tuesday
thru 9/16: bryant park’s outdoor reading room: bryant park’s outdoor ‘reading room’ and series of free events returns for the 2026 season: books on broadway – a backstage look at broadway (select dates @ 12:30pm); quiet reading – a silent reading hour followed by discussion (select tuesdays 3-5pm, 5/12-6/15); poetry – readings by established and emerging poets (tuesdays @ 6pm, 5/25-9/1); author – authors discuss their latest books and writing process (wednesdays @ 12:30pm 5/27-8/26); reel talks – talks on movies, cinema culture, and filmmaking (mondays @ 12:30pm, 6/15-8/17); non-fiction – lectures and conversations with historians, authors, and thinkers (wednesdays @ 7pm 7/1-9/2); writers workshop – workshops geared to improve your writing skills (thursdays @ 6:30pm 7/9-8/13); and more. >>
thru 5/24: fit graduating student exhibition: the fashion institute of technology’s 2026 graduating student exhibition presents the work of more than 600 graduates in 16 areas of study from the school of art and design. museum at fit and fit campus (chelsea). free admission. >>
tues 4:30-7:45pm: free dead in the park concert: central park’s naumburg bandshell hosts the seventh annual free dead in the park concert, where stella blue’s band will channel the grateful dead with two sets in the same location the legendary band played to a crowd of 5,000 in 1968. the concert raises awareness and funds for riverkeeper’s efforts to help clean the hudson river. free admission (donations welcome). >>
tues 6-9pm: college night at the met: the met opens its doors after hours for a student-only night of dancing, art-making, drinks, and gallery access. the evening includes drop-in drawing, jewelry making, temporary tattoos, a photo booth, student performances, and a look at the newly opened costume institute exhibition costume art. fashion designer anna sui and illustrator ruben toledo will also present awards for the costume institute college fashion design competition, with finalist work on display all night. costume art-inspired attire is encouraged. free admission for current college and university students with valid student id. >>
tues 7pm: new york times opinion writers on public health + the maha movement: david wallace-wells, tressie mcmillan cottom and alexandra sifferlin take the stage at brooklyn public library-central library to discuss the maha movement’s implications for health, public trust, and society at large. free admission. >>
tues 7:30pm: nyc magic ensemble: expect the unexpected as the nyc magic ensemble presents a night of magicians and mentalists at q.e.d. (astoria). $10. >>
tues 9:30pm: bad movie night brooklyn: ‘off the shelf’ edition: sip a cold one and vote for one of three cheesy retro gems to watch with other bad movie enthusiasts. young ethel’s (south slope), free admission. >>
sponsored
BURNOUT PARADISE is in the home stretch. Final Performance May 23.
The theatrical phenomenon from award-winning Australian collective Pony Cam is taking Off-Broadway by storm. It’s a live show you’ll never forget, as the people onstage make a desperate attempt to complete a series of escalating tasks, like cooking a three-course meal and filling out a grant application… all while running on treadmills. And if they don’t complete their to-do list in one hour’s time? You can get your money back.
BURNOUT PARADISE is part comedy, part endurance feat, part theatrical explosion – but more than anything, it’s a euphoric, visceral celebration of our tendency to run full tilt towards life’s endless challenges.
Don’t miss it! Final performance May 23.
Get your tickets today — and just for readers of the skint, SAVE 30% with this special link here.
wednesday
weds thru 8/12 (monthly): zumba on the high line: get your cardio with a view at outdoor zumba classes on the high line. all experience levels welcome. weather permitting. advance registration is encouraged. >>
weds thru 6/17 (wednesdays at 12pm): ‘art is all around’ lunchtime concert series: take a musical break at the downtown alliance’s ‘art is all around’ lunchtime concert series, returning to the wtc area with concerts at cortland way (5/13-27) and the plaza at 140 broadway (6/3-17). first up: george gee swing orchestra, featuring dancers paolo pasta lanna and laurentina. >>
weds thru 6/3: (wednesdays at 6pm): summer concerts at hudson yards: the public square and gardens at hudson yards opens up for a series of free outdoor concerts: aly + aj with opener magnus ferrell (5/13); warren g with opener salam wreck (5/20); busta rhymes with opener dj scratch (5/27); jordin sparks with opener emyrson flora (6/3). >>
weds + thurs (6pm dance lesson, 7pm live music and dance): bryant park dance party: bryant park’s outdoor dance party returns for its 12th year, with free beginner-friendly lessons at the fountain followed by live music performed by a diverse selection of bands to put your new moves to work. food and drinks will be available for purchase. this week: bachata tradicional and contemporánea with liza + willie (wednesday 6-8:30pm) and a cuban salsa festival with jose ‘pepito’ gomez and la royal orquesta + césar orozco and sonahead feat. ariacne trujillo, gina d’soto, and ivan llanes (thursday 6-10pm). free admission. >>
weds 7pm (monthly): fantastic fiction at kgb: this monthly speculative-fiction reading series, hosted by editor ellen datlow and writer matthew kressel at kgb bar (east village), welcomes writers siobhan carroll (love, death + robots) and micaiah johnson (those beyond the wall) for a night of readings and discussion. free admission. >>
weds 7pm: peer revue: ted talks with a twist. real experts give real talks on big ideas—like quarks or the fall of rome—then comedians wing it while trying to make sense of slides they’ve never seen before. hosted by ben lillie, with talks by noah guiberson, amy muller, michael salgarolo, and luke strathman, with comedy by brielle demirjian, mick szal, shyaporn theerakulstit, and andy vega. caveat (les), $13.61 with promo code ‘skintrevue’ (reg. $18.76-20). >>
weds 7pm: new york philharmonic at st. john the divine: new york philharmonic presents a free concert at the cathedral of st. john the divine (morningside heights), featuring elgar’s serenade for strings, neruda’s trumpet concerto, and beethoven’s symphony no. 2. note: tickets are required and currently sold out, but any remaining tickets will be released on tuesday at 12pm. >>
weds 7:30pm: motion picture pop quiz: screening party meets trivia competition at motion picture pop quiz, where you’ll watch short clips from movies, tv shows, and news reports while entertainers craft questions on the spot. answers are judged on correctness or creativity, with winners chosen by a random drawing. lo-res bar at nitehawk williamsburg, free admission. >>
weds 7:30pm: 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 doug smith (conan), doug cordell (npr), cherith fuller (reductress), joe briggs, and rene fuentes. free admission. >>
sponsored: weds 8pm: $30 tickets for chamber music at carnegie hall: orchestra of st. luke’s chamber ensemble returns to carnegie hall’s weill recital hall for an intimate evening! tonight, pianist orli shaham leads two late-romantic masterworks—antonín dvořák and amy beach—in a program that moves from prague to boston in one sweeping arc. use code ‘osl53914’ at checkout to access this $30 ticket offer! >>
weds 8pm (monthly): punderdome: comedy pun slam: pun-masters have a war of the words at the beloved pun-slinging competition. tonight’s installment includes an all-star tournament of pun champions and the ‘can you beat a ‘dome champ?’ challenge. hosted by fred firestone. littlefield (gowanus), $14 adv, $16 day-of. >>
weds 8pm (biweekly): flash comedy: have a picture-perfect night of laughs at the flash comedy show, where the hosts snap free polaroids of you and your friends to take home. hosted by claire parker (celebrity memoir book club), audrey black (cracked), and temi adeoye, tonight’s show features jenna sheriton, peter liu, kaleb mulugeta, deanne smith, victoria pandeirada, and julia barnard. mood ring (bushwick), $12. >>
weds 8:30pm: my kinda night! a queer variety show: billie bullock and sarah creamin’ onion host an evening filled with drag, cabaret, comedy, and more at medusa bar brooklyn (east williamsburg). free admission (bring $ to tip the performers). >>
thursday
thurs thru the season ( thurs-sat 12-8pm): smorgasburg central park: the outdoor food market heads uptown to the columbus circle entrance of central park with 25+ vendors. free admission. >>
thurs thru 6/4 (thursdays at 12pm): road to broadway: playbill presents a four-week series of live, open-air performances from 15 broadway shows at the rink at rockefeller center. opening act: wicked, hadestown, chicago. free admission. >>
thurs thru 5/27: new york studio school 2026 mfa thesis exhibition: new york studio school of drawing, painting and sculpture (greenwich village) showcases the work of 13 graduating artists across two floors. opening reception 5/14 6-8pm. free admission. >>
thurs thru 5/20: nycxdesign festival: the annual nycxdesign festival celebrates all things design with a week of exhibits, trade shows, tours, talks, and more across nyc. various prices. >>
thurs thru mon: 38th annual miloš forman / mike hausman columbia university film festival: columbia university presents 37 mfa films across seven programs at lenfest center for the arts (west harlem). free admission. >>
thurs 5-8pm: eighth adaa chelsea gallery walk: explore 37 art dealers association of america member galleries throughout chelsea for after-hours receptions, exhibition walkthroughs, refreshments, and more. free admission. >>
thurs 6pm: know it alls – trivia comedy show: compete against two teams of comedians in a topical trivia game that’s more about getting laughs than getting it right. hosted by catherine lindsay. baker falls (les), free admission. >>
thurs 6:30pm: hidden histories of jazz age new york: jonathan ezra goldman discusses hidden histories of jazz age new york, a panoramic view of new york city in the 1920s, uncovering hidden histories from within entertainment, politics, arts, technology, and the law. esther crain, author of the gilded age in new york, 1870-1910, joins. p+t knitwear bookstore (les), $10 admission, $29.95 ticket option includes a copy of the book. >>
thurs 7:30pm: friends of mozart: friends of mozart, a nonprofit organization dedicated to performing mozart’s music, works from his era, and pieces inspired by his influence, presents a program of trios for piano, violin, and cello at christ + st. stephen’s episcopal church (uws). free admission. >>
thurs 8pm (monthly): savage! comedy show: savage comedy returns to logan’s run in park slope. hosted by lizzie martinez, melissa rocha, nonye brown-west, and chloé cunha, tonight’s show includes standup by sima sepehri, jordan snyder, melissa ferraro, harkness granger, and zivan vasquez. bonus: rsvp for a chance to win a free drink. free admission. >>
thurs 8pm (monthly): tip top tits comedy show: it’s comedy or bust at the tip top tits comedy show, hosted by mary cella and jill weiner and featuring april boddie (iheart radio), casey james salengo (comedy central), tom delgado (adult swim), and shiv shanks. bonus: $3 pbrs. tip-top bar + grill (bed-stuy), free admission. >>
thurs 8:30pm: landline comedy at wild east brewing co.: landline comedy serves up pints of hoppy humor straight from the barrel cellar at wild east brewing co. (gowanus). tonight’s lineup includes sima sepehri, nick youssef, jake silberman, myka fox, claire siemietkowski, and jay hunter. bonus: rsvp for a chance to win a free drink. free admission. >>
thurs 9pm (monthly): comedy ugly: a comedy strip show: comedians reveal more than just punchlines at comedy ugly, a standup show where performers remove an article of clothing between jokes. featuring: norah yahya, bo ballew, ken oongo, dan frank, and igor martinez. guest hosted by ariel evans and molly kornfeld. easy lover (east williamsburg), free admission. >>
thurs 9:30pm: get work: comedians interview for real jobs: watch comedians sit down with actual hiring professionals and attempt to land real jobs. the catch? they’re given terrible fake résumés they won’t see until they take the stage. hosted by dan vetrano. caveat (les), $13.61 with promo code ‘skint’ (reg. $18.76-20). >>
ongoing
our roundup of 40+ ongoing events: new york art week, rooftop cinema club, waterfront workouts, and more. >>
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– the skint
