Best Things To Do In New York This Weekend June 30-July 2
By Jessica Allen
This weekend you can cut a rug, Insta your afternoon away, and/or catch the latest in Japanese cinema. We've got you covered for Friday, Saturday and Sunday, no matter what you're into. Read on for details, and Happy Fourth!
Midsummer Night Swing
Damrosch Park
Amsterdam Avenue and West 62nd Street
New York, NY 10023
(212) 875-5000
midsummernightswing.org
Doesn't it seem like summer just started? And, yet, here we are recommending Midsummer Night Swing. This annual festival at Lincoln Center celebrates fine weather, amazing singing and terrific dancing. Don't worry if you don't have the moves—there will be onsite teachers offering a dance lesson about 30 minutes before the live music begins. What will they be teaching? Good question! Swing, Latin, disco, ballroom, jump blues, rhythm and blues, and much more. Now through Saturday, July 15, $170 for a season pass, but individual tickets are also available.
New York Asian Film Festival
Various venues
New York, NY
Among the more than 55 films scheduled to be shown at the 16th annual New York Asian Film Festival are thrillers, LGBTQ dramas, documentaries, and three "Roman Pornos" (a genre of softcore movies with a decades-long history in Japan currently undergoing a renaissance). The festival also gives prominent screen time to a new generation of directors coming up in Hong Kong, as well as recognizing Eric Tsang with a lifetime achievement award and Chutimon "Aokbab" Chuengcharoensukying with a rising star award. Friday, June 30, through Sunday, July 16, tickets required, see schedule for details.
International African Arts Festival
Commodore Barry Park
Navy Street (between Flushing and Park Avenues)
Brooklyn, NY 11201
(718) 638-6700
iaafestival.org
The International African Arts Festival arrives in Commodore Barry Park, in Fort Greene, this weekend. Highlights of the 46th annual celebration include concerts with performers like Tito Puente Jr. and Denroy Morgan, dance workshops, traditional ceremonies, chess tournaments, a talent search, children's play zone, a poetry showcase, fashion and hair shows, and a symposium on "culture, community, and struggle." Saturday, July 1, through Tuesday, July 4, see schedule for details, as some events require tickets.
Warm Up 2017
MoMA PS1
22-25 Jackson Ave.
Long Island City, NY 11101
(718) 784-2084
momaps1.org
The summer's coolest concert series begins this weekend. Throughout its 20-year history, Warm Up has sought to promote emerging DJs, bands and other artists, in part by "providing a platform for experimentation, unique collaborations, and new material." Expect mind-expanding, boundary-pushing, genre-defying work, all taking place inside a site-specific "socially and environmentally responsive structure that adapts to the densities of bodies, heat, and sunlight." Sounds amazing, right? Saturday, July 1, 3 to 9 p.m., $18 in advance, tickets required.
Movies Under the Stars
Conference House Park
298 Satterlee St.
Staten Island, NY 10307
on.nyc.gov
Pretty much every weekend from now until autumn you can see a great movie under the stars—literally. A partnership between the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment and the NYC Parks Department brings contemporary and classic films like Gremlins, La La Land, and E.T. to greenspaces around the five boroughs. On Saturday, in honor of the Fourth of July, you can watch Will Smith fight for freedom and the American way in Independence Day, but definitely check the schedule to see what's showing the rest of the summer. Lots of fun stuff for the whole family! Saturday, July 1, 8:30 to 10:30 p.m., but get there super-early to snag a spot, free.
