What a great weekend to be in New York City. With all the free concerts, dancing, outdoor movies and theater to choose from you may not have time to learn to play chess at Bryant Park, or see the Exhibition of “Unmentionables” from the 1850s. And don’t forget to fit the Accordian Festival into your weekend. And a one, and a two…Aren’t you glad you missed the Jitney?
FRIDAY JULY 10
RiverFlicks for Kids: The Wizard of Oz
RiverFlicks for Kids 2009 features new and classic films for children and families.
Movies take place at Pier 46 (Charles Street/Hudson River). (Movies begin at sundown (about 8-8:30 p.m.) Free popcorn is available; beverages and other snacks are available for purchase. There is a limited amount of seating available.
Good Morning America Summer Concert Series: Queen Latifah
Central Park, Rumsey Playfield; 8:30 a.m.–9:00 a.m.
In the Good Morning America Summer Concert Series, a range of talented and famous musicians performs every Friday morning from May 22 to August 21. Today’s performance is by Queen Latifah.
Central Park opens to the public at 6 a.m. and audience members will be permitted to enter the park starting then. Concerts are free and open to the public. Entrance is on a first-come, first-served basis, so arrive at 6 a.m.
“Good Morning America” airs live from 7 to 9 a.m., with concert performances usually starting around 8:30 a.m
Summer Art in the Park
Riverside Park, Hippo Playground; 10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
The Hippo Playground Project is once again delighted to offer free arts and crafts activities for kids every weekday morning during the summer. We have a new teacher this year, Ildiko Critchlow, who is great with kids and very creative. Join us as often as possible! Typical age range for this event: 1 – 5 years old. Contact 212-870-3070
Exhibition: Mid-19th Century Underwear
Merchant’s House Museum (29 East Fourth Street)
12:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m.
Take a peek at rarely seen ‘unmentionables’ of the 1850s and 60s, including a lady’s chemise, corset, drawers, stockings, and cage crinoline. Included with regular admission. Reservations not required. Contact 212-777-1089
Shakespeare in Riverside Park: Hamlet
Riverside Park at 89th Street, 6:30 p.m.
Join Hudson Warehouse, the Other Shakespeare in the Park, for their production of Hamlet, a classic Shakespeare tragedy.
The play, set in Denmark, recounts how Prince Hamlet exacts revenge on his uncle Claudius, who murdered Hamlet’s father, the King, and then took the throne and married Gertrude, Hamlet’s mother. Contact hudsonwarehouse@aol.com/
Midsummer Night Swing: Occidental Brothers Dance Band International with Samba Mapangala & Virunga
Damrosch Park; 62nd Street between Columbus and Amsterdam 6:30 p.m.–9:00 p.m
Midsummer Night Swing, now in its 21st season, heats up Damrosch Park with the rhythms that keep New York dancing.
Tonight, come experience old-school West African highlife with a dash of American fusion, Occidental Brothers Dance Band International strikes up its energetic, dance-friendly music. Silky-voiced African hit-maker Samba Mapangala lays out the rhythms with his orchestra Virunga, mixing rippling Congolese rhumba and soukous with earthy Kenyan benga. Contact 212-721-6500 for more information.
Reel Harlem: Urban Dance Alliance & Stories from the Faubourg Tremé
Jackie Robinson Park, 150th Street and Bradhurst Ave. 8:00 p.m.
Join us for a free night of music and movies. At 8:00 p.m., there will be a live dance performance by Urban Dance Alliance. At 8:30 p.m. the film “Stories from the Faubourg Tremé” (Dawn Logdson, USA, 58m.) will be screened.
Faubourg Tremé is arguably the oldest black neighborhood in America, the birthplace of the civil rights movement in the South and the home of jazz. Every frame of this film is a tribute to what African American communities have contributed even under the most hostile of conditions.
Joan of Arc presented by Gorilla Rep
Fort Tryon Park, Pine Lawn. 8:00 p.m.
Gorilla Rep will begin another summer of the finest quality of free theatre in the park with the world premiere of Joan of Arc by Robert Steven Ackerman.
The play, starring French actress Aleksandra Yermak, was commissioned by Gorilla Rep’s Founding Artistic Director, Christopher Carter Sanderson, who also directs. The production, which marks the 17th season for the highly respected theatre company, will perform on the Pine Lawn in Fort Tryon Park.
Joan of Arc will open on Thursday, July 9th at 8 p.m. and run through August 2nd, with performances Thursday through Sunday at 8 p.m. ADMISSION IS FREE. Call (212) 252-5258 for more information.
Films on the Green: Love Is in the Air
Tompkins Square Park. 8:30 p.m.
In this film, Yann Kerbec, an instructor for an airline company, is paradoxically afraid of flying. His panic, linked to his birth, stopped him from following the woman of his dreams to the end of the world. Later, he reflects upon his trauma and his love affairs. Yann has reached a crossroads: he must overcome his demons and accept that he must grow up.
Organized by the Cultural Services of the French Embassy and the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation.
SATURDAY JULY 11, 2009
Bryant Park Chess Lessons
Bryant Park Chess Area (40th Street and 6th Avenue) 12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m.
Learn strategies, tactics, unexpected attacks, and unusual combinations from the experts at Midtown Backgammon and Chess in Bryant Park. Call (212) 768-4242 for more information.
Great Jazz on the Great Hill
Central Park Great Hill. 1:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m.
Pack a picnic, bring a blanket, and enjoy an afternoon of live jazz music and crafts on Central Park’s Great Hill!
Jazzmobile, Inc. and the Central Park Conservancy come together again for the annual Great Jazz on the Great Hill event, bringing you a family craft workshop with Stephanie Crease, author of Duke Ellington: His Life in Jazz, and the National Jazz Museum in Harlem, and an exciting line up of performers to follow on the Great Hill. This program is part of A Clearing in the Forest, the Central Park Conservancy’s series of FREE multicultural performances and family art workshops in The Peter Jay Sharp Children’s Glade* and on the Great Hill. Led by a range of established and emerging performing artists from some of New York City’s leading cultural institutions, and featuring live music and dance, puppets, storytelling and crafts, these programs are fun for all ages.
Enter Central Park at West 106th Street. For more information, please call (212) 860-1370 or visit www.centralparknyc.org/clearing
Boomerang Theater Company: The Comedy of Errors
Central Park; 69th Street and Central Park West (the lawn between Strawberry Fields and Tavern on the Green)
2:00 p.m.
The Boomerang Theater Company presents The Comedy of Errors by William Shakespeare, directed by Philip Emeott.
There will be performances on July 11 – 12 at 2:00 p.m
Summer on the Hudson: 4th Annual NYC Main Squeeze Accordion Festival
Riverside Park South, Pier I at 70th Street. 3:00 p.m.–10:00 p.m.
The squeezebox masters are back! Celebrate all things accordion at our annual festival of traditional and eclectic music from around the globe. Kids can get in on the act too, at the Accordion Kids Corner. Browse the Accordion Flea Market and dance, dance, dance! Co-curated by Walter Kuhr.
Line-up:
3:00 p.m. Musette Explosion ?4:00 p.m. Suspenso del Norte?5:00 p.m. Hector Del Curto’s “Eternal Tango Quintet” ?6:00 p.m. Main Squeeze Orchestra ?6:45 p.m. Roberto Cassan, John Muratore Duo?7:45 p.m. Liony Parra Y La Mega Mafia Tipica?9:00 p.m. Peter Stan and Friends.? Call (212) 408-0219 for more information.
Central Park Summerstage: Los Fabulosos Cadillacs and Eric Bobo
Central Park Rumsey Playfield at 69th Street and 5th Avenue
3:00 p.m.–7:00 p.m.
The internationally renowned, high-energy Argentine sensations perform (pictured above); with support from alternative hip hop via Puerto Rico. Presented in associated with the Latin Alternative Music Conference (LAMC). Visit www.summerstage.org for more information.
Shakespeare in Riverside Park: Hamlet
Riverside Park, North Patio at West 89th Street. 6:30 p.m.
Join Hudson Warehouse, the Other Shakespeare in the Park, for their production of Hamlet, a classic Shakespeare tragedy.
The play, set in Denmark, recounts how Prince Hamlet exacts revenge on his uncle Claudius, who murdered Hamlet’s father, the King, and then took the throne and married Gertrude, Hamlet’s mother. Contact hudsonwarehouse@aol.com for more information.
Our Lady of Pompeii Church Bleecker Street Festival
Bleecker Street between 6th Avenue and 7th Avenue South
Union Square Street Festival
Park Avenue South from 17th to 23rd Street
SUNDAY JULY 12, 2009
Harlem Meer Performance Festival: Los Soneros de Oriente
Central Park2:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m.
Join the Central Park Conservancy for the 2009 season of this popular FREE concert series that features the best in local emerging and established Latin, Jazz, World, and Gospel artists.
Advance registration is not required. Performances take place at the Charles A. Dana Discovery Center (110th Street between Fifth and Lenox Avenues, inside the Park). Please call (212) 860-1370 or visit www.centralparknyc.org/performancefestival for more information.
NY Laughs: Laughter in the Park 2009
Tompkins Square Park, East 7th Street between Aves A & B. 2:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m.
Laughter in the Park is New York’s only free outdoor comedy series. Every week, we present two hours of comedy at one of six different city parks.
NYLaughs, Inc. is a unique non-profit that wants to change the cultural landscape of the Big Apple through humor. We seek to elevate the comic arts and provide laughter for free to New Yorkers on a consistent basis by producing free live comedy shows in New York City’s public spaces; from its parks and streets to its subways. We want to make New York a better place through laughter! Contact NYLaughs@gmail.com
CityParks Kids: Family Day
Central Park, 72nd Street and 5th Avenue. 3:00 p.m.–7:00 p.m.
Come to Central Park for a day for the entire family showcasing Nickelodeon stars, hip music, storytelling, marionette puppets, and dancing.
Moondance: George Gee Big Band
Pier 54; 6:30 p.m.
Whether you’ve been dancing for years, or want to learn how to boogie like a pro, Hudson River Park’s MoonDance is your chance to strut your stuff under the stars! No experience necessary. Featured styles include swing, tango, and salsa.
The Schedule:
July 12: George Gee Big Band (Swing)
July 19: Hector Del Curto’s Eternal Tango Orchestra
July 26: Los Hermanos Colon (salsa)
August 2: Nu Guajiro (salsa)
August 9: David Berger Jazz Orchestra (swing)
Free dance lessons begin at 630 p.m. courtesy of Dance Manhattan. Live Bands go on at 7 p.m.!
Summer on the Hudson: Acoustic Sundays: La Cumbiamba NY
Riverside Park South, Pier I at 70th Street. 7:00 p.m.
Enjoy spectacular sunsets over the Hudson as you listen to some of New York’s best jazz, R&B, and world music. This week, La Cumbiamba NY / Traditional & Tropical Colombian performs.
La Cumbiana NY performs music from the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of Colombia in both traditional (Gaitas y Tambores) and tropical (Modern Papayera) formats. This ensemble band performs concerts and workshops with traditional instruments from the African Diaspora in Colombia, as well as with indigenous and European instruments, all of which are blended together in the traditional musical styles that developed throughout the colonial era and continue to evolve. La Cumbiana has the range of versatility to perform from a quintet format, for reduced space events; up to a 10-piece band format for large events. Acoustic Sundays is sponsored by Riverside South Properties. Contact (212) 408-0219 for more information.
French Institute Bastille Day
East 60th Street between 5th and Lexington Avenues
Target High Line Street Festival
High Line Park between Gansevoort and West 20th Streets
National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations Festival
Madison Avenue between 42nd and 57th Streets
