Things to do in New York this Friday
It’s time to punch out, wind down and start your weekend off right with the best things to do in New York this Friday
Don’t blow your weekend by spending Friday night on the couch—there are too many incredible things to do in New York this Friday. Whether you want to rage at one of the best parties in NYC or if you’re interested in checking out free comedy shows, you have unlimited options. That’s why we decided to make the planning process easier for you by selecting the very best events that are guaranteed to show you a good time. Forget road trips, the best way to spend your Friday night is right here in NYC.
RECOMMENDED: Full guide to things to do in NYC this weekend
Featured things to do this Friday
Vision Festival 22
The crucial local free-jazz fest presents its 22nd annual installment, featuring Vision mainstays such drummer Andrew Cyrille, saxophonists David Murray and Joe McPhee, and improv visionary Cooper-Moore, who'll be receiving a lifetime achievement award. In addition to six nights of music, the festival presents films, panel discussions and more; see artsforart.org for more details.
Accomplice
Tom and Betsy Salamon’s unique adventure—part interactive theater, part scavenger hunt, part walking tour—draws participants into an amusing web of puzzles and intrigue. You can choose between the three-hour New York tour, which takes participants through various historical and diverse neighborhoods of lower Manhattan, or the two-hour Village tour, which travels through quirky Greenwich Village on Saturdays. Groups of as many as ten are booked every half hour.
OutdoorFest
OutdoorFest, a ten-day lineup of activities, classes and volunteering opportunities, aims to get New York apartment dwellers to engage with the natural environment around the five boroughs. Look up the full schedule to save your spot for mountain biking, outdoor yoga, backcountry cooking, fly fishing, hiking, running and, naturally, beer drinking—can’t miss that.
Women x Women Art Fair
Tictail and Absolut Art team up for this rad Lower East Side tour, which displays the work of female artists on local businesses. Though self-led tours of the pieces are available for visitors of Tictail, you can head to guided tours on May 20–21 to learn more about the creators.
Antonia Bennett
Bennett has opened for her father, the iconic pop singer Tony Bennett, on many occasions in the past decade. At the Carlyle, she branches out on her own to share the fruits of her family tree, in a set of Great American Songbook standards.
Stars in the Alley
More than two dozen Broadway productions flaunt their wares in a free outdoor concert in Shubert Alley. Participating shows include the new musicals Dear Evan Hansen, Bandstand, Groundhog Day, Come from Away, Anastasia and Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812.
Governors Ball
Let the outdoor megaparty season begin! The annual Randalls Island event is the one local fest where you can catch hip-hop chart toppers, tastemaker-approved buzz bands, left-field pop heroes and, yes, dance-commanding EDM overlords.
Bruce Hornsby and the Noisemakers
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Bruce Hornsby’s music keeps being re-cool-ified. Hornsby is the very exemplar of dad-rock: 99 percent of the young population has been blasted with the piano man’s work on a family road trip at some point. So it stands to reason that Tupac should have a mellow moment sampling “That’s Just the Way It Is” and that, more recently, indie-rock mountain man Justin Vernon would invite Hornsby to perform the album of the same name at his music fest, Eaux Claires. But Hornsby is no one-trick pony. He has also made bluegrass records, gigged with a jazz band and even toured as part of the Grateful Dead. He and his band take the stage behind his rootsy 2016 effort, Rehab Reunion.
Popular things to do this Friday
Accomplice
Tom and Betsy Salamon’s unique adventure—part interactive theater, part scavenger hunt, part walking tour—draws participants into an amusing web of puzzles and intrigue. You can choose between the three-hour New York tour, which takes participants through various historical and diverse neighborhoods of lower Manhattan, or the two-hour Village tour, which travels through quirky Greenwich Village on Saturdays. Groups of as many as ten are booked every half hour.
Women x Women Art Fair
Tictail and Absolut Art team up for this rad Lower East Side tour, which displays the work of female artists on local businesses. Though self-led tours of the pieces are available for visitors of Tictail, you can head to guided tours on May 20–21 to learn more about the creators.
Mad. Sq. Eats
Twice a year, this outdoor food fest brings buzzworthy bites from the city’s best restaurants to Worth Square in the Flatiron District. Best eats include Roberta’s sensational pizza, MeltKraft grilled cheese sandwiches and cheesesteaks by the Truffleist. The one-stop shop for the tastiest grub in town will be available every day until June 3, so make sure to wear your stretchy pants.
Hamilton
Hamilton: Theater review by David Cote What is left to say? After Founding Father Alexander Hamilton’s prodigious quill scratched out 12 volumes of nation-building fiscal and military policy; after Lin-Manuel Miranda turned that titanic achievement (via Ron Chernow’s 2004 biography) into the greatest American musical in decades; after every critic in town (including me) praised the Public Theater world premiere to high heaven; and after seeing this language-drunk, rhyme-crazy dynamo a second time, I can only marvel: We've used up all the damn words. Wait, here are three stragglers, straight from the heart: I love Hamilton. I love it like I love New York, or Broadway when it gets it right. And this is so right. A sublime conjunction of radio-ready hip-hop (as well as R&B, Britpop and trad showstoppers), under-dramatized American history and Miranda’s uniquely personal focus as a first-generation Puerto Rican and inexhaustible wordsmith, Hamilton hits multilevel culture buttons, hard. No wonder the show was anointed a sensation before even opening. Assuming you don’t know the basics, Hamilton is a (mostly) rapped-through biomusical about an orphan immigrant from the Caribbean who came to New York, served as secretary to General Washington, fought against the redcoats, authored most of the Federalist Papers defending the Constitution, founded the Treasury and the New York Post and even made time for an extramarital affair that he damage-controlled in a scandal-stanching pamp
Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812
Dave Malloy's dazzlingly eclectic rock-pop musical, adapted from a portion of Tolstoy's War and Peace, conveys its story of high-society Muscovites in stirring and surprising ways. Directed by Rachel Chavkin, this Broadway transfer of the 2012 Off Broadway hit stars global-sensation singer Josh Groban and newcomer Denée Benton. (Note: Malloy returns to the role of Pierre from May 4 through May 9, during Groban's scheduled vacation.) Read the full review.
Kinky Boots
Theater review by Adam Feldman. The Al Hirschfeld Theatre (Broadway). Book by Harvey Fierstein. Music and lyrics by Cyndi Lauper. Dir. Jerry Mitchell. With Stark Sands, Billy Porter, Annaleigh Ashford. 2hrs 20mins. One intermission. [Note: The cast of Kinky Boots has changed since this review was first published. Panic at the Disco frontman Brendan Urie makes his Broadway debut, playing the musical's straight man, from May 26 through August 6, 2017.] The kicky crowd-pleaser Kinky Boots is the very model of a modern major musical. Adapted from a 2005 English indie film, Harvey Fierstein and Cyndi Lauper’s fizzy pop tuner tells of Charlie (the capable Sands) and his Northampton footwear factory, Price & Son—a family business in danger of closing down. Hope arrives in the unlikely form of Lola (Porter), a self-possessed drag queen with ideas for a niche product line: knee-high, skin-tight, stiletto-heeled sheaths of ostentatious color, strong enough for a man who’s made up like a woman. (Gay style and consumer dollars to the rescue! The shoe must go on!) Directed with verve by Jerry Mitchell, Kinky Boots feels familiar at every step, down to its messages about individuality, community, pride and acceptance; it could have been cobbled together from parts of The Full Monty, Billy Elliot and Fierstein’s La Cage aux Folles, and it culminates in a feel-good finale so similar to Hairspray’s (which Mitchell choreographed) that it might as well be called “You Can’t Stop the Boot.” Ye
Dear Evan Hansen
In this captivating original musical, Ben Platt gives a stunning performance—funny, sweet, beautifully sung and exquisitely worked-out in its physical details—as a high school student thrust into social relevance after a classmate's suicide. Benj Pasek and Justin Paul's score combines well-crafted lyrics with an exciting pop sound, and Steven Levenson’s book gives all the characters shaded motives. The production has moved to Broadway after its sold-out run at Second Stage Theatre. Read the full review.
Bitches Brew
Halyard's brings you jokes from a bunch of very funny ladies at this free weekly show with hosts Naomi Karavani, Melissa Stokoski, Shelby Taylor and Erica Spera and live music. Plenty of brews, bar snacks and a pool table await you.
Coney Art Walls
Art lovers and those who enjoy taking pictures in front of masterpieces must head to Greenwood Beach—a 500-square-foot, open-air space at Coney Island—where you can view incredible street art curated by Joseph Sitt and Jeffrey Deitch. After posing in front of the vibrant walls presented by creatives such as Lady Pink, Tristan Eaton, Aiko and more, hit up the food vendors on-site—think Chick-N-Cone and Coney Shack—for a quick bite before hitting the surf.
Free things to do this Friday
Women x Women Art Fair
Tictail and Absolut Art team up for this rad Lower East Side tour, which displays the work of female artists on local businesses. Though self-led tours of the pieces are available for visitors of Tictail, you can head to guided tours on May 20–21 to learn more about the creators.
Bitches Brew
Halyard's brings you jokes from a bunch of very funny ladies at this free weekly show with hosts Naomi Karavani, Melissa Stokoski, Shelby Taylor and Erica Spera and live music. Plenty of brews, bar snacks and a pool table await you.
"Black Power!"
More than 50 years since its inception, the Black Power movement’s influence can still be felt around the world, reverberating in modern activism, as well as hip hop, fashion, visual art and spoken word performance, is difficult to overstate. This insightful exhibition offers New Yorkers the chance to learn more about the movement’s roots, achievements and failures, as well as its enduring legacy.
The Merry Wives of Windsor
The Drilling Company disports itself at Bryant Park with an outdoor production of Shakespeare's minor farce, which plucks Falstaff from the Henry IV plays and plunks him down in a ribald comedy. Director Hamilton Clancy relocates the action to a modern Upper West Side co-op.
"A World of Emotions: Ancient Greece 700 BC–200 AD"
This exhibition collects sculpture, vase paintings, ritual items, coins and artifacts from the Ancient Greece of the Iliad through the beginning of Pagan Antiquity to question how the society of Heraclitus and Homer viewed and expressed feelings. View pieces from the Acropolis, the Louvre and beyond to see how reason, wrath and revenge were reconciled in one of civilization's great epochs.
Viewpoints: Latin America in Photographs
This exhibition features over 100 images and is the Library's first devoted solely to photographs of Latin America. Taken in the 1860s up through the present, these stunning images create a spellbinding portrait of the region's vibrant culture.
Kehinde Wiley: "Trickster"
New York–based painter Kehinde Wiley's latest exhibition, "Trickster," features portraits of fellow contemporay artists, among them Derrick Adams, Sanford Biggers, Rashid Johnson, Wangechi Mutu, Mickalene Thomas and Carrie Mae Weems. Using the mythological trope of the trickster, Wiley examines the ways in which artists, and all people of color, navigate and transform social boundaries.
Nothing Important!
One and One hosts this local talent showcase every Friday, with Phil Stamato, Daniel Raderstrong and Fume Abe wrangling acts from across town to headline the bill. Past guests have included Myq Kaplan, Shane Torres and Aparna Nancherla. After the show, performers get the weekend started by joining the audience for a lively afterparty. This week features Brooklyn fan-favorites Alingon Mitra, Anna Drezen, Sonia Denis and Nick Vatterott.
Julius Caesar
Public Theater honcho Oskar Eustis directs this Shakespeare in the Park production of the Bard's historical tragedy, in which Roman senators bloodily veto a popular general after his leadership turns toward tyranny. Corey Stoll (Troilus and Cressida) and John Douglas Thompson (Jitney) play Brutus and Cassius, with Gregg Henry as Caesar and Elizabeth Marvel as Marc Antony. Tickets are free (two per person) and may be picked up only on the day of performance after noon at the Delacorte Theater. A limited number of tickets are also distributed via online lottery; see our complete guide to Shakespeare in the Park for details.
Tyler Richardson's Scavenger Hunt
Snap photos, post them to Instagram or Twitter and tag your team to earn points in this week-long citywide scavenger hunt hosted by comedian Tyler Richardson. Photo tasks will be released the morning of May 27, with the hunt concluding at 11:59pm on June 2. R.S.V.P. on Facebook to get assigned to a team, then keep your eyes peeled and your phone at the ready.
Movies to see this Friday
Citizen Jane: Battle for the City
Jane Jacobs's clash with NYC urban planner Robert Moses makes for a great drama
Norman: The Moderate Rise and Tragic Fall of a New York Fixer
Richard Gere triumphs in the role of his career, as a scrappy Manhattan schmoozer
A Quiet Passion
British filmaker Terence Davies, turns his attention to the poet Emily Dickinson
Graduation
The story of a college-bound teen and her father who wants to cut corners for her
Beauty and the Beast
Today's Beauty and the Beast is a lavish pull-out-all-the-stops musical
T2 Trainspotting
You can’t re-create your past, but you can relive it in your head over and over again
Concerts to see this Friday
Vision Festival 22
The crucial local free-jazz fest presents its 22nd annual installment, featuring Vision mainstays such drummer Andrew Cyrille, saxophonists David Murray and Joe McPhee, and improv visionary Cooper-Moore, who'll be receiving a lifetime achievement award. In addition to six nights of music, the festival presents films, panel discussions and more; see artsforart.org for more details.
Antonia Bennett
Bennett has opened for her father, the iconic pop singer Tony Bennett, on many occasions in the past decade. At the Carlyle, she branches out on her own to share the fruits of her family tree, in a set of Great American Songbook standards.
Governors Ball
Let the outdoor megaparty season begin! The annual Randalls Island event is the one local fest where you can catch hip-hop chart toppers, tastemaker-approved buzz bands, left-field pop heroes and, yes, dance-commanding EDM overlords.
Stars in the Alley
More than two dozen Broadway productions flaunt their wares in a free outdoor concert in Shubert Alley. Participating shows include the new musicals Dear Evan Hansen, Bandstand, Groundhog Day, Come from Away, Anastasia and Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812.
Bruce Hornsby and the Noisemakers
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Bruce Hornsby’s music keeps being re-cool-ified. Hornsby is the very exemplar of dad-rock: 99 percent of the young population has been blasted with the piano man’s work on a family road trip at some point. So it stands to reason that Tupac should have a mellow moment sampling “That’s Just the Way It Is” and that, more recently, indie-rock mountain man Justin Vernon would invite Hornsby to perform the album of the same name at his music fest, Eaux Claires. But Hornsby is no one-trick pony. He has also made bluegrass records, gigged with a jazz band and even toured as part of the Grateful Dead. He and his band take the stage behind his rootsy 2016 effort, Rehab Reunion.
Car Seat Headrest
The backstory for a questionable band name: for the sake of privacy as a teenager in Virginia, Will Toledo began recording his 11-album discography (all self-released on Bandcamp) by hunkering down in the back of the family car. After picking up on Toledo's unique ear for poignant melody, prestigious indie arbiter Matador Records released his debut, Teens of Style, and a followup Teens of Denial, last year, both breathtakingly ambitious albums with rough-hewn anthems that recall peak-era Built to Spill or Modest Mouse.
Comments
The Beatrice Inn
Taking over for Graydon Carter, Chef Angie Mar curates a meat-centric menu in yet another revival of this glitzy restaurant that has been serving Gothamites since the 1920s. Mar is sourcing quality cuts of beef from around the world, using a Parisian dry-aging technique. Other menu options include flambéed roast duck, pan-roasted halibut and a 45 day, dry-aged burger. The beverage program by Antanas Samkus focuses on rare whiskey and scotch to compliment the hearty meals.
Venue says: “Traditional New York chophouse redefined, owned Angie Mar, the only NY chef named one of Food & WInes best new chefs of 2017.”
Friday April 14, 10pm - the all request, rock n roll party
SHAKE RATTLE & ROLL Dueling Pianos
continues at The Pennsy (7th Av & 33rd St.)
http://www.ShakeRattleRollPianos.com for tickets and info!
And We McDonald of season 11 The Voice in concert at the Highline Ballroom - How cool is that.
The lower east side festival of the arts does not have a show on Friday. It's on Saturday.
You say kayak on the Hudson on Friday, but it says it's ONLY available on SATURDAYS in August!!!!!! Please fix!!!!