The best things to do in NYC this weekend
The best things to do in NYC this weekend includes the New York Wine and Food Festival, two harvest festivals, and the New York Coffee Festival
Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays are meant to be filled with enough activities to get you through the beautiful chaos that is a New York workweek. For the best things to do in NYC this weekend, there are loads of options. If you're nothing without your morning joe, head to the New York Coffee Festival to witness latte-art throwdowns and have java from all over the country within an arms reach. If you geek out over celebrity chefs, there's the New York Wine and Food Festival. Feeling lazy that seemingly all of NYC is training for a marathon? Run a 5K in Astoria that rewards you with cupcakes. If you're in the mood for drama, head to the theaters and give your undivided attention to the thriller Parasite, by Korean horror master Bong Joon-Ho. Check out those ideas, and 16 more, below on our list of the best things to do in NYC this weekend.
RECOMMENDED: Full list of the best things to do in NYC
Things to do in NYC this weekend
ChefsFeed Indie Week
Ever watched talented chefs cooking up a storm on a culinary series and wished you could reach through the screen for a taste? This national dinner series might top that pipe dream. Chefs from America’s top food cities are coming together to create 12-course menus for some lucky guests. The Brooklyn edition will be co-hosted by chefs Jaime Young and Trigg Brown (Win Son) and feature chefs like Jason Neroni (the Rose Café, Venice, California), Nick Curtola (the Four Horsemen, Mei Lin (Nightshade, Los Angeles) and others. Tickets are moving quick, so don’t miss out.
Taste of the Seaport
Down in the Seaport District, enjoy the 10th year of this family-friendly food festival with bites from over 40 of the best restaurants in Lower Manhattan, all in one place. Little ones can keep busy with pasta-making lessons and arts & crafts while parents snack on food from The Fulton, CUT by Wolfgang Puck, Hole in the Wall, Barbalu, Fresh Salt, Financier, Cowgirl Seahorse, Taco Playa, The Fulton, 10 Corso Como Restaurant & Café, Cobble & Co, Malibu Farm, R17 and Suteishi. The whole family can shop local vendors, artisans and enjoy live music and performances throughout the afternoon. Meanwhile, the 21-and-up crowd can enjoy an immersive tasting experience from Basil Hayden's Bourbon pairing cocktails with bourbon-infused cheese. While eating and drinking through the day, keep in mind that it’s all for a good cause too. The annual community event raises much needed funds for the arts and enrichment programs at Public School 397 (The Spruce Street School) and Public School 343 (The Peck Slip School) and is sponsored by The Howard Hughes Corporation. All ages.
Mall Grab
Aussie producer Jordan Alexander, also known as Mall Grab, has been busy selling out parties all over Europe with his lo-fi sounds. Now he brings the hazy dance vibes to Queen’s massive former glass factory, so if you hate getting down in claustrophobic spaces, and want to expand your house music repertoire this is your gig. Pro tip: Head to the show before midnight and get in for free with RSVP.
Sleep No More
To untimely rip and paraphrase a line from Macbeth: Our eyes are made the fools of the other senses, or else worth all the rest. A multitude of searing sights crowd the spectator's gaze at the bedazzling and uncanny theater installation Sleep No More. Your sense of space and depth---already compromised by the half mask that audience members must don---is further blurred as you wend through more than 90 discrete spaces, ranging from a cloistral chapel to a vast ballroom floor. Directors Felix Barrett and Maxine Doyle, of the U.K. troupe Punchdrunk, have orchestrated a true astonishment, turning six warehouse floors and approximately 100,000 square feet into a purgatorial maze that blends images from the Scottish play with ones derived from Hitchcock movies—all liberally doused in a distinctly Stanley Kubrick eau de dislocated menace. An experiential, Choose Your Own Adventure project such as this depends on the pluck and instincts of the spectator. You can follow the mute dancers from one floor to the next, or wander aimlessly through empty spaces. I chose the latter, discovering a room lined with empty hospital beds; a leafless wood in which a nurse inside a thatched cottage nervously checks her pocket watch; an office full of apothecary vials and powders; and the ballroom, forested with pine trees screwed to rolling platforms (that would be Birnam Wood). A Shakespearean can walk about checking off visual allusions to the classic tragedy; the less lettered can just revel in
New York Film Festival
Every September, we turn to Lincoln Center for a new edition of NYC’s revered showcase of the best cinema from around the globe: the stuff you’ll be stanning for, if anyone asks. This year’s lineup unspools Sept 27–Oct 13 and doesn’t disappoint. Things kick off in explosive fashion with Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman, still unseen by critics but promising to be its director’s return to his signature criminal universe. Dont wait: Tickets are still available, but not for long!
Vale Park Pumpkin Patch
You don't have to leave Williamsburg for that autumn country fair experience. Head to the William Vale's massive rooftop public park for a pumpkin patch and activities like face painting, games, balloon animals and mini pumpkin decorating. If all that fall fun has got you hungry head to Mister Dips for burger, fries and possibly your last cone of the season. All ages.
Smorgasburg
Everything you need to know about visiting Smorgasburg (90 Kent Ave; East Dr at Lincoln Rd). At this massive grub hub, there’s only one rule: Come hungry. The Brooklyn Flea spin-off draws more than 20,000 to 30,000 visitors per week, with a slew of 75 to 100 incredible food vendors doling out everything from Dutch waffles to pasta doughnuts. Where is it?Depends on when you go. For the spring/summer 2019 season, the fest is in Williamsburg’s East River State Park (90 Kent Ave) on Saturdays and Prospect Park’s Breeze Hill (East Dr at Lincoln Rd) on Sundays. Additionally, starting April 12 2019, Manhattanites won’t have to cross the river to taste the treats. A Smorgasburg market at Westfield World Trade Center, Oculus Plaza is open every Friday from 11:30am to 7pm. When can I go?Smorgasburg is open year-round. The summer months might be the most popular, running from April through October at 11am to 6pm on Saturdays and Sundays, but in the winter months (November to March), the market joins forces with Brooklyn Flea and moves indoors. This past winter, the indoor Smorg was located at Atlantic Center (625 Atlantic Ave) on weekends from 10am to 6pm. Is there anywhere to sit?There are some picnic tables set up by the Smorgasburg team, but don’t plan on snatching one unless you have patience of steel. The organizers encourage you to bring picnic blankets with which to sit on the lawns of East River State Park or Prospect Park. Are there rain dates?Nope. The grub will be there rai
Bronx Night Market
This open-air, food-centric market features Bronx-based vendors serving up tamales, soul food, latkes, ice cream, pastries, elotes and vegan creations, plus libations from the Bronx Brewery and others. In addition to all of the delicious provisions, the market offers nifty wares from local artisans and live music performances from Bonx musicians. Come appreciate all that NYC's northernmost borough has to offer.
Your Love, Our Musical!
As musical comedians, Rebecca Vigil and Evan Kaufman have played just about every room in NYC, and at their beloved monthly show, they play your heartstrings. Watch as the manically inventive duo interviews a couple in the audience about how they met, then spins their love story into an epic, totally-improvised musical extravaganza.
Bubbles, Beats & Brunch
A brunch with fresh beats out at sea? Count us in. Hornblower’s Bubbles, Beats & Brunch Cruise every Saturday until October offers unlimited mimosas, a brunch smorgasbord, onboard DJ, and bottomless champagne, all while on a boat cruising the waterways around NYC. Boarding begins at 12.30pm and you'll cruise from 1:30pm-2:45pm, returning at 3pm. Now that’s a brunch worth waking up for.
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