5 Best Eating and Drinking Events This Weekend
Festivals, festivals, and more festivals. Our picks for the best in eating, drinking, and merrymaking this weekend range from a science festival to an indie music festival to a festival of funny songs. Read on for details. By Jessica Allen.
At the World Science Festival, a five-day celebration of science, you can hear quantum theorists debate; learn about the science behind dessert; sign on for Science Hack Day, in which you get to invent, build, and test projects with scientists and inventors; discover the geology and history of the Hudson River aboard a schooner; attend a science-themed story slam; and mess with robots, among lots of other lectures and programs. Wednesday, Mary 28, through Sunday, June 1, prices vary, see calendar for details.
"Oh, it's a festival / with funny songs / won't you join in / and sing along?" OK, so that little ditty probably wouldn't make the cut in the 2014 New York Funny Songs Festival, but at least it gives you a sense of what you're in for: a fun mix of melody and humor. Events include a parade, a variety show, raunchy songs, songs about Brooklyn, sci-fi-focused songs, fake bands, and lots of puns. Thursday, May 29, through Saturday, May 31, $12 at the door; see schedule for details.
The annual NYC Popfest brings the "best jangling, fuzzy, twee, and indie pop bands" to the city for four days of beats, jams, concerts, encores, and afterparties. This year's scheduled performers hail from Australia, South Carolina, Sweden, Spain, Brooklyn, and elsewhere, and offer a range of styles and lyrics. If you don't hear something you like, you're not listening. Thursday, May 29, through Sunday, June 1, see schedule for prices and details.
Organized by the Columbus Avenue Business Improvement District, the New Taste of the Upper West Side benefits such beautification and neighborhood improvement projects as the Wellness in the Schools program and the district's sustainable streetscape project. At the signature event, the Comfort Classic, 40 restaurants will compete for the coveted "Best Comfort Food Dish" award by offering their most innovative comfort dishes. Friday, May 30, 7:30 pm, $105, tickets required.
Bad news first: the Color Run is sold out, so you won't be able to run in what's often called "the Happiest 5K on the Planet." Nevertheless, you can still cheer on the participants as they zoom around Citi Field, in a "unique paint race that celebrates healthiness, happiness, and individuality." This year's event benefits Back on My Feet, a national nonprofit that helps people experiencing homelessness develop independence and self-sufficiency. Saturday, May 31, 10 am, free to watch and cheer.
