tuesday
tues: national coffee day deals: score a free drip coffee or cold brew at all coffee project new york locations from 2–4pm (2–2:30pm in long island city); grab a free small or medium hot or iced coffee with any purchase at krispy kreme all day.
tues 6pm: page break presents: stage break reading series with astra house: four astra house books writers take the stage to read original short stories, one page at a time, alternating with audience members picked at random to join them (optional: enter your name to read). everyone gets a zine with the four stories, so you can follow along from your seat. presented by page break, a weekend reading retreat. mcnally jackson books at bklyn studios (downtown brooklyn), $10. >>
tues 6:30pm: pretty in pink x straight white men can’t dance with jon cryer + addie tsai: revisit the john hughes 80s classic pretty in pink (written by hughes and directed by howard deutch) on the big screen, followed by a q+a and book signing with author addie tsai and star jon cryer. journalist rich juzwiak moderates the discussion about the film and tsai’s new book, straight white men can’t dance: american masculinity in film and popular culture. ifc center (greenwich village), $18 general, $15 seniors. copies of the book will also be available for purchase. >>
tues 7pm: spider man total universe with patrick a. reed + nick lowe: pop culture historian patrick a. reed launches his fully-illustrated book tracing spider-man’s comic book history from amazing fantasy #15 in 1962 to today, talking all things spidey with marvel’s spider-man editor nick lowe at your friendly neighborhood powerhouse arena (dumbo). powerhouse arena (dumbo), $5 admission includes a store gift certificate, $80 ticket option includes a copy of the book. >>
tues 7pm: this guy sucked presents: draft of shame: using sports drafting methods, podcast hosts/historians claire aubin (this guy sucked) and patrick wyman (past lives), along with commentator manny fidel (no such thing), assemble an elite team of america’s evil-est dead people and pit them against each other in a race to the bottom. caveat (les), $15 with promo code ‘skint’ (reg. $25+). >>
tues 7pm: punch puppet slam: the princess bride: a diverse group of puppet artists use a wide variety of puppet styles to tell the story of buttercup, westley, inigo, and the gang. the tank (midtown), $23. >>
tues 8pm: live band karaoke at arlene’s grocery: pick your song, grab the mic, and be a star with your very own live band (nakatomi5) backing you up at arlene’s grocery (les). bonus: online ticket purchasers are entered in raffles to win prizes like drink tickets, skip-the-line song passes, or free admission to future shows. $10 adv, $15 day-of. >>
sponsored
Ensemble photo by Fadi Kheir. Festival graphics by Saboteur Studios, UK.
Come watch The Rift, an opera in one act by renowned composer Huang Ruo and Tony Award-winning librettist David Henry Hwang. The opera tells the real-life story featured in the Oscar-winning documentary about architect Maya Lin’s iconic Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.
That same evening, the Bard East/West Ensemble will perform three works written specifically for the group. The ensemble brings together a Western string quintet and seven Chinese instruments, including dizi, erhu, pipa, ruan, suona, guzheng, and sheng, alongside Chinese and Western percussionists.
The 9th annual China Now Music Festival begins at Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall on October 2 at 7:30 p.m. This year’s theme, “Chasing Dreams,” celebrates America’s 250th anniversary by telling stories of the shared dreams, resilience, and creativity that connect us all.
Save 30% on tickets with code MUS57515 — get tickets here today!
wednesday
weds thru 10/9: 13th annual the americas film festival of new york: explore stories of historical memory, migration, identity, childhood, and music from across the americas through feature films, documentaries, shorts, filmmaker q+as, and more. various locations, free admission (except opening night). >>
weds thru fri (7:30pm): georgia gardner gray: cookie: enter a fever dream of grifters, fake tailors, and hustlers in georgia gardner gray’s site-specific performance, staged beneath the high line in the former parking lot of the meatpacking district’s last meat purveyor. free admission. >>
sponsored: weds 5-6:15pm (series ends tonight): gather round: let’s dance at manhattan west: manhattan west plaza (midtown west at 385 9th avenue) features a free weekly dance and music series in partnership with works + process featuring live bands, captivating performances, and a participatory component! this week: new york swings brings an evening of lindy hop and authentic jazz, led by choreographer gaby cook and featuring some of nyc’s top swing dancers, backed by live music from grammy-winning saxophonist josh lee and the family. >>
weds 6pm (wednesdays thru 10/21): bhangra in the plaza: watch and learn choreography that celebrates contemporary indian music and dance, right in the middle of midtown at greeley square plaza. featuring sarina jain and dancers from masala bhangra. all ages and experience levels welcome. free admission. >>
weds 6:30pm: unsinkable: poems inspired by the titanic: just steps from the titanic memorial lighthouse, the editors of unsinkable: poems inspired by the titanic come together to read from the new anthology and explore the enduring cultural resonance of the titanic. q+a with the audience and a reception will follow. south street seaport museum, free admission (rsvp). >>
weds 7pm: art21 rewind: a 25th anniversary screening: revisit the debut season of art21’s art in the twenty-first century with a screening of short artist documentaries from the series’ original 2001 season. episodes include subjects laurie anderson, mel chin, barry mcgee, shahzia sikander, and others. sva theatre (chelsea), $7. >>
weds 7pm doors (+ 10/14, 10/18): infinite good times movie club: ‘the house that carpenter built: part 1 of 3’ edition: infinite good times movie club returns with a double-feature screening of john carpenter’s big trouble in little china and they live at gowanus metal bar lucky 13 saloon. bonus: free popcorn and candy. free admission with rsvp ($5 suggested donation) >>
weds 7pm (wednesdays): baby shoes comedy: clare donaher and alex murdoch’s baby shoes comedy show delivers grown-up laughs with a fresh lineup of comedians each week. tonight’s show features grace johnson, rebecca weiser, danny palmer, and jacob chalk. black cat les, free admission. >>
weds 7:30pm (wednesdays): we have fun: a stand-up show: hosts zach sims and dan wilbur team up to bring the fun-ny to young ethel’s (south slope), with stand-up by gabe mollica (this american life), hoodo hersi (colbert), trey galyon (doug loves movies), and alex grubard (comedy central). free admission. >>
weds 8pm: charlene kaye’s 40th birthday party – king mei mei debut live show: musician and comedian charlene kaye hits 40 with the debut of her new glam-punk project, king mei mei, at littlefield (gowanus). $15. >>
weds 10pm: nyc college comedy night at ucb: four comedy teams from colleges all around the city take the upright citizen brigade stage. hosted by tess restaino and patricia lee. ucb (east village), $5. >>
thursday
thurs thru 2/8/2027: mathematics and the art of m.c. escher: discover the math behind escher’s mind-bending worlds in the first major exhibition devoted to the mathematics of his art, with more than 60 prints, drawings, original woodblocks, and other objects exploring symmetry, geometry, infinity, perspective, and the spatial logic behind his impossible scenes. free opening celebration 10/1 6:30-9pm. national museum of mathematics (flatiron), $30 general, $20 seniors/students. >>
thurs thru 10/31: archtober festival: see new york through an architect’s eyes with a month of building tours, design talks, workshops, exhibitions, film screenings, and other ways to explore the spaces that shape new york. events take place across the five boroughs with 100+ partner organizations. various prices. >>
thurs thru10/31: rooftop cinema club: catch movies under the open sky at the embassy suites skylawn rooftop in midtown, where this seasonal series screens a mix of cult favorites, classics, and newer releases. wireless headphones help block out the city noise, and drinks and classic cinema concessions are available for purchase. screenings thru october include backrooms, halloween, halloweentown, get out, ghostbusters, hocus pocus, jennifer’s body, obsession, psycho, the exorcist, the evil dead, the rocky horror picture show, weapons, and many more. $21.75+ admission (15% off for military, 10% off for students). >>
thurs 5:30pm: the king of japanese kawaii: japanese artist and harajuku kawaii pioneer sebastian masuda discusses his colorful career and the culture he helped bring to the world with fashion institute of technology professor yuniya kawamura. a book signing of kawamura’s sebastian masuda follows. fit’s katie murphy amphitheatre (chelsea), free admission. >>
thurs 6-8pm (monthly): dumbo first thursday gallery walk: 2026-27 season opener: explore dumbo’s waterfront arts scene at the first thursday gallery walk, a self-guided tour of galleries open late for receptions, artist talks, and special events. tonight’s edition includes a dozen outdoor projections and an after-party with music by dj nickodemus paired with live saxophone and percussion. free admission. >>
thurs 6:30pm: the new york i keep: an evening of obsessions, discovery, and a walk outside: hear five writers, thinkers, and deeply opinionated new yorkers make a five-minute case for the one thing they can’t stop loving about the city, then head outside together to look, notice, and maybe discover your next nyc obsession. moderated by daniel wortel-london with gabrielle bendiner-viani, moses gates, philip lopate, r.a. villanueva, and brad vogel. p+t knitwear bookstore (les), $10. >>
thurs 7:30pm: slumber party comedy show: join hosts clare donaher and shelby latterman as they split an hour of standup between campy bits, confessions, games, and more. union hall (park slope), $10 adv, $15 door. >>
🎃 thurs 9:15pm: spoons, toons, + booze: halloween after dark edition: binge watch halloween-themed cartoons from the 1940s through the 2000s on the big screen while indulging in sugary cereals and cereal-infused cocktails at secretformula’s annual screening party. hosted by michael austin and nell casey. nitehawk cinema (prospect park), $20 admission includes an all-you-can-eat cereal bar. >>
ongoing
our roundup of 40+ ongoing events: university open air, gaia, oktoberfest events, the amazing maize maze, and more. >>
support us
if you enjoy this newsletter and would like to help keep it going, please consider supporting us here
