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Fri 23
Pregame Your Brain Caveat; 6pm; free
This brainy happy hour invites experts to gather around the bar to share knowledge, games and trivia centered on a fascinating—and often esoteric—topic. At March 16's "Your Brain on Sex, Drugs, and Rock & Roll" edition, learn how your favorite vices stimulate your brain.
Spring Shop Small Astoria Retail Crawl at various locations and times; free
Unlike a bar tour, this crawl won't leave you with a pounding headache the next morning. Shop owner Nicole Panettieri of Brass Owl organizes this annual small business event during which shoppers can nab discounts and other perks at 16 chic boutiques. Hit five stores and you'll get a chance to win a $450 gift card prize; shop at eight and you'll receive a free swag bag with cool stuff from participating businesses and other Astoria hotspots like Salt & Bone, Singelcut and Fresco's Cantina.
Awkward Sex...and the City The Pleasure Chest; 8pm; $15, at the door $20
Head to this swank sex shop to sip on free beer and wine while storytelling pro Natalie Wall and her favorite comedians regale you with tales of their artless romps. At the February edition, Wall brings Kevin Allison, Mary Beth Barone and more favorites to the mic, and audience members get a 15% discount on Pleasure Chest merch—so the fun won't stop when the show is over.
Hater’s Roast: The Shady Tour The Town Hall; 8pm; $22–$152
In Latrice Royale's immortal words: "The shade of it all!" Watch Trixie Mattel, Thorgy Thor, Phi Phi O'Hara, Latrice Royale, Jinkx Monsoon, Ginger Minj, Trinity Taylor and other RuPaul's Drag Race divas shred one another to bits at this deliciously savage roast night.
Everybody Hates Us (But Not Tonight) The Mockingbird; 8pm; $5–$7
Betsy Kenney and Dara Katz have liberated themselves from the opinions of peers and friends, and at their unbeatable new show, they ask you to do the same. Joining them for some blissful, cathartic confidence-building is a killer lineup including Marie Faustin, Tim Baltz, Chris Burns, Marcia Belsky and Friends Who Folk, with support by the Mockingbird’s house band and liquid confidence from the bar’s menu of signature margaritas.
Sat 24
Orchid Evenings New York Botanical Garden; 6:30pm; $38
The Botanical Garden's stunning annual exhibition lights up for special weekend evenings in the spring. Indulge your senses with custom cocktails and yummy vittles while DJs and performers delight you under an arched facade of colorful orchids. You’re sure to find inner peace beside the verdant flowers.
Luna Park Season Opener Luna Park; 11am; free with donation to the Mayor’s Fund to Advance NYC
Whee! Though prime boardwalk season is still a while away, Luna Park has now opened its gates for spring. Kick off the season with a ride on the 91-year-old Cyclone or Thunderbolt roller coasters or bites on the boardwalk. 90% of proceeds benefit Girl Scout Troop 6000.
Legally Blonde - Brunch & Day Party 5th & MAD; noon; $30
Pull on some pink duds, grab your fellow Gemini vegetarians and head to this Legally Blonde–themed day soiree to sip signature cocktails like the "Harvard" and "Delta Nu" and compete to become "Miss Hawaiian Tropics" (and walk out with a free bottle of champagne). A $30 ticket gets you a brunch main, dessert and a glass of prosecco. Get ready to bend... and snap!
Dessert Goals Sound River Studios; noon; $15–$50
This sweets celebration welcomes vendors like Snowdays, Lickety Split and Cupcake Market to present you with their most delectable—and visually spectacular—goodies. Sugar influencers host workshops like “How to Style Food Like a Pro.”
Josie and the Pussycats Drinking Game Videology Bar & Cinema; midnight; $15
Throw back some booze with every instance of product placement or nice encounter between Parker Posey and an FBI agent in this fan screening of one of the millennium's most underrated, subversive comedies. As you get a bit more wasted throughout the night, feel free to really belt out every lyric of "Three Small Words."
The Rind: Making Workplace Herstory Moxy Times Square; 9:30am; $10
This all-day event hosted by Moxy Times Square and Limone Creative features panels like "Why Create a Women's Workplace?" and "Success from Self Love," a workshop on the practice of laughter and meditation, a fitness class from Box + Flow and retail pop-ups from Worry Sew More, Susan Alexandra, The Alley, Pony Babe and more. Come get inspired and meet fellow women changing the status quo.
Sun 25
Macy’s Flower Show at Macy’s Herald Square; various times; free
Folks flock to this floral-filled exhibition at Macy’s Herald Square, where jaw-dropping arrangements are on display for two weeks. The theme for this 44th annual installment is "Once Upon A Springtime," so expect to see a lot of plays on fantasy-inspired settings and storybook scenes.
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia Videology Bar & Cinema; 8pm; free
Had your fair share of rum ham? Know every guest of the Ponderosa Wedding Massacre? Familiar with the D.E.N.N.I.S. System? (Not too familiar, we hope). Show off your knowledge of one of TV's most consistently funny, totally daring comedies at this fan celebration, featuring five rounds of trivia about the gang. Answers written in hieroglyphics are accepted.
Sondheim Unplugged Feinstein’s/54 Below; 7pm; $40–$80, plus $25 minimum
Talented singers from the Broadway and cabaret worlds sing side by side in this monthly tribute to the master of musical theater that has often featured former cast members of Sondheim shows. Guests in February include George Dvorsky, Annie Golden, Sally Mayes, Sarah Rice, Bruce Sabath, Marissa Mulder, Courter Simmons, Lucia Spina and Alton Fitzgerald White.
Style IQ: A Guide to Sartorial Realness Caveat; 7pm; $10, at the door $12
With endless armadas of t-shirt-clad, unshaven male goons clomping around stand-up stages throughout NYC, you may find yourself stunned—and fully gagged—by the new vanguard of coulatte-clad divas tearing up the comedy scene. Grand doyennes Anna Roisman and Maya Deshmukh invite you to their court, where they discuss the struggle to look fly on a budget. They're joined by fellow burgeoning style icons Sydnee Washington, Emmy Blotnick and Jon Wan.