Allison DiBarba

Ah, spring in New York City. The warm weather is (slowly) returning and New Yorkers are anxiously awaiting the day they can put their puffer coats in storage for good. And trust us, we're excited too, but we'd be lying if we said we didn't already have our sights set on summer. Cue Electric Zoo festival. This Labor Day weekend (August 31–September 2, 2018), NYC’s premiere electronic music festival returns to Randalls Island for its momentous 10th edition. The highly anticipated summer fest brings together electronic music's biggest names for three full days of dance madness: But who exactly are these superstars? Earlier today, Electric Zoo revealed phase one of its 2018 lineup and we're already nervous about overlapping set times! Initial headliners include Marshmello, Martin Garrix, Virutalself and Kaskade, with the latter having performed at the inaugural event back in 2009. Of course, it wouldn't be a festival announcement without a bunch of covered up names on the flyer. What surprises does Electric Zoo have in store for their big anniversary event? We wouldn't be shocked if EZoo pulled out all the stops this year. Three-day passes are already on sale (and available via Time Out) and there are plenty more acts to still be announced. Check out the poster below and start planning your perfect festival look. RECOMMENDED: Full guide to Electric Zoo Electric Zoo: The Big 10 Phase 1 lineup12th Planet B2b Doctor P3lau4bAc SlaterAlan Walker Andrew BayerAndrew Bayer B2b Ilan Blue

Friday was a very sad day for the electronic music community—and the music community at large. During the afternoon, news broke that beloved Swedish DJ Tim Bergling, better know by his stage name Avicii, had passed away. At only 28, his unexpected death came as a devastating blow to his family, friends and fans around the world. Despite exiting the spotlight in recent years (health issues led him to retire from touring in 2016), his impact on other musicians and DJs never wavered. His groundbreaking single “Levels” helped dance music go from a niche genre to a force heard across the world. As with any mega-successful DJ, Avicii made quite a few appearances in New York City throughout his time touring. We spoke to members of his local fan base about some of his most legendary performances, what they meant to them and the impact the artist left on the city. Electric Zoo: September 5, 2010 “I didn’t grow up listening to dance music, hip-hop reigned supreme in the '90s in New York. College was more of the same. In 2010, one of my coworkers sent me some dance music songs, and I thought they weren’t too bad—I began exploring on my own. The first full set I ever listened to was Avicii’s June 2010 at Sensation in St. Petersburg, Russia, which was probably one of his first big shows, and I was hooked. That led to my first dance music festival experience at Electric Zoo in 2010. It was early in the afternoon at a time and a side stage he would never play again. I’m sure I would’ve fou

With temperatures in the high 70s this past weekend, New Yorkers across the city are finally starting to believe that the brutal NYC winter is over for good. Flowers are starting to bloom, sundresses are popping out of closets and, best of all, our favorite summer music festivals are announcing their triumphant returns. Enter Elements Music & Arts Festival. Run by epic party-throwers BangOn!NYC, Elements brings all-day music, dancing and art to a sprawling industrial space along the Bronx waterfront. Despite returning back to a one-day affair (2017’s edition spanned two days), the fifth edition of the beloved fest on Saturday, August 11, promises to be better than ever. On Monday, the fest’s 2018 lineup was revealed and boy, is it a doozy. Attendees will be treated to performances from electronic music heavy-weights Bassnectar and Emancipator, as well as a stage takeover from the popular Dirtybird record label. Other notable acts include SNBRN, Goldfish, Jade Cicada, Dance Spirit (playing a live set) and many more. But music isn’t the only thing Elements offers. Troops of fire breathers, gravity-defying aerialists and unique spectacles are all common sights on the festival grounds. Past editions of the event have featured giant art installations, cars that have been transformed into psychedelic pads and even a life-size pirate ship.  This year, Elements organizers say that they are “fabricating a world unlike anything seen before.” Some might call this a bold claim, but past 

Despite the continued hat-and-gloves weather in the city, spring has in fact arrived (well, technically, at least). In addition to longer days and hopefully warmer temperatures, spring brings the re-opening of some of the best outdoor attractions and venues in NYC. One we’re particularly excited about is Coney Island's Luna Park. On Saturday, March 24, Luna Park officially opens its doors for the 2018 season, and we can confirm this is a celebration you don't want to miss. For the first time ever, access to all of the rides will be free, so you can play to your heart's content. All the park asks in return is that you donate $5 toward its partner charity, The Mayor's Fund to Advance NYC. The charity supports business and philanthropic communities and helps the city launch amazing public programming. The party continues into Sunday when Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, local stakeholders and elected officials will gather around the Cyclone at 11am to officially kick off the season with the park's traditional egg cream christening. Brooklyn Seltzer Boys will also be providing an egg cream sample to the first 150 guests. So gather your friends and head to the beach this weekend—and don't forget to grab a Nathan's Famous hot dog while you're there! Sign up to receive great Time Out deals in your inbox each day.​

Time to get cheesy, New York. On Sunday, March 18, we’re taking over the Brooklyn Expo Center for our annual Mac & Cheese Smackdown event, where attendees can feast their way through the best mac and cheese dishes in New York City. This year’s impressive lineup includes beloved stalwarts and newer additions. Among those on the bill are Murray’s Cheese, Hill Country Barbecue Market, Harlem Public, Trestle, Jacob’s Pickles, Route 66 Smokehouse, Claw Daddy’s, Red Rooster Harlem and Korilla BBQ. Entry includes unlimited mac and cheese tastings from all restaurants, complimentary beer, DJ entertainment, a March Madness viewing lounge, games, giveaways and more. True cheese enthusiasts can opt for the VIP option which also includes early entry, access to an exclusive lounge and Jack Daniels’ cocktails. There will be two sessions: one from 2-4pm (1:30-4pm for VIP) and another from 5:30-7:30pm (5-7:30pm for VIP). Tickets range from $45-$75, which really is a small price to pay for a day filled with unlimited amounts of delicious cheesy creations. Tickets are selling-out fast, so snag yours here before it’s too late! Take a look at dishes from some of the vendors below. Claw Daddy’s Harlem Public Red Rooster Korilla BBQ Queens Bully Handcraft Kitchen & Cocktails Ladybird Hill Country Barbecue Market Murray’s Cheese Buy tickets to the Mac & Cheese Smackdown right here.

Devin had a missed connection on the G train with a cute guy in yellow shoes. She's still looking for him. #IfItsMeantToBe pic.twitter.com/DAQA5nuJoS — Park MGM (@parkmgm) February 4, 2018 Who says romance is dead? This week, Brooklyn resident Devin Custalow proved she was willing to do whatever it takes to find her subway missed connection. After exchanging glances—but not numbers (or any other personal information, for that matter)—with a stranger on the subway, Custalow posted to Craigslist’s “missed connections” section in an attempt locate him. When that didn’t work, she took it a step further and turned that post into a giant 20-foot mural in Williamsburg that she hoped would gain his attention. Custalow told ABC News that she was riding the G train home after a day in Coney Island with her roommate when the she spotted a “cute guy standing on the platform.” They never spoke, but “were flirting with their eyes for a while,” her roommate recalls. Along with a description of the encounter, the mural included a time and date for the two potential love birds to meet at the mural: 1pm on Valentine’s Day. Unfortunately, the “yellow shoes guy” never showed, but we fully support this badass New York lady’s level of confidence here to go after what she wants.  The mural is still up, and you can check it out in person at the corner of Wythe Avenue and North 10th Street. Sign up to receive great Time Out deals in your inbox each day.

We may only be a month into 2018, but what a month it’s already been for the music scene in New York City. From amazing parties to new venues, it’s clear New Yorkers are coping with their post-holiday hangovers just fine. And this weekend, world-renowned DJ trio Above & Beyond are joining in on the fun. On Saturday, January 27 the beloved supergroup will be making their return to Gotham for a massive performance at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center. This highly-anticipated show comes as part of their most ambitious North American tour to date and just off the heels of the release of their new album, Common Ground, which is currently available for pre-order. In fact, every ticket sold to the show comes with a copy of the new CD (in case you needed more incentive to grab yours ASAP).  But that’s not all. The group will also be hosting a weeklong screening event of their new concert documentary, Above & Beyond Acoustic: Giving Up The Day Job at Chelsea’s Cinépolis Theater beginning January 30. The never-before-in-theaters film offers an intimate, behind-the-scenes glimpse of one of the world’s biggest dance-music acts as they risk it all to leave the electronic music world behind and go acoustic. If you’re lucky enough to snag a ticket to the first screening, you will also be treated to an exclusive Q&A session with Above & Beyond themselves. The guys have already dished to Time Out on their most memorable NYC moments, but we can safely assume Gotham has a lot more adventures in store

Well, folks, the time has finally come. It’s officially the last weekend of the summer. You could easily spend the next three days moping around thinking about good times past, or you can send off summer in true New York style: with an epic bang. The Meadows Festival returns to NYC this weekend to help you do just that. Featuring a star-studded musical lineup of world-renowned and locally buzzy acts, the three-day affair is perfect for lovers of all genres and styles. And, let’s be real, what’s a music festival without a little EDM? RECOMMENDED: Full guide to Meadows Festival Lucky for us, Miami-based DJ duo GTA is here to supply just that. With a chart-topping debut album under its belt, GTA returns to NYC this weekend for not one, but two sure-to-be-unforgettable performances. In addition to the set on the Meadows Festival lineup on Sunday afternoon, the guys will be headlining Saturday night’s official after-party at Schimanski in Brooklyn. We caught up with the duo to find out what exactly they have in store for New Yorkers this weekend.  What role has New York played in your music careers? New York was one of the first places we performed as a group, maybe four or five years ago. We’ve grown from playing small clubs like Webster Hall and Terminal 5 to huge festivals like Meadows. Webster Hall as a venue was probably the most notable for us, though. One of our first sold-out solo shows was there almost three years ago. It’s such a legendary venue; we’re definitely sad it

This weekend, New York’s beloved electronic music festival Electric Zoo returns to Randalls Island for its ninth edition. Featuring three full days of nonstop dance music, the highly anticipated summer music festival boosts a star-studded lineup of some of the world’s biggest DJs and producers. Among a crowd of superstar DJs, Grammy-nominated Dutchman Armin van Buuren finds himself right at home. Known as the flag-bearer of the trance music movement, van Buuren has become nothing short of a pioneer amongst the electronic community—and a legend among his fans. He's been a headliner at Electric Zoo since its inception in 2009 and returns to the festival’s Main Stage this Sunday for a sure-to-be-unforgettable set. With a massive discography (which stands at around 700 tracks), we decided the NYC festival would be a good time to investigate the role that the city has played in his music. From a two-night stint under the Brooklyn Bridge in 2006 to a solo sold-out Madison Square Garden show in 2014, van Buuren has spent plenty of time here, but he's quick to let us know that cities in and of themselves don’t really inspire him: “It’s just a bunch of buildings!” However, there are records that will always have special significance to him in New York. Here’s what he had to say.  1. “This Light Between Us” featuring Christian Burns “I decided to close with this dark track during my headlining performance at Electric Zoo 2011. It got a massive crowd reaction, which is actually really

Summer may be coming to an end, but music festival season in New York still has plenty of life left. This Labor Day weekend, NYC’s premiere electronic music festival Electric Zoo returns to Randalls Island for its ninth edition. Featuring performances from more than 100 artists, the event brings together electronic music's biggest names for three full days of dance madness. And it just wouldn’t be a proper Electric Zoo without veteran DJ trio Above & Beyond. The London-based group has appeared at more than half of the festival's nine iterations and hold the coveted spot as Saturday’s headliner for the 2017 edition. After countless NYC performances, including a sold-out Madison Square Garden show in 2014, the city is something of a second home for the world-traveling DJs. So we wanted to know—what were the most hilarious, memorable and straight-up ridiculous moments from all their visits? We chatted with group member Jono Grant to find out. 1. A near arrest in Times Square—by mounted police, of course. "When we came to the city for [our headlining] ABGT 100 [show] at Madison Square Garden, we stupidly thought that it would be smart to launch the video for our new single ['We're All We Need'] in Times Square. We arranged a time and announced it to our fans. Well, all our fans turned up. When we got there, there was a huge crowd, and the police weren’t happy everyone was mobbing us. It seemed like a good idea to watch the video with our fans, but when police on horse came tryin

This past weekend marked the fourth edition of one of our favorite summer events, Elements Music and Art Festival. Run by beloved party throwers BangOn!NYC, Elements took over a massive industrial space on the Bronx waterfront for two full days of music, dance performances, interactive art and all kinds of weirdness. For this Lower East Side resident, the stellar musical lineup—that included the Knocks, Kerri Chandler, GRiZ, Flying Lotus and Zeds Dead—convinced me to brave the nearly 1.5 hour commute to the festival’s location in the South Bronx. Upon arriving it was easy to see Elements fest was so much more than just your typical music festival. Tucked in Hunts Point in an area filled with abandoned factories and silos, there was a vast green space dubbed the Healing Garden, in which one could lounge amongst hammocks and art installations while taking in gorgeous waterfront views. Tents were set up offering everything from massages and yoga classes to ecstatic dance workshops and intimate musical performances. To my own surprise, I found myself wandering away from the packed stages and into the Healing Garden more than once during the weekend—the good vibes created there seemed to permeate the entire festival grounds. The folks at BangOn!NYC are all about cramming unexpected surprises into their festivals, and my favorite element (see what I did there) was that there was always another layer to be explored. If walking through the deserted grain silos wasn’t awesome enough,

In less than 10 days, beloved downtown music venue Webster Hall will close for renovations (and new management and ownership). Some of the biggest names in music have graced the iconic venue’s stages, so it’s no surprise its final shows reflect just that. Following a big Tuesday morning announcement regarding the official final concert at the venue, Webster Hall just revealed another massive show coming this weekend. Electronic music producer Skrillex will play the final club night at the venue on Saturday, August 5. With previous performances at major New York festivals such as Electric Zoo and Governors Ball, Skrillex is no stranger to our city. The show kicks off at 10pm with accompanying acts Ekali, Deux Twins and some yet-to-be-announced special guests. Tickets are currently sold out, but follow Webster Hall’s Twitter page for announcements regarding additional spots.

Despite what all the recent gray weather may make you think, it is in fact rooftop season in the city—and that means outdoor screenings are in full swing. Enter Rooftop Cinema Club. Known for its outstanding film selections (and steady supply of booze), this screening series deserves a spot on any New Yorker's spring bucket list. It's just unveiled its July and August programming, and we highly suggest snagging your tickets ASAP. Check out the complete list of movies here—we’ll see you under the stars!