tuesday

thru 9/2: the metropolitan opera summer hd festival: the met’s 15th summer festival features 10 outdoor screenings of the company’s live in hd opera series productions, held at lincoln center’s josie robertson plaza. this week: puccini’s la rondine (tues 8pm), jake heggie’s dead man walking (weds 7:30pm), mozart’s don giovanni (thurs 7:30pm). 2,000 seats will be provided. screenings are rain or shine, but will be canceled in the event of thunder, lightning, or high wind. free admission. >>

tues 6-10pm: summerstage: nyc’s iconic summer performing arts festival returns with 85 free and benefit shows in central park and 12 neighborhood parks across the five boroughs. tonight: snail mail, tim heidecker, and fenne lily at rumsey playfield in central park. free admission. >>

tues 7pm (monthly): we love a theme: a storytelling show: a lineup of performers tell funny, heartwarming, and cringe-inducing tales at tonight’s ‘riding the wave’ edition of bailey swilley’s monthly storytelling show. featuring ahmed abdalla, ashia amave, patty terhune, and julia whitehouse. pete’s candy store (williamsburg), free ($5 suggested donation). >>

tues 8pm: live band karaoke at arlene’s grocery: choose from over 175 rock and pop songs and sing with your very own live band backing you up at arlene’s grocery (les). led by leslie goshko, and featuring lucas shine, matthew lindsey, and alan camlet. $10. >>

wednesday

weds (various times): free outdoor movies (weather permitting):
bob marley: one love at lincoln terrace / arthur s. somers park (crown heights) >>
space jam at seward park (les) >>

weds 7pm: the bookshop: a history of the american bookstore: author and professor of history evan friss presents the bookshop,a history of the american bookstore, in a conversation with writer and publicist isabel banta (honey) at books are magic (brooklyn heights). $10 ticket includes a store gift card, $32.66 ticket includes a copy of the book. >>

weds 7pm: two beers in: a tipsy political roundtable: a panel of opinionated nyc comedians, journalists, and politicians debate current events over a couple of beers. hosted by cody lindquist and charlie todd, and featuring negin farsad, christina greer, and jason selvig (the good liars). ucb (east village), $10 adv, $15 day of. >>

weds 7pm: comedy at cassette: john f. o’donnell and bob palos host the comedy at cassette show, featuring standup by courtney maginnis (comedy central), casey james salengo (comedy central), esther chen (and just like that), and lizzie martinez (the onion). cassette (ridgewood), $5. >>

weds 7pm: lady journey comedy: lady journey podcast hosts katie hannigan and sarah tollemache bring some of their favorite comics to grove 34 (astoria) for a night of standup. featuring brittany carney, hanna dickinson, leclerc andre, and julio diaz. $15. >>

weds 7pm: rear window 70th anniversary screenings: alfred hitchcock’s 1954s mystery thriller, starring jimmy stewart, grace kelly, wendell corey, thelma ritter, and raymond burr, returns to select theaters for a limited engagement. various prices. >>

weds 8pm: the moth storyslam: the popular community-based open mic storytelling competition, where anyone can share a five-minute tale based on the evening’s theme to an attentive audience, returns to the bell house (gowanus). tonight’s theme: ‘comebacks.’ $15. >>

weds 8pm: elvis costello birthday singalong: celebrate the imposter turning 70 with pianist joe mcginty and guest singers from the loser’s lounge at sid gold’s piano bar (chelsea). free admission. >>

thursday

thurs thru sun: 15th annual nyc unicycle festival: bindlestiff family circus’s annual unicycle fest returns with four days of one-wheeled fun for experienced riders and first-timers alike. free admission. >>

thurs (various times): free outdoor movies (weather permitting):
bob marley one love at fort greene park (fort greene) >>
crazy rich asians at fountains at bella abzug park (hudson yards) >>
imagenation’s cinemusic fest at arcus garvey park (east harlem) >>
school of rock at brooklyn bridge park’s harbor view lawn >>
slums of beverly hills at tompkins square park skate/playground (east village) >>

thurs thru 9/15: art students league: 2024 juried selection exhibition: the art students league of new york, whose alumni include alexander calder, georgia o’keefe, norman rockwell, ai-weiwei, and others, hosts its annual juried selection exhibition, featuring works by nearly 100 students. part ii opening reception 8/29 at 6pm. gallery onetwentyeight (les), free admission. >>

thurs 6pm (+ 9/5): the queens jazz trail concert series: inspired by the queens jazz trail map highlighting the homes of jazz legends, an evening performance series presents five free jazz concerts in queens parks. tonight: funkin’ for jamaica at baisley pond park (jamaica). >>

thurs 7pm: ready to die?: emmy-nominated and wga award-winning writer and comedian alison zeidman (samantha bee, adam ruins everything, archer) brings her hour-long comedy show about end-of-life planning to caveat (les). $18 adv, $20 door. >>

thurs 7:30pm: letters + sodas: lic reading series: writer lana schwartz (build you own romantic comedy) brings local comedians and writers together to read from their original works at long island city’s the greats of craft. featuring emma davey (greenpointers), swati sudarsan (catapult), evelyn frick (reductress), michelle cohn (mcsweeney’s), pooja reddy (kutti gang), and matt mancini. $5. >>

thurs 8pm: yacht lobsters: don your captain’s hat and sail away to the sounds of steely dan, the doobie brothers, hall + oates, and many others at the yacht lobsters’s yacht rock 70s and 80s concert and costume party. brooklyn bowl (williamsburg), $21.95. >>

thurs 10pm: björk drag tribute show: get ready for some big time sensuality at c’mon everybody’s björk drag tribute show, featuring linda felcher, c’était bontemps, bate kush, mocha, kekoa, and dj lady simon. c’mon everybody (bed-stuy), $12.36. >>

ongoing

our roundup of 70+ ongoing events and attractions: 2-for-1 broadway week tickets, friday night fireworks at coney island, art exhibits, and more. >>

stay safe and healthy
– the skint