The best LGBT things to do in New York this week
We've got all of our picks of the best parties, events, performances and more LGBT things to do in NYC this week.
Every week there are a plethora of LGBT things to do in NYC. Whether you’re looking for drag shows, LGBT-themed plays, talks or world-class gay bars and gay clubs in NYC. This week there is a comic convention just for the LGBT community, Flame Con. If you like your art with a little more introspection and a little less cosplay, The Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art is throwing their annual block party.
And the city’s queer scene isn’t confined to the established gayborhoods in Manhattan either. Nowadays, you’ll find LGBT events throughout the boroughs every night of the week. With so much to choose from, there’s no excuse not to get out there and have a gay old time.
Best LGBT things to do
Flame Con 2019
If you've ever clocked the amount of cute boys wearing tight Batgirl t-shirts on convention floors around the country, you'd know that every comic con was gay. But, luckily, NYC hosts one of the country's finest explicitly-queer affairs. Now in its fifth year, this epic assembly of queer fandom moves from Brooklyn to Manhattan for its biggest edition yet at Sheraton Times Square. The weekend lights up on Saturday night with the Fire Ball at the Cutting Room. Look out for drag and burlesque divas taking on your favorite pop culture characters, and be sure to show up in a cosplay look that makes you want to dance like Adam West's Batman. As for the convention, brace yourself for two packed days of panels, performances, costumes and enough merch to satisfy you for a full calendar year; along with signings and appearances by comics favorites like Mariko Tamaki, Josh Trujillo and Melanie Gillman. Start planning your costumes now: It's not as easy as you think to make a patent leather catsuit!
Queer/Art/Film
IFC's always-excellent queer viewing series roars back with a killer 2019 season. The summer season promises a high camp showcase worthy of World Pride, with screenings of Split, Death Becomes Her, Thank God It's Friday and 9 to 5.
The Rolling Stone
The persecution of LGBT people in Uganda is the subject of English playwright Chris Urch's 2015 family drama about a closeted gay man and his preacher brother. Kenyan-American director Saheem Ali directs the U.S. premiere for Lincoln Center Theater.
LGBTQ+ History, Neighborhood and Pub Tour of Greenwich Village
Meet at the arch at Washington Square Park and cruise through eons of queer history in the nexus of the West Village. Along with an expert queer tour guide, you'll journey through the gay nexus's history (back to the 1630s), indulge in a complimentary cone at Big Gay Ice Cream, hit up bars like Marie's Crisis and the Stonewall, and learn about the continued battles that queer activists face in NYC and beyond.
Leslie-Lohman Block Party
While we adore going to museums, in these waning days of summer you just want to be outside. The folks at the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art are thinking along the same wavelength and bring the art into the greater outdoors for their annual block party. This year the focus is being turned towards "Being Seen Makes a Movement Possible," this year's QUEERPOWER Façade Public Art Installation by JEB (Joan E. Biren). And while you check out the art remember, it's also a party. So there will be music by ADAIR, treats by Sweetface Snoballs and art-making activities for kids.
Mondays in the Club with Lance
He’s worked with Liza Minnelli, Kylie Minogue and just about every downtown act in NYC. Now composer, pianist and performer Lance Horne hosts his own wild night of singing, drinking and dancing, strip-teasing and bad behavior at the East Village nightlife hub Club Cumming. Expect advanced show-tune geekery and appearances by Broadway stars looking to get down by the piano. Plan on sleeping in on Tuesday.
Oscar at the Crown
Mark Mauriello and Andrew Barret Cox's queer nightclub musical immerses audiences in a secret future bunker at which culture has been whittled down to "sequins, reality television and the complete works of Oscar Wilde." Shira Milkowsky directs for the Neon Coven.
Lunes Picantes
Among this club night’s selling points are host Laura Martinez, DJs Freddy and Joss, tequila drink specials and sexy sombrero-wearing bartenders. There’s no better place in town to shake to reggaetón and cumbia.
Homotown
Head to Henrietta Hudson every Thursday for a seemingly endless happy hour (till midnight, seriously) and chill jams from veteran DJ Tikka Masala, who keeps you grinning all night with beloved soul and hip-hop classics.
“Fire Island Pines: Polaroids 1975-1983”
During the 1970s, one of New York’s many gay golden ages, photographer Tom Bianchi captured love, sex and freedom among gay men in the paradise retreat of Fire Island. This show exhibits Bianchi’s white-hot Polaroids from his new printed collection.
Best gay clubs and parties in NYC
Check out the best gay club nights and parties in NYC
LGBT parties in NYC offer something for everyone, from relaxed, mixed shindigs to sweaty dance throwdowns