, on reduced-admission list $5.

One of the biggest regular parties in the city also offers one of the biggest discounts. The Girls & Boys affair, which draws high-profile international acts like Simian Mobile Disco, Justice and Hot Chip, allows you to sign up via the Webster Hall website and receive a Dollar Daze voucher. Print it out and present it at the door before 11pm to gain admission for only five bucks. Prices vary.

If you like how people in musicals can go without warning from normal conversation to singing their hearts out, this is the West Village bar for you. One minute the cute waiter is serving you a drink, the next he’s launching into “Wig in a Box.” The main attraction of this basement joint is the piano, around which show-tune lovers gather nightly to sing faves from musicals both classic and contemporary, starting at 5:30pm.

A multitude of searing sights crowd the spectator’s gaze at this bedazzling and uncanny theater installation, a combination of Macbeth and Hitchcock’s Rebecca. Your sense of space and depth—already compromised by the half-mask that audience members must don—is further blurred as you wend your way through more than 90 discrete spaces, ranging from a cloistral chapel to a vast ballroom floor. Our advice? Wander solo; you’ll see more that way. $75–$162.50.

Buy a drink ($8–$10) and this Himalayas-focused museum will treat you to cabaret-style viewings of global-cinema picks, helmed by masters ranging from Fellini to Miyazaki.

Wind down your Friday with a peaceful, gratis 45-minute deep-relaxation class. The session begins with gentle stretching, then moves on to a long period of yoga nidra (deep relaxation) and concludes with breathing practices and a brief meditation. Arrive early—the class fills up fast.

Have a little cash and an unlimited MetroCard, will travel for tacos: If this describes you (and if it doesn’t, you should take a long, hard look at yourself), head to Sunset Park and the vast Tacos Matamoros. Grab a couple of Vegetarianos ($1.50 each) and take the tacos—stuffed with rice, beans, cilantro and onions, topped with creamy cheese and with a side of bracing tomatillo salsa—to Sunset Park to watch the sun go down. Mull over which is better, the tacos or a view of the sky changing colors behind a sublime panoramic view of lower Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty. 718-871-7627

Laid-back Williamsburg alley the Gutter has early-1980s Milwaukee decor and boasts a dozen killer microbrews on tap, plus a  happy hour ($1 off drafts and $3 off pitchers) before 8pm. Also, early-weekend warriors can play two games for the price of one ($7) between 2 and 6pm.

Nearby, this popular space takes its design cues from Coney Island, with old freak-show posters and carnival-game relics, and all of the beer sold inside—by Sixpoint, Kelso and the Brooklyn Brewery—is made in the borough. You can tackle a pitcher ($20–$30) and the stoner-food menu from the Blue Ribbon team (delicious fatty brisket, fried chicken) laneside between frames (games are 30mins for $25). The plush tufted couches  are the most luxurious alley seating we’ve ever seen.

Weekends are all about new beginnings, and there’s no better place to achieve catharsis than in a spa. At Body by Brooklyn, you can spend Friday nights until 9pm savoring through a Swedish dry sauna, a Turkish steam room, pools galore and a lounge. Visit bodybybrooklyn.com for details.

Sun-deprived city slickers can pretend they’re boozing oceanside at Beekman Beer Garden Beach Club. The former Water Taxi Beach location has kept the 300 tons of sand left by its onetime occupant, but the rejiggered drinkery now features a menu from Buddakan alum Jason Mayer. Settle into a communal wood table with a wurst, burger or lobster roll, or hit up one of the game tables for a round of Ping-Pong, pool or foosball. Beer lovers can grab one of eight drafts—such as Sixpoint Crisp Lager, Ommegang Witte Ale and Magic Hat #9—at two long driftwood bars.

Close out your workweek at the American Folk Art Museum, where the Free Music Fridays series features performances from Americana, folk, indie-pop and other acts.

The busy burlesque star Calamity Chang hosts the weekly parade of pulchritude Room 69: The Hotel Chantelle Way, held on the hotel’s posh street-level floor. Sip your cocktail while she and her guests strutting their stuff. Free.

Seven of the theater’s best players (including TONY’s resident hack Silvija Ozols) create smart, patient improv in the comedy mecca’s flagship show. $10.

At this nearly 40-year-old joint, poetry is a contact sport—especially on Friday’s slam night. Lyricists from the boroughs and beyond square off, and the winner is determined by four judges from the audience, chosen by the host. Reserved seats $20, at the door $10.

At the Freedom Party, DJs—Marc Smooth, Cosi and Herbert Holler—spin dance music from the ’70s through the present day (everything from classic R&B and house to Afrobeat and dancehall). This is one of the least pretentious, fun wingdings you’ll find on the weekend in Manhattan. Men $20, before 2am $10; women $10, before midnight free.

For 48 bones, you can kick off your weekend with a paired tasting at this Soho restaurant, bar and music venue. Tours include your choice of three vinos (made on-site) and crostini covered with chickpea puree, shaved cucumber, baby fennel and toasted cumin-orange vinaigrette, among other toppings. $48. E-mail tours@citywinery.com for reservations.

Wanna-be Broadway belters, take note: Inside the city’s oldest cabaret theater, the jaunty Ben Cameron and the vivacious Emily McNamara host this spirited, appropriately titled Mostly Sondheim  open-mike show-tune night, joined by the perpetually puckish Brian Nash at the piano. Two-drink minimum.

If you’re looking to watch a new blockbuster or awards-season contender, this five-screen throwback is a nice alternative to those maddening multiplexes. Crowds are noticeably more respectful, and retro touches like prescreening announcements to turn off your pagers and refrain from smoking add to the old-school charm. And best of all? Admission is reduced to seven bones before 5pm on Fridays. 718-596-9113, cobblehilltheatre.com

No bar? No advance tickets? No promoters? No phone number? No specific address? This is still a Manhattan music venue, right? John Zorn’s small East Village space is so no-frills that it’s, by necessity, only about the music—hobnobbing, partying and tweeting that the bands are, in fact, “killing it” are not in the cards here. Envelope-pushing acts (think free jazz, experimental classical music, droney guitar work), however, are. thestonenyc.com. $10 unless otherwise noted.

Serious old-school gamers can revisit Donkey KOng, Punch Out!!, Pac-Man and 35 other classic video games at this cavernous Williamsburg drinkery, which has a daily-changing list of 24 American brews on tap. 25¢ per play.

The Bronx Museum’s free program is perfect for culture hounds looking for an intimate gathering with top-notch performers. Genre-spanning guests have included the Charlie Porter Jazz Quartet, pianist Valerie Capers and hip-hop pioneer DJ Ralph McDaniels. Free.

Booze and books have had a long, well-documented relationship—especially in New York. Nab a stool at Kettle of Fish (59 Christopher St between Seventh Ave South and Waverly Pl; 212-414-2278, kettleoffishnyc.com), where Beat Generation heavyweights Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac tipped back a few in the ’50s and ’60s. Or grab a pint at Old Town Bar (5 E 18th St between Broadway and Park Ave South; 212-529-6732, oldtownbar.com), a favorite watering hole of Frank McCourt and Nick Hornby. For more of the best literary bars in town, check out our roundup.

Prepare to spend at least half an hour scrolling through the selections on this low-key bar’s juke. Many of the curated tracks date back to owner Ray Gish’s days as a bartender at Park Slope’s much-missed Great Lakes; he brought the mix-CDs over when he opened Commonwealth in 2004. Expect to see plenty of indie rock (such as Guided by Voices, Pixies and Pavement), along with Britpop, classic rock and old-school punk. Early birds can guzzle $4 happy-hour brews until 7pm. 718-768-2040, commonwealthbar.com. 25¢ per song.

The topic of conversation along the small wooden bar at this friendly, no-frills pub often revolves around the tunes playing overhead. So choose wisely—not that you can really go wrong; Sackett’s indie-rock selection is solid, hitting Modest Mouse’s raw This Is a Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Think About, Belle and Sebastian, Pavement and the late garage-punk legend Jay Reatard, and is peppered with rock-snob favorites such as Syd Barrett and the Velvets. Three songs $1, seven songs $2, 18 songs $5.

Downtown bingo vet Linda Simpson and DJ Formika take over this midtown gay playground for a few hours of games and two-for-one drinks during Drag Bingo. Bingo card $2.

After playing a few rounds, stop by Brandon Voss and Tony Fornabaio’s weekly shindig for a cute crowd. $15.

Buying a round of brews (at least good ones) is an expensive endeavor in Park Slope. So thank heavens for this beer-snob haven, which pours 64-ounce growlers (four pints’ worth of suds) for as low as $9.95.

Need to let off some steam after a rough workweek? This dark, booze-fueled Greenpoint rock club  has your number, boasting hard-hitting shows throughout the week in its roomy back venue and a black-and-red decor that’s so identifiable with the genre you love so. Nosh on delicious steamed buns ($4 each, two $7, three $10) between moshing sessions.

Explore Astoria institution Museum of the Moving Image’s exhibits, including the ongoing “Behind the Screen,” where you can insert your voice into a part of The Wizard of Oz, make a short animated film and e-mail it to yourself and learn about live video editing in the TV control room.

Witness perhaps the epitomic midnight movie every Friday night at Clearview Chelsea, where an energetic cast of dolled-up locals perform the seedy cult flick scene for scene during the screening. nycrhps.org. $9.

This underground-electronic shindig has been held in a score of clubs, warehouse venues and makeshift spaces throughout the city. The brainchild of Taimur Agha and Fahad Haider, the six-years-and-running affair attracts a range of house and techno all-stars. 11pm. $TBA. Advance tickets and schedule available at residentadvisor.net/blkmarket.

Acclaimed guide Justin Ferate not only dissects the lore and legends of Grand Central Terminal, which hit the 100-year mark in 2012, but also places them within the context of its lesser-known neighborhood. Meet inside the lobby of the Altria Building, Park Ave at 42nd St (grandcentralterminal.com). Free.

After a good run in the East Village, this queer top-notch shindig settles into the increasingly trendy West Village dive the Monster. Expect the same cute crowd and ever-changing local and international DJs—not to mention free entry. Password required for free admission via facebook.com/thehotrabbit.

Enjoy three-piece outfits throughout the evening at the Russian Samovar. Trust us: The lamps with gold mesh shades grow more gorgeous with every shot of 20 house-infused vodkas—and the music tends to sound better too. Free.