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Fri 9
Northside Festival at various locations and times; various prices
Now in its ninth year, Northside is a weeklong Williamsburg-centered festival featuring concerts, film screenings and talks run by Northside Media Group. Similar in focus to the long-running CMJ Festival, Northside utilizes existing venues to host showcase-style lineups around Brooklyn, in addition to presenting outdoor shows in McCarren Park. The festival's bread and butter is indie rock, and this year the big draws in that category include Dirty Projectors, Jay Som, Girlpool and Lower Dens. The lineup also includes inventive electronic music artists such as Elysia Crampton, Total Freedom and Moor Mother.
Pop-up Magazine The Town Hall; 7:30pm; $35–$55
The best elements of your favorite magazines come to life onstage, with a mix of music, photography, film and more from guests including Girls writer Yassir Lester and author Daniel Alarcón.
Full Moon Party House of Yes; 10pm; $0–$25
Adorn yourself in shimmery fabrics and head to House of Yes to engage in the most sacred of rituals: partying. Watch aerial and dance performances and partake of tarot readings, massages, lunar libations and much more at this celestial shindig featuring music from Jody Wisternoff, David Hohme and Playsuit.
Facets of Schubert Festival The Morgan Library & Museum; 7:30pm; festival pass $90–$140, single events $30–$50
This three-week chamber music fest explores the life and works of prolific Austrian composer Franz Schubert, with performances by St. Luke’s Chamber Ensemble, discussions and museum tours. Special guests include soprano Ying Fang, pianist Henry Kramer, composer Steven Mackey and writer Adam Gopnik.
Flatbush Fest BKLYN Commons; 8pm; free
Get to know Flatbush and its residents at this 3-day powwow. The kick-off party goes down June 9 with live music, drinks and more at BKLYN Commons, followed by Flatbush Talks on June 10, which features discussions about community engagement with local leaders. The fest wraps up with the Unity Festival on June 11, where you can snack on local food, shop wares from neighborhood vendors, groove to live music and get in on fun activities like collaborative art projects and drum circles.
Sat 10
Jazz Age Lawn Party Governors Island; 11am; $55–$5,500
Slap on your spats and practice the Charleston because the Jazz Age Lawn party is returning to Governor’s Island. Sip on Prohibition-era cocktails by Lejay Liqueur and local Bootlegger 21 New York, and none of the back-alley hooch of the day. Food vendors will be on hand to keep your Lindy Hop hoppin’ during incredible daylong jazz performances from Philadelphia’s prized Drew Nugent and the Midnight Society, as well as singer-songwriter Queen Esther. Sure to mesmerize is the ultimate 1920s ensemble band Michael Arenella & His Dreamland Orchestra, led by the party’s host, crooner-conductor Arenella. As the tunes blast, partake in dance lessons from instructors and perfect your fox-trot.
Green Festival Expo Javits Center; 10am; single-day pass $12, run of show $32
Consider this expo your crash course on how to go green in an urban environment. The festival welcomes sustainable-living aficionados to help attendees discover thousands of green products from the worlds of fashion, wellness, transportation and more. In addition to noshing on healthy eats at the Vegan/Vegetarian Food Court, you can check out hands-on demos, take a yoga or meditation class at the Gita Nagari Yoga Pavilion and listen to talks with over 50 speakers, including Democracy Now! host Amy Goodman.
Big Apple BBQ Madison Square Park; 11am; free entry, fast pass $150, VIP pass $275
The only big apple you’ll find here will be jammed inside a swine’s mouth—where fruit belongs. Fifteen pitmasters from across the nation bring their best barbecue offerings to the two-day cookout. There’s free entry to the block party, where you can enjoy the sounds of live bands and pony up a small fee for each plate of the smoky goods. True ’cue lovers may have a hard time stopping at just one.
Beer & Taco Get Down LIC Flea & Food; noon; $41–$131
Long Island City's popular flea market, LIC Flea & Food, hosts this delicious event with tacos from stellar local shops and unlimited craft beer tastings. Hasta luego, beach bod.
The Illuminati Ball, an Immersive Excursion Location TBA; 6pm; $450 per ticket
Get whisked away to a secluded estate in the woods outside the city with 30 other participants for an enchanting dinner, drinks and an Illuminati initiation ceremony filled with intrigue and mystery. From a luxury limousine pickup at a secret location on the Upper East Side to a masked soiree with dances and rituals to special celebrity guests on certain dates, the magic and ambiance of the Illuminati Ball will provide a break from the city grind and give you a night full of surprises.
Gotham Girls Roller Derby John Jay College of Criminal Justice; 6pm; $24.95–$30
Haven’t roller-skated since elementary school? Well, watch the badasses from Gotham Roller Derby remind you how it’s done! Wear the right colors and show up early to witness some incredible—and aggressive—athleticism courtesy of the Manhattan Mayhem, Bronx Gridlock, Queens of Pain and Brooklyn Bombshells.
Summer of Love with Pink Mammoth Onderdonk House; 1pm; $14–$42
Nightlife doyens House of Yes and Burning Man party starters Pink Mammoth join forces for a two-day outdoor dance party in Queens. Tunes comes courtesy of Marques Wyatt, Lonely Boy, Nikita, Gravity, Jonathan Will and Zach Walker on Sat 10, while Eduardo Castillo, Deep Jesus, Tal Ohana and Tobin Ellsworth control the decks on Sun 11. If you need a break from dancing, check out interactive art installations, visit a face-painting station, peruse an artisan market by Mama’s Bazaar and Temple Ro, grab eats from local food trucks and more. Whether or not you’re heading to Black Rock City come August, we could all use a little love this summer.
Sun 11
Only in Queens Summer Festival Flushing Meadows–Corona Park; 2pm; free
Hot fun in the summertime as the Borough of Queens holds it’s “Only in Queens Summer Festival” in Flushing Meadows Corona Park. The Festival features family-friendly activities starting at 2pm, including a park-wide scavenger hunt about the 1939-40 and 1964-65 World’s Fairs, guided tours of the New York State Pavilion, and various food and craft vendors from the Queens International Night Market. Headlining the 5pm SummerStage concert will be funk master George Clinton and the Parliament Funkadelic, hosted by Queens native and hip-hop artist Roxanne Shanté and with performances by R&B duo Chloe x Halle, hip-hop’s Main Source and DJ Marley Marl.
Sunday Voguing Tea Dance Museum of Sex Store; 4pm; free
It started as a ceremony of expression for queer outsiders in Harlem's ballroom underground, influenced music, fashion and culture for decades and is now part of a Katy Perry song. Worship the dance, the ceremony and the style of Voguing at this epic daytime ball, at which some of the most gagworthy houses in NYC (including House of Ebony, House of Magnifique and House of Lanvin) will pose, spin and show you how it's done. If it leaves you over, wander around the museum's disco bar and check out "Night Fever: New York Disco 1977-1979, The Bill Bernstein Photographs" for more inspiration.
The Grand Budapest Hotel + Mendel’s Pastry Videology Bar & Cinema; 8:15pm; $30
Dig into Wes Anderson’s meticulous caper while enjoying re-creations of the film’s iconic confections, thanks to Caprices by Sophie.