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Fri 3
So Far Gone: Drake Night Baby’s All Right, midnight; $10
Cry the tears of Drizzy while dancing away the pain with two DJs, Dirty South Joe and Magglezzz. Just hold on, we’re goin’ home—after we show off our moves to Hotline Bling, that is.
New Taste of the Upper West Side at Columbus Ave between 77th and 78th St; 7pm; $105–$225
Break bread with the Upper West Side’s culinary talents at this yearly fest. On Friday night Anne Burrell (Food Network's Worst Cooks) and Alex Guarnaschelli (chef and owner of Butter) host as 45 chef's from the Upper West Side's popular eateries (Jacob's Pickles, Sarabeth's, The Meatball Shop) bring summer fare to the Grand Tent with "Summer in the City: Surf and Turf." The next night New York Live's Sarah Gore hosts the "Best of the West" when restaurants including Crave Fishbar, Rosa Mexicano, and Jacques Torres deliver an awe-inspiring feast.
World Science Festival at various locations and times; price vary
Nerds, unite! Among the more than 50 events and attractions scheduled during the World Science Festival are special discussions and exhibitions from leading minds in astrology, neuroscience, robotics and even sports analysis. A daylong street fair in Washington Square Park with interactive demonstrations and live daring experiments caps off the festivities on Sun 5.
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, where you'll need to unleash your inner Rollerblade vixen to keep up with the crowd and the week's theme. A DJ will be blasting gems from the disco era to present day all night long, making the LeFrak Center at Prospect Park’s Lakeside the coolest roller rink this side of 1978.
W FitFest W New York Downtown; 6:30pm; $30–$30 per class, $299 all inclusive
Kickstart your workout routine or test your fitness limits with W New York's two day festival. The classes start Friday evening with a grueling one-hour boot camp that the instructors guarantee will burn over 1,000 calories. If you're feeling exhausted after that (and you will), opt for the "Crash With Us" option ($299) which allows you to stay the night at the W Hotel. You might be glad you splurged—On Saturday the burn-so-good feelings continue at 6:30am with an early morning agility run followed by boxing, core exercise and ends with "Inner Rebel Yoga." All this before 12:30!
Night Nation Run Aviator Sports and Recreations Birthday Parties; 8:30pm; $29–$60
Sweat it out on the race course and then sweat it out some more at giant dance parties as part of the city's first-ever running music festival. For the occasion, electronic dance music DJs are gathering at multiple stages along an illuminated race course, as you make your way around the horn stop to boogie down to the sick beats and admire the light shows. If you make it to the finish line and still have more energy to spare fear not, the after party has plenty more acts spinning plus fog machines, confetti, giveaways and everything else you could need for a proper rave.
Sat 4
Reggae Retro Littlefield; 11pm; $15, $20 at the door
This monthly get-together on the first Saturday of each month features the sounds of reggae roots and culture, with DJs Jase, Silence and Point Blank Sound running the show from behind the decks. This month's theme is "The Clash: 1990s vs 2000s" and will feature the best jams from those decades.
Rose Garden Weekend New York Botanical Garden; 11am; Free–$25
Party like the Queen of Hearts—without, y’know, chopping off any heads—at the Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden. Sip on a glass of wine (hopefully rosé) or beer as you snap a bazillion photos of the enchanting green space in full bloom. The two-day fest features live acoustic harp and cello performances, landscape painting workshops and a series of plant care demos, garden tours and rose bush giveaways, in case you want to become an expert rosarian.
Bushwick Vintage Crawl at various locations; noon; free
Now that the warm weather is finally here it's time to update your wardrobe with second-hand fashions. Visit bushwickvintagecrawl.tumblr.com for a voucher that gives you 15-percent off all purchases from Bushwick thrift staples including Beacons Closet, Fox & Fawn and Collections. Better act fast—this deal is this weekend only.
Go Green! Greenpoint! McCarren Park, noon; free
Is water from the Hudson River radioactive? Where is your recycling really going? Are the new high-rises popping up all over Brooklyn being built sustainably? Learn about the environmental challenges your borough faces and how you can get involved at this activity-packed festival, where you can try healthy foods, jam to local bands and even build musical instruments out of recycled materials. Why not start the summer with good intentions.
Party Like It’s 1999: I Want the Backstreet Boys Edition The Bell House; 10pm; free
Exactly 17 years since the 1999 release of the Backstreet Boys’ Millennium, the eternal glory of “I Want It That Way” and “Larger than Life” still rings true. Pay tribute to the still-touring boy band, and belt your favorite teen ballads along with hip-hop and pop jams at this epic ’90s hootenanny. Track pants or overalls are essential.
Bushwick Collective Block Party Troutman St, 11am; free
A chunk of Brooklyn’s top-notch outdoor artists stage a Bushwick street takeover, fully armed with food trucks, live jammin’ and Instagram-worthy graffiti to celebrate the nabe’s trendy art scene. Watch spray-can masters such as Giz, Crash One and Case Maclaim create new masterpieces in real time, while local hip-hop and rock-and-roll artists provide the backdrop tunes. Groove to performances by rappers Jadakiss as well as the swaggering rock band, Tournament.
Sun 5
DayBreaker Week at various locations; 9am; $35 each, five-day passes start at $100
Start your day off on the right foot when DayBreak NYC brings five days of massive early morning (and we mean early) dance parties to venues across Manhattan and Brooklyn. The groove-worthy hits start at 6am sharp (9am on Sunday) and each day has a different theme like disco, '90s and bach music, so you won't have to worry about getting sick of the sound track.
Fly, You Fools! Peoples Imrpov Theater; 7pm; $20
The irreverent goons behind Hold On To Your Butts and the director of the Harry Potter parody show Puffs present this "shot-for-shot" reenactment of the gloriously dramatic The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. Expect wigs to fly as this four-person crew plays the roles of a nine-man cohort of misfits, a sentient astral eye and an elfin princess with hilarious dedication.
Dumbo Flea 10am; free
After five brilliant years in Williamsburg, Brooklyn Flea moved down the waterfront to Pearl Plaza in Dumbo, just beneath the Manhattan Bridge. A new location wasn’t the only major change—the market has shrunk to roughly 75 vendors, but you’ll find a familiar kick-ass assortment of antiques, vintage, furniture, clothing, artwork and jewelry. Don’t weep too much, Williamsburg residents—Smorgasburg still has boatloads of tasty food options presented at the East River State Park every Saturday (11am–6pm), or you can venture to Prospect Park for its Sunday residency (11am–6pm).