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Things to Do in NYC This Weekend (August 23-25)

(8/23-8/25) Looking for what to do in New York this weekend? We've got the latest on all the goings-on, from concerts to museum exhibitions to comedy to the best in city sightseeing. This weekend get excited about Blues BBQ on the Hudson, Arthur Ashe Kids' Day, the Jazz Age Lawn Party, Afropunk Festival, and more! 

THE BIG EVENT 

Blues BBQ Hudson River Park 

(8/24) Blues BBQ at Hudson River Park. Blues BBQ turns 20! Celebrate at Pier 97 with barbecue from local New York City favorites while you listen to a broad range of music, running from The World Famous Harlem Gospel Choir to Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe.

PLUS

Red Hook Regatta

(8/24) The Red Hook Regatta highlights this Brooklyn neighborhood’s rich history as a shipping harbor with the use of cutting-edge technology. In partnership with Red Hook Initiative’s Digital Stewards program, the event teaches young adults from Red Hook how to use CAD software, operate 3D printers, and learn the basics of electronic circuitry to make and race functional radio-controlled boats. Entry into the race is free and open to the public. 1pm-5pm at Valentino Pier. 

(8/24) John Romita Jr. signing Superman Year 1 #2  at Midtown Comics. 5-7pm.

(8/25) Summer Brunch & ShopEvery Sunday on the Upper West Side you can check out Grand Bazaar NYC, the city’s largest curated market—and most distinctive! This Sunday in addition to exploring 150+ local artisans and designers, you’ll find the Summer Brunch & Shop, with all kinds of artisanal bites. 

(Now-8/28) The Shops at Columbus Circle Present Clean Beauty. Throughout the month of August, The Shops at Columbus Circle will be educating visitors on a variety of clean beauty topics. Each Wednesday in August, guests can visit the Clean Beauty Bar Pop-Up from noon-4pm to enjoy experiences, demos, and activations. This Wednesday it's the "Vegan Beauty Effect."

(Ongoing) Getting ready for Back to School shopping? Use City Guide's coupon booklet for The Mills at Jersey Gardens. Outlet shopping plus additional savings! 

EXHIBITION OF THE WEEK

Pierre Cardin

Terry O'Neill (British, born 1938). Raquel Welch in a Pierre Cardin outfit featuring a miniskirt and necklace in blue vinyl, worn with a Plexiglas visor, 1970. Image courtesy of Iconic Images. © Terry O’Neill / Iconic Images.

(Through 1/5/20)  Experience the past, present, and future of fashion all at once at the Brooklyn Museum this summer. Pierre Cardin: Future Fashion celebrates the French designer who embodied the Space Age and futuristic concepts in his designs. A living legend at 97, this is the first retrospective of Cardin’s work hosted in New York for 40 years. It holds over 170 objects, dynamically displayed, collected from the Pierre Cardin archive, including recent work that feels every bit as vital as Cardin’s historic designs. The show also shows how Cardin designed outside the realm of fashion, crafting “couture furniture,” lighting, and even cars. Don’t miss the fashion that literally lights up, arranged in the exhibit’s back room. brooklynmuseum.org

For the duration of the exhibition, house restaurant The Norm has been rebranded as Maxim's at The Norm

PLUS 

obey fairey posters beyond the streets

Pieces from Shepard Fairey's Obey Giant series, part of his 30th anniversary collection. Photo: Dan Bradica, courtesy of Beyond the Streets. 

(Now-9/29) Just extended! Beyond the Streets at the space Twenty Five Kent in Williamsburg, Brooklyn celebrates some of the biggest names in graffiti, including work from NYC legends Tats Cru, Lady Pink, Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat, as well as Shepard Fairey, Invader, Brooklyn duo FAILE, artifacts from NYC's beloved Beastie Boys, street photographer Martha Cooper, and much more. Get tickets at beyondthestreets.com.

Auschwitz. Not Long Ago. Not Far Away.

Via Instagram

(Now-1/3/20) The most significant site of the Holocaust, Auschwitz was not a single entity, but a complex of 48 concentration, forced labor, and extermination camps, at which 1 million Jews—and tens of thousands of others—were murdered. Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away., a new exhibition at the Museum of Jewish Heritage—A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, explores the legacy of history’s deadliest mass murder site. More than 700 original objects and 400 photographs are on display, many for the first time in North America. Among the artifacts: personal possessions, fragments of a barrack, a gas mask used by the SS, and an original German-made Model 2 freight wagon used for the deportation of Jews to the ghettos and extermination camps in occupied Poland. 36 Battery Pl. (1st Pl.), 646-437-4202,;mjhnyc.org 

Guitar Gods Play It Loud Instruments of Rock and Roll Metropolitan Museum of Art

(Now-10/1) When you see the sheer volume (some 130) of mind-blowing instruments that have been played by a broad cross-section of iconic musicians, all tucked into one space, you’ll understand why the sprawling Metropolitan Museum of Art is the appropriate place for the new show, Play It Loud: Instruments of Rock & Roll. It’s the first time a music exhibit of this magnitude has been presented, with guitars alone including the white Fender that Jimi Hendrix played at Woodstock, Prince’s 1993 “Love Symbol” guitar, and one of Pete Townshend’s smashed Gibsons encased in Lucite.

spyscape aston martin 007

(Ongoing) You can experience the world of history’s most famous spy at Driven: 007 x SPYSCAPE, a new exhibition inside New York’s spy museum, SPYSCAPE. This immersive exhibition brings you into the Bond universe with sets, props, and insights about the creation of the ageless secret agent. Among the highlights: an Aston Martin DB5, the lab of Quartermaster (or Q), M16’s gadget master, concept art from Oscar-winning production designer Sir Ken Adams, and an exploration of 2012 Bond film Skyfall’s unforgettable final scene.

COMEDY

Esther Povitsky

(8/23-24) Esther Povitsky at Gotham Comedy Club. Esther Povitsky is co-creator and star of the Hulu and Freeform show Alone Together and recurs as Maya on the CW’s Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.

PLUS

(8/24) Gayme Show with Mizzoni and Matt Rogers at The Bell House.

(Now-8/24) Aussie comedienne Hannah Gadsby brings her new show, Douglas, to the Daryl Roth Theatre.

(Ongoing) See great new comedic talent daily at the LOL Times Square Comedy Club.  Use this coupon and get half off admission!

Click here for more "Comedy Shows in NYC This Weekend."

KIDS

Arthur Ashe Kids Day

(8/24) FREE! One of the annual highlights of Fan Week is Saturday’s Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day powered by Net Generation. The USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center is the site of a free kids’ festival with interactive games, face painting, balloon artists, prizes, music, special guests, and much more. Kids can step onto the US Open courts just like the pros, with tennis activities offered for all ages and abilities. arthurashekidsday.com

PLUS

(8/24)  High Line Family Festival. Join the High Line and the Children's Museum of the Arts from 10am to 1pm on the High Line at 14th Street and 10th Avenue and make art "en plein air" (French for “outdoors”). Draw inspiration from the park’s landscapes and the magic of the contemporary artworks included in the High Line’s 2019 group art exhibition, "En Plein Air," featuring "Untitled (Four Arches)" by Sam Falls and Lubaina Himid’s "Five Conversations." Enjoy the sounds of calming music as you work collaboratively on a large mural, paint with bubbles you blow in salt water and watercolors, and make your own charm using native plants from the High Line. Join the parade to the Young Artists Dance Party from noon-1pm.

(Now-11/3) Kids of all ages will want to check out the new Bronx Zoo Dinosaur Safari. It's the biggest, most realistic dinosaur safari ride in America. Travel back in time on a guided tour to learn about dinos of the past and descendent animals of the present. The experience will take riders through 2 acres of woods, in which they will meet animatronic dinosaurs, including two 40-foot-long T. rexes, a 60-foot-long herbivore called Omeisaurus, and the Spinosaurus, one of the largest carnivorous dinosaurs to ever exist. For even more kids activities, and to learn more about the brand new Bronx Zoo Dinosaur Safari, check out our sister site nymetroparents.com!

(Now-9/8) Above & Beyond: The Ultimate Flight Exhibition at The New York Hall of Science. NYSCI’s summer exhibition uses flight simulation, augmented reality, touch tables, design and skill challenges, virtual reality, and more to immerse visitors in the wonders of flight.

color factory fun kids family

(Now-Nov. 30) Just extended! Color Factory, a massive interactive art space, began in August 2017 in San Francisco. Wildly popular, the project has set up shop in SoHo and is sure to inspire lines as long as the cronut did at nearby Dominique Ansel Bakery. Designed by a wide spectrum of artists, Color Factory walks visitors through 16 rooms devoted to the wonder of color. You’re invited to compliment someone using color words, discover your signature color, and read wishes for the world written by NYC school children on varicolored balloons. Each room is equipped with a camera that can take a picture of you and send it to your phone: the better to post with!  251 Spring St., support@colorfactory.co,colorfactory.co@colorfactoryco

(Ongoing) “Here Be Dragons,” a new interactive scavenger hunt in the American Museum of Natural History offered by Fable & Lark: Storied Adventures, draws from the menageries of creatures in both Fantastic Beasts and Fantastic Beasts: Crimes of Grindelwald. Participants will explore galleries throughout the museum as they answer questions, solve clues, engage in creative activities, and track down the origins of some of the creatures from both the Fantastic Beasts stories as well as other classic myths and tales. Grab your nifflers and join! Advance registration required. fableandlark.com

Updated!! Read about more Instagrammable pop-up exhibits in NYC here.

(Ongoing) Exhilarating Family Fun at Stomp NYC. Special discount packages available!

Click here for more "Things to Do with Kids in NYC This Weekend."

For more kids activities, check out our sister site nymetroparents.com!

SIGHTSEEING

top of the rock view summer central park

Bring a loved one to take in the breathtaking view at Top of the Rock

PLUS

(Ongoing) Feelin' the need for speed? The BEAST Speedboat Ride is back! Zoom past the Statue of Liberty at a heart-racing 45 mph! 

Paddlesports Galore! Free Kayaking, Rowboat Rentals & Paddleboard Yoga in NYC.

Madame Tussauds New York Presents Broadway

(New!) Madame Tussauds New York Presents Broadway. Take a magical journey starting with a cocktail at the Broadway Bar, and then traveling through a kaleidoscope of your favorite musicals.  Enter the world of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Evita, Sunset Boulevard, and Cats. You can sing “Memory” with Grizabella the “Glamour Cat” and wear the Dreamcoat yourself as you become a Broadway star. The Phantom of the Opera will also guide you through this dazzling backstage experience, and perhaps do a little singing himself along the way. Live actors will be on hand to enhance the rush both on- and offstage.

(Ongoing) Get the full stadium experience with Yankee Stadium Tours, which offers exclusive access to New York Yankee historic spots like Monument Park, The Great Hall, and even down to the dugout. The daily tours also bring you close to baseball artifacts like Babe Ruth’s bat, Lou Gehrig’s jersey, and rings and trophies representing the Yankees’ 27 world championships.

(Ongoing) For more than 70 years, Circle Line has been showing visitors the city, including the only cruise that goes all the way around Manhattan: Circle Line’s Best of NYC CruiseOne trip will show off five boroughs, three rivers, and more than 20 bridges on the way to 101 New York City sights. State-of-the-art Empire Class ships have recently launched, providing quieter rides, better sound for the personable onboard guides, bigger windows, improved climate control, and more outdoor deck space. (For dining and entertainment, take a ride on Hudson’s, a three-story “floating rooftop” that’s a Circle Line sibling.) 

Nat Geo Encounter Ocean Odyssey

Immerse yourself in the deep, dark depths of the ocean, where Humboldt squid fight to the death and 50-foot whales ride overhead. Play with virtual sea lions, navigate a kelp maze, and more at National Geographic Encounter: Ocean OdysseyHere's a $10 off coupon

(Ongoing) Part show. Part tour. All entertainment. THE RIDE is a one-of-a-kind experience that turns the streets of New York into a stage. Journey through Times Square and midtown Manhattan as the city’s landmarks unfold before your very eyes. THE RIDE’s theatres-on-wheels also tour lower Manhattan, with THE DOWNTOWN EXPERIENCE Powered by THE RIDE, which lets visitors re-live iconic moments in New York history through the magic of TimeLooper Virtual Reality Headsets. Use our coupon and save $10 off!

FOOD, MUSIC, AND NIGHTLIFE

Jazz Age Lawn Party

Flickr: Paul Stein

(8/24-8/25) The Jazz Age Lawn Party on Governors Island. Just a short ferry ride from Brooklyn or Lower Manhattan will bring you to festivities the whole family can enjoy. The weekend celebrates the 1920s with dancing lessons and a Charleston dance contest, a motorcar exhibition, a pie contest, and more! jazzagelawnparty.com

PLUS

(8/23) Summer Like an Italian at Princi New York. This month, midtown artisanal bakery Princi is celebrating the history of the aperitivo with artisanal food, Italian wines and beer, gelato, and live music. Included in your ticket: your first beverage (alcoholic or non-alcoholic); unlimited access to aperitivo bites; and unlimited access to a pop-in gelato counter from M'O il Gelato. Plus there's a chance to win a trip to Milan!

(8/23) Go 90s with the Fresh Kids of Bel Air at Le Poisson Rouge. 

(8/23-8/24) Shawn Mendes: The Tour stops at Barclays Center.

(8/24-8/25) Charlie Parker Jazz Festival. Back for its 27th anniversary, with FREE shows in Marcus Garvey Park, Harlem and Tompkins Square Park. 3pm-7pm. 

Squeeze

(8/24) Squeeze: The Squeeze Songbook at The Rooftop at Pier 17.

Want to see Blue Man Group live? Save $20 off admission with our Blue Man Group discount here.

(Now-8/24) Final days! 45th Annual Harlem Week Festival. harlemweek.com

Afropunk Brooklyn Festival

(8/24-8/25) Afropunk returns to Commodore Barry Park, Brooklyn, with Jill Scott, FKA Twigs, Santigold, Alabama Shakes' lead singer Brittany Howard, Leon Bridges, Kamasi Washington, Gary Clark Jr, and Samurai Shotgun.

Summer of Love Arlo Hotel SoHo

(Now-9/30) In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Woodstock, find a celebration of the Summer of Love at Arlo Hotel in SoHo. The pop-up will play host to special acoustic performances, screenings of footage from the famous festival, natural dye workshops, and more. There will also be a full Summer of Love menu available, with Whistle Pig Whiskey cocktails. 

(Now-9/30) It’s rosé all day once again. Rosé Mansion is back for another summer residency in NYC after a successful run last year. The designs in all 14 rooms will be brand-new, and the mansion will be twice the size of last year’s iteration. You’ll get tastings of 8 different pink wines as you travel through a champagne ball pit, a mini-theme park called Roséland, and a tree house! There will also be two different rosé wine bars where you can hang out, plus grub from Taco Dumbo on hand.
rosewinemansion.com@rosewinemansion

The Imbible: A Spirited History of Drinking

(Ongoing) Drink, laugh, and save! Summer Savings on The Imbible: A Spirited History of Drinking! Choose from the evening show or Day Drinking: The Brunch Musical.  Sit back and enjoy music and three cocktails, while the cast of The Imbible give insight into the history and science behind alcoholic beverages, tracing their economic and political impact on our cultural development. They'll also conduct live demonstrations of brewing beer and distilling spirits. Save $15 off admission with City Guide's coupon.

Click here for more "Nightlife in NYC This Weekend."

Click here for "Where to See Drag Shows in NYC."

Click here for "10 Things to Do in Brooklyn This Summer."

Click here for more information on The Best Things to Do in August in NYCWe've got September covered, too! 


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