Are people who FaceTime while walking down the street literally insane?

If you’ve ever wished New York would hit the mute button on traffic for a few hours, your favorite summer fantasy is about to become reality. Summer Streets is back this month, turning more than 20 miles of roads across all five boroughs into giant, car-free playgrounds where walkers, runners, cyclists and roller skaters can take over roadways normally clogged with traffic. This year’s edition is already underway, unfolding over five Saturdays between July 25 and August 22. Participants can revel in the free activities, live performances, fitness classes, art installations and the space to simply wander down the middle of the avenue.

The season kicked off with simultaneous routes in Queens and Staten Island, and then another in Manhattan.

The next two Saturdays are in Manhattan—August 8 and 15—featuring the event’s longest route yet from the Brooklyn Bridge all the way north to Dyckman Street. It goes right through the heart of the borough following Lafayette Street, Park Avenue, East 110th Street, Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard and Broadway. Streets will be open from 7am to 3pm, giving early risers eight uninterrupted hours to explore. The series wraps up on August 22, when Brooklyn’s Eastern Parkway (from Grand Army Plaza to Buffalo Avenue) and the Bronx’s Grand Concourse (from East Tremont Avenue to Mosholu Parkway) become pedestrian-first corridors from 9am to 5pm.

The songs of Québécois nightingale Celine Dion are the stately vessel—or are they the iceberg?—in this campy spoof of James Cameron's 1997 romantic disaster film, written by Marla Mindelle (Sister Act) and Constantine Rousouli (Cruel Intentions) with director Tye Blue. After more than 1,000 performances Off Broadway, the ship sails onto the Main Stem this spring; original stars Mindelle, Rousouli and Frankie Grande are newly flanked by Jim Parsons (!) as meddling mother Ruth Dewitt Bukater and Deborah Cox as the ever-unsinkable Molly Brown. Time Out readers can enjoy a discount of up to 50% on select tickets thru 8/31 by using this link with code TONY26

Take your taste buds on a Caribbean vacation without the airfare at Savor the Islands, a celebration of island culture, food and drink that brings the flavors of the Caribbean to Brooklyn's Industry City. Expect a lively mix of bites (Jamaican jerk pit, Guyanese pepperpot, Trinidadian curry and roti), cocktails, music and good vibes inspired by the region’s rich culinary traditions. It’s the sort of event where “just one more sample” becomes a full afternoon of eating—which, to be honest, sounds like a perfect Saturday. Who wants to cook?!

Get ready to squeeze into something shiny. GMHC's The Latex Ball 2026 is bringing a night of fetish fashion, performance and unapologetically kinky fun to Terminal 5 on August 22 for The Celebration Ball, inviting guests to embrace the art of latex and all the deliciously strange possibilities that come with it. Expect a crowd dressed to impress—or, more accurately, dressed to barely contain themselves—with DJs, entertainment and plenty of eye-catching looks. Prepare to party till the early morning, but since capacity is limited, do yourself a favor and make a reservation for the free event.

Everyone gets a convention for their interests! Anime lovers get this annual celebration of manga, anime, gaming and Japanese art, which blasts into Javits Center with four packed days of panels, cosplay and culture. Attractions include panel discussions with internationally renowned anime directors, producers and actors, film screenings, a Japanese food court and live musical performances. Organizers expect more than 50,000 fans over the weekend, many of whom will be decked out in stunning cosplay presentations.

Why merely cosplay your favorite pop-culture characters when you can see professionals take the costume off? Nerdlesque NYC brings its gloriously geeky brand of burlesque, Anime After Dark, to the Laurie Beechman Theatre on August 21 and 22, with performers turning beloved fandoms into sexy, silly, spectacular stage acts. The show blends cosplay, comedy and neo-burlesque, celebrating everything from comics and games to the weird corners of pop culture that you probably know far too much about. Basically, it’s fan service in the most literal sense. The 21+ show promises elaborate costumes, nearly nude nerds and plenty of audience interaction. In other words, a perfect way to cap off a day at the Anime Convention.

If you're a different kind of nerd, there's also Euripides Clothes Off! at The Slipper Room on August 27 starting at 7pm, proving that The Odyssey summer is still going strong.

A small group show titled "Elsewhere" is on view at the VillageOneArt gallery in Chelsea, and it looks as brain-tickling as it sounds. Artists Hannah Levin, Gwynna Dille, Hanna Jennings, Natsumi Goldfish and Chandra Fang display their work, which comes together as a collective, introspective observation of the world around us.

For those who love a still life or imaginative scenework, check out Fang and Goldfish, respectively.

Vivienne Yang founded the women-led contemporary art gallery in 2018 to feature work by a wide array of artists who are based both locally and internationally. VillageOneArt is free to the public and open Wednesday to Saturday.

Beginning last week, Seaport Cinema outdoor movies is taking place on the Heineken Riverdeck at Pier 17 (89 South Street). The event runs on Tuesday nights at sundown around 8pm with stunning waterfront views of the Brooklyn Bridge and movie-themed concessions. The seasonal tradition kicked off on Tuesday, July 21 with the Nicolas Cage-led caper National Treasure. A string of beloved comedies including Legally Blonde (August 4) and 13 Going on 30 (August 11) are still to follow.

Things get romantic later in August with screenings of Crazy Rich Asians (August 18) and Dirty Dancing (August 25), before the summertime series finishes off on September 8 with the sporty biopic King Richard, starring Oscar-winning Will Smith as Serena and Venus Williams' father-slash-coach, Richard Williams. 

As usual, every screening will be free and open to the public, with entry on a first-come, first-served basis. And given the outdoor nature of the series, attendees are encouraged to bring their own blankets to sit on. You are also allowed to bring your own food, or order from the venue's on-site restaurants. There will also be a dedicated Heineken Zone, complete with reserved seating and a bucket of Heineken brews, available for $25; tickets are on sale at The Seaport website. 

The William Vale has announced the return of its annual Vale Cinema Series, bringing six poolside screenings to the hotel’s rooftop this summer. The series takes place at the Vale Pool, which has been transformed for the season into the Sephora Summer Club, a colorful collab that pairs outdoor movies with city views and cocktails.

Running from June through August, the lineup primarily consists of crowd-pleasing favorites and cult classics. This year also introduces a new “Sephora Presents” series, highlighting films connected by themes of beauty and self-expression.

The season kicked off on June 8 with Barbie, everyone’s favorite pink-hued blockbuster. On June 29, the spotlight shifted to Hedwig and the Angry Inch, the beloved rock musical and cult favorite. July brought two very different summer classics: Grease on July 13 as part of the Sephora-sponsored series, and Jaws on July 27, a particularly fitting choice for a screening taking place beside a pool. August begins with Legally Blonde on August 10 and the season wraps on August 24 with Mean Girls, ensuring that one of the most quotable comedies ever made closes out the summer.

One of New York's hottest dance parties is making its much-awaited return, and with a seriously impressive lineup to boot. Beginning Friday, July 24, the MoMA PS1 Warm Up series turns the museum's courtyard into a dancefloor with DJ sets and live performances on six Friday evenings in July and August.

The 2026 lineup spotlights innovators in electronic music hailing from here in New York City and around the world: think post-rave hardcore techno, jungle-house DJs, Detroit machine funk outfits, experimental electro tunes and much more.

Long Island City residents with proof of residency in ZIP codes 11101, 11106 or 11109 get one complimentary ticket per event on a first-come, first-served basis. Please note that a limited number of tickets are reserved for local residents at each Warm Up event.