cherry blossom update: brooklyn botanic garden’s main rows of the cherry esplanade, filled with 100 trees, are in peak bloom! $22 general, $16 seniors/students, free community tickets may also be available). >>
tuesday
thru the season: rooftop cinema club: take your movie night to new heights at rooftop cinema club, the annual open-air movie series held at the third floor skylawn rooftop of the embassy suites hotel in midtown. catch cult favorites, classics, and newer releases all season long, with provided wireless headphones to help block out the city buzz. soda, beer, wine, cocktails, popcorn, candy, hot dogs, pretzels, nachos, pizza, and more are available for purchase to make it a full night out. this month’s screenings include amélie, dirty dancing, fight club, friday, grease, harry potter and the sorcerer’s stone, interstellar, poetic justice, the dark knight, the devil wears prada, the princess bride, the sandlot, the wild robot, star wars, the empire strikes back, and many more. $12-29 admission (15% off for military, 10% off for students). >>
sponsored: thru 5/11: the ungodly: red rose chain presents joanna carrick’s the ungodly at 59e59 theaters. part of the brits off broadway season at 59e59 theaters, the ungodly tells the origin story of witchfinder general matthew hopkins and his infamous reign of terror in rural england in 1645. featured in the new york times’ ’13 off broadway shows to tempt you in april.’ use code ‘skint’ to snag $19 tickets (incl. $4 fee – reg. $44)! >>
tues 7:30am (tuesdays thru 8/27): tai chi in bryant park: bryant park’s free outdoor tai chi classes return for the 2025 season. held at the park’s fountain terrace, the classes are open to all experience levels and take place rain or shine—unless weather is severe. >>
tues 6-8pm: clothing swap: give your closet a refresh! swap your under-used clothes for new-to-you finds at this clothing swap, hosted by adverse abstraction at otto’s shrunken head (east village). unclaimed items will be donated to housing works. $5 admission (2-for-1 tickets are available for a limited time). >>
tues 6:30pm: a protest history of the united states: writer, professor of constitutional law, civil rights attorney, and playwright gloria j. browne-marshall presents her latest book, a protest history of the united states, which chronicles key dissident movements in the u.s. and the stories of the people behind them. craft and conscience author kavita das joins in the conversation. p+t knitwear bookstore (les). $5 admission can be applied towards any book or item in the café. >>
sponsored: tues 7pm: david mamet’s a life in the theatre with santino fontana, bd wong, and kathleen chalfant: tony award winners santino fontana and bd wong take the stage for a one-night-only reading of david mamet’s wildly entertaining play a life in the theatre at symphony space (uws) . the balance of power shifts as two actors—one rising into the first flush of success, the other beginning to wane—play multiple roles and exchange backstage banter in mamet’s love letter to the theater. with stage directions read by actress kathleen chalfant. skint readers can get a $23 ticket using code ‘mamet’ (incl. $5 fee – reg. $52 – $55). >>
tues 7pm: econlol: an economics-themed comedy show: bringing together comedians and sometimes real-life economists, luke strathmann’s economics-themed comedy show won’t teach you anything about the economy, but it will give you a chance to laugh at\ it. featuring tyler g. hall (colbert), liz hynes (last week tonight), macy gilliam (morning brew), chloe radcliffe (comedy central), and ashton womack (the daily show). caveat (les), save $5 with promo code ‘recession’ >>
tues 7pm: cinema smootaphilia: emmanuelle: ensemble erotic (ann courtney on vocals, dave smoota smith on casio and beats, jerome jordan on guitar, and jeremy kay on bass) perform a live, original soundtrack to 1974 french softcore classic, emmanuelle, starring sylvia kristel. tv eye (ridgewood), $15. >>
tues 8pm: whiskey river revival: a willie nelson birthday celebration: brooklyn band the loyales and a large roster of guest performers—including including kat edmonson, tamar korn, adam levy, and alex battles—pay tribute to the red-headed stranger, willie nelson, with a night of music celebrating his legendary catalog. littlefield (gowanus), $12 with promo code ‘whiskey5’ (reg. $18.67 adv, $24.58 day of). >>
sponsored
The 2025 World Voices Festival is back in NYC next week, April 30th to May 3rd. This is not your English professor’s literary festival!
We will be celebrating the 20th anniversary of the World Voices Festival with 100+ writers from 35 countries, including Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Jennifer Egan, M. Gessen, Ali Hazelwood, Dinaw Mengestu, Guadalupe Nettel, Lynn Nottage, Gary Shteyngart, and many more.
You won’t want to miss timely sessions including a film screening and discussion about writing in exile, writing about the end of democracy, writing as resistance, or writing about dystopian futures. Also on the schedule is a comedy show (after all comedians are writers, too!), sessions about poetry, romance writers, women in literature, the state of censorship in American theater, and a whole lot more.
Also, don’t miss the full lineup of free events open to all, including the Indie Lit Fair, the ArtLords Public Art Mural, or the House of SpeakEasy Bookmobile as well as book readings and panel discussions. Join us to bask among the celebration of free expression and literature while we still can!
Tickets are going fast, so make sure to reserve your seats to see your favorite authors! While many events are free, the skint subscribers can take advantage of a special discount on all World Voices Festival paid events.
Use promo code SKINTWVF25 for 50% off all tickets!
Get tickets today at https://worldvoices.pen.org/
wednesday
weds thru 5/15 (wednesdays + thursdays; 6pm dance lesson, 7-8:30pm live music and dance): dance party at bryant park: meet at the bryant park fountain for the 11th annual outdoor dance party series, featuring six themed evenings of motown, afrofusion, bachata and merengue, and brazilian samba and forró. this week: salsa’s greatest hits with grammy-nominated alfredo de la fé all star band (wednesday) and motown ‘dancing in the streets’ with kd browne (thursday). all experience levels are welcome. free admission. >>
weds 12pm (+ 5/7, 5/14): meditation at madison square park: join in a lunchtime guided meditation class in madison square park (flatiron), where you’ll practice cultivating comfort and stillness in the center of our bustling city. wear comfortable clothing and bring a towel to sit on. all levels are welcome. weather permitting. free admission (rsvp). >>
weds 7pm (monthly): not in my backyard! a political comedy roundtable (fka two beers in): a panel of opinionated nyc comedians, journalists, and politicians debate the local issues causing drama in your neighborhood’s facebook group. each show will include a ‘public comment period’ where audience members are encouraged to give their own hot takes. hosted by cody lindquist (our cartoon president) and charlie todd (improv everywhere), with guests danny pearlstein (rider’s alliance), beth newell (creator of reductress), and sean hart (local crank). ucb (east village), $10 adv, $15 day of. >>
weds 7:30pm: free outdoor movie (weather permitting): fall guy (1947) at coleman playground (les). >>
weds 7:30pm: subway series comedy: next stop, a subway-themed cannibis dispensary for priya blunts’s subway series comedy show, featuring shaunak godkhindi, dan wickes, ivi demi, seri ciprane, and talent harris, jr. at nyc bud (lic). $4.94. >>
weds 7:30pm: we have fun: a stand-up show: hosts zach sims and dan wilbur bring the fun-ny to young ethel’s (south slope), with stand-up by maggie crane (side by side), joann schinderle (dark jeans), naomi karavani (siriusxm), phil rizdon (false prophets), and charles star (persuasive authority). free admission. >>
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), $12 adv, $15 day-of. >>
weds 8pm: ambush comedy show: the ambush comedy show takes over stefano’s tattoo studio in williamsburg for a night of jabs and jokes, featuring steve rogers (colbert), christiana jackson (cash cab), kelly bachman (hulu), bobby condon (cash prizes comedy), and joshua stokes (nbc standup). hosted by kenyon adamcik. free admission. >>
weds 8pm: what happened with why – episode 5: hannibal buress explores the failure of his 2015 comedy central show, why with hannibal buress, with a screening and commentary. isola brooklyn (fka the knitting factory), free admission. >>
weds 9pm: giving up screening and panel: kris lefcoe presents a screening and panel discussion of her 2018 half-hour pilot giving up—a comedy about a new york couple facing their own deadline to either ‘make it’ or give up their dreams. the pilot won festivals, landed a deal with imagine television, and almost became a series… but didn’t. celebrating its long-overdue public premiere, tonight’s screening and comedy event shines a light on tales of failure and disappointment, humiliations, fiascos, and flops with a panel featuring lefcoe, executive producer david wain, and cast members schuyler quinn, linas phillips, dave hill, mary crosbie, myq kaplan, and more. the roxy cinema (tribeca), $18. >>
weds 9:30pm (weekly): friends with caveats: expect everything from stand-up and character performances to music and even powerpoint presentations at caveat’s weekly comedy show, ‘friends with caveats.’ tonight’s lineup includes chloe radcliffe, meredith dietz, kenny gray, kevin mcnulty, sam corbin, dan toomey, and tim donnelly. hosted by simon bloch. caveat (les), $10 adv, $15 door. >>
thursday
thurs thru october: summer on the hudson: riverside park + west harlem piers park’s annual arts and culture festival returns for its 23rd year with nearly 400 free events between 59th + 181st streets: live music, movie screenings, dance, fitness classes, educational experiences, and more. this week’s events include yoga, tai chi, a community jazz concert, the nyc irish dance festival, and more. various locations. >>
thurs thru mid july: the whitney’s decade downtown: the whitney museum of american art celebrates its decade in the meatpacking district with 10 weeks of special programs and events, from festivities during free friday nights and free second sundays, to live music performances, dance parties, and artist-led activities for all ages. >>
thurs thru 5/31: les history month: lower east side history month, founded in 2014, is an annual celebration of the stories and peoples of the les. this year’s fest features over 40 organizations hosting a variety of public events, exhibits, tours, and festivals. various prices. >>
thurs thru sat (+ 5/15-17): serials short play series: five teams of actors perform five original, 10-minute episodic plays, each with only six hours of rehearsal time. then it’s up to you, the audience, to vote for your favorites, which will return for a new installment of the same storyline the following week. the tank (garment district), $18 with promo code ‘5erials’ (reg. $23+). >>
thurs thru 5/5: 15th annual lower east side film festival: the annual fest celebrates indie film with five days of premiere feature films, short showcases, industry talks, and parties. bonus: open beer and wine bar before all screenings. screenings are held at village east cinema and dctv’s firehouse cinema. $18+. >>
thurs thru sun: 15th annual westfest dance festival: the west fest dance festival presents work by 24 artists in two unique programs at westbeth artist housing (west village): the top floor, featuring performances from 16 choreographers in the martha graham studio theater (thurs-sun, $20+); and all over westbeth, a site-specific journey of eight new works through westbeth’s corridors, stairwells, and community spaces (sat + sun, free admission). >>
thurs 6-8pm (monthly): dumbo first thursday gallery walk: explore dumbo’s waterfront arts scene at the first thursday gallery walk, where eight galleries will stay open late for a night of opening receptions, special events, and artist talks. tonight’s event includes volume six of the dumbo projection project, an outdoor video art exhibition projected onto the manhattan bridge on both the pearl street and adams street sides and along the bqe in susan smith mckinney steward park (the projections will run wednesdays thru sundays from dusk to 11pm through 5/25). an optional hour-long ‘insiders’ tour at 6pm (rsvp required) will feature talks from experts at select exhibitions. free admission. >>
thurs 7pm (monthly): the rally reading series: ‘the heart of a march in the body of a reading series’: the rally reading series returns for an evening of readings and discussion with sally wen mao (ninetails: nine tales), chris karnadi (catapult), and monique laban (electric literature). hosted by ryan d. matthews. pete’s candy store (williamsburg), free admission. >>
thurs 7pm: john and scott: two person improv: former 30 rock cast members scott adsit and john lutz pair up for an improv show at ucb theatre (east village). $10 adv, $15 day of. >>
thurs 7:30pm: free outdoor movie (weather permitting): ghostbusters: frozen empire at de witt clinton park (hell’s kitchen). >>
thurs 8pm (monthly): tip top tits comedy show: it’s comedy or bust at janet hyde and mary cella’s stand-up show, featuring jared waters, natasha vaynblat, mara wiles, and a special longer set by a nine-month pregnant mary. bonus: $3 pbrs. tip-top bar + grill (bed-stuy), free admission. >>
thurs 8pm (+ fri): in dreams – a drag tribute to david lynch: miss malice and mettie present a pair of drag tributes to the vision of david lynch, with performances by c’était bontemps, divina gransparkle, k.james, linda felcher, maxx love, maxxx pleasure, muscles monty, sweaty eddie, veronica viper, xana whoria, zenobia, and more. c’mon everybody (bed-stuy), $18.54-20.60. >>
ongoing
our roundup of 50+ ongoing events and attractions: the met fifth ave’s new roof garden commission (thru 10/19), brooklyn cyclones baseball season, bargemusic, and more. >>
stay safe and healthy
– the skint
