Dance Parade/DanceFest

DanceFest Lineup in Tompkins Square Park featuring Amazing Performances, Teaching Area and Social Dancing! Tompkins Square Park, the destination of the parade at Avenue A and Saint Marks Place, comes alive with choreographed performances, workshops and social dance–all free to the public. For 2012, there will be 3 stages: A Performance Stage, Family Friendly Stage and Teaching Stage. A social dance / party area will rock out in the Northeast Corner of the Park! Our Main Stage will include performances by: Elisa Monte Dance Boston Community Dance Project Latin Dance Connection Asha Dance Company Dance Manhattan The Pink Tutu Ballet Company Xianix Barrera & Sabor Flamenco Korean Traditional Music Dance Institute of New York Neville Dance Theatre Grand Marshal Bill Shannon Nimbus Dance Works Philippine Dance Company of Rochester The UnOfficial Dancers of the NY Giants Kathakas Fusha Dance Company Zouk Nation Broadway Dance Center Rise Dance Company OUTSalsa NYC Carolyn Dorfman Dance Company VueLA Anthony Rodriguez The Hip-Hop Dance Conservatory NYU Steinhardt Kaleidescope Dancers Vaydra's Zumba Fusion Lori Belilove and The Isadora Duncan Dance Company Click here for the full lineup and schedule When: Saturday, May 19, 2012 Where:  21st Street and Broadway to Tompkins Square Park for DanceFest Website: http://www.danceparade.org Dance On Broadway For Nintendo Wii Nintendo Wii Dance Sensation Kidz  Bop Dance Party For Nintendo Wii

Anarchist Book Fair 2012

The bilingual website for this event states "The goal of the book fair is to enable people to connect with one another as well as to provide broader access to the rich and varied field of anarchist ideas and practices."

Unfortunately little more than generalizations about the programming can be found on the website - no specific exhibitors or talk topics. However, that's sort of the point - yes?

When: April 14-15th
Where: Judson Memorial Church, 55 Washington Square South
Website: http://www.anarchistbookfair.net/

2011 Brooklyn Book Festival

                               

Books. Whether you know them as giant leafy tomes or compact little files that load on a slate-sized e-reader, they provide us all a sweet mouthful of imagination, or perhaps a hard lump of information. Either way, come meet, discover and celebrate Brooklyn's talented bunch (a LOT of published authors live in Brooklyn!).

The festival is held at Brooklyn's Borough Hall Saturday September 17 and Sunday September 18. Brookyn Book End events are literary-themed satellite events taking place around Brooklyn in books stores, parks and other community venues - all to celebrate the written (or typed) word.

When: September 15-18, 2011
Where: Brooklyn Borough Hall (207 Joralemon St, Brooklyn Heights)
Website: http://www.visitbrooklyn.org/BBF/Home

Fashion's Night Out: A Whole Lot of Fashion

A couple years in the running, this first night is the fashion industry's way of spreading the wealth of Fashion Week all over. Pick a clothing store and you will probably find they are hosting something: a reception, a sale, etc. Browse your the listings, pick something fun and enjoy the night of fashion.

When: September 8, 2011 6PM-11PM
Where: All Over The Place
Website: http://fashionsnightout.com/fno

Lincoln Center Met Opera Summer HD Festival Begins Tonight

Don't miss the Met's popular series of free outdoor opera screenings shown on the façade of the Met in Lincoln Center. Hurricane Irene postponed the start of the festival by two days, but things finally kicked off. Some of the Met's most extraordinary stars perform in Live in HD favorites from previous seasons. 

Adams's Nixon in China
Wednesday, August 31, 7:45 pm


Bizet's Carmen
Thursday, September 1, 7:45 pm


Puccini's La Fanciulla del West
Friday, September 2, 8 pm


Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov
Saturday, September 3, 7:15 pm


Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor
Sunday, September 4, 8 pm


Verdi's Don Carlo
Monday, September 5, 7:15 pm


The Metropolitan Opera Guild presents same-day, pre-screening lectures for each opera during the Summer HD Festival.


When: Now-September 5, 2011
Where: Lincoln Center Plaza
Website: www.metopera.org

River to River Spreads Through Downtown Manhattan Again

Kicking off Sunday is the 10th annual River to River. Stretching out over a month and hitting venues all over lower Manhattan, this year's festival is pared down from last year but features a maddening breadth of acts, with a little theater, dance, an open artists weekend, and more thrown in.

When: June 19-July 16, 2011
Where: All Over Downtown Manhattan
Website: http://www.rivertorivernyc.com

Fifth Avenue Street Fair in Brooklyn

One of Park Slope's giant street fairs (the other is Seventh Heaven - guess which Avenue that goes down?), Fifth Avenue Frolic features your typical street fair fare (tee hee), but you don't have to go to Manhattan to get it!  The participating restaurants are local, and 3 stages will feature family friendly music and entertainment.

When: May 15, 12-5PM
Where: Fifth Avenue from Sterling Pl to 12th Street in Brooklyn

Ninth Ave Food Festival

Sometimes mistakenly lumped in with other "street fairs", the Ninth Ave Food Festival is an amazing sight to behold. Go hungry and try something you haven't tried before. This is no ordinary street fair. Best of all, it has no entry fee so if you're not hungry, or you're broke (and Hell's Kitchen is after all a neighborhood of actors and artists), just go to experience the crowds and free entertainment.


When: May 14-15th, 2011
Where:  Ninth Ave between 42nd and 57th Streets
Website: http://www.ninthavenuefoodfestival.com/

Support PS 9 Arts Programs at Prospect Heights Arts Fair!

PS 9 in Prospect Heights is hosting its annual crafts fair April 9, 2011.  Artists of all ilk will be on hand to showcase and sell their creations. Be ready for a mix of jewelry, home decor, candles, clothing, accessories and much more.  Kids activities will be on hand as well.

FB supports another enterprising benefit for a local NYC public school: proceeds from this fair support arts programs at PS 9 in Prospect Heights. This year, even more than most, the help is needed. There is no door fee, so show up, support some great local artists, and help maintain arts in education.

When: April 9, 2011 11AM-6PM
Where: PS 9 80 Underhill Ave between St. Marks and Bergen Streets in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn.
Website: http://www.prospectheightscraftfair.com

Halloween Parades in Manhattan & Brooklyn

Want to get dressed and strut around for Halloween? Two great Halloween parade traditions show two very different facets of New York, but I'm hard pressed to pick the more fun.  

On the one hand, there is the nationally known Village Halloween Parade, which features colorful, flamboyant floats, costumes and acts. Always mobbed by festive party-goers, some in costume, some not, this year's parade route is abbreviated and will run uptown from Spring Street to 15th Street on Sixth Avenue.  A notable feature of this parade is that ANYONE can participate, if you are in costume (and just putting on a witch hat doesn't count). For more details and retrospectives of past Halloween Parades, check out their website at http://www.halloween-nyc.com.

On the other hand, Park Slope celebrates its family identity with it's own Halloween Parade, full of young kids in colorful costumes who trick or treat up and down Seventh Avenue shops and restaurants during the afternoon and evening with their parents. From tiny little peas-in-a-pod to gothic-inspired teenagers imitating their favorite book characters, this parade is great for people watching. Kids and parents in costumes (witch hats count as costumes here). For more information visit http://www.http://parkslopeciviccouncil.org/halloween-parade.

FB is closing down this weekend and heading to the Rally to Restore Sanity in DC. Please say a little prayer that the middle will show up here!

Get Free Tickets Now: Fordham Film Festival

Fordham Law School hosts this legal-themed week of films, including current and past narrative and documentary works. Each night a special guest (from Jack Kevorkian to Sonia Sotomayor) will appear to comment on the film.  The event does require tickets, most of which are already down to rush (but which you can still register for... after the rush gets a certain amount of reservations, a waitlist begins), but the documentary Worse Than War still has general admission seating available. Get tickets now!

When: October 15-21
Where: Fordham University Law School 

140 West 62nd Street

Website: fordhamfilmfestival.org

St. John's In the Village Parish Bazaar

FestivalBuzz has fond memories of the annual St. James church bazaar that happened the second weekend of every November when we were kids. Many stuffed animals were won, and several craft reindeer were donated to the craft shop. There was always something sweet at the bake shop, and bingo was fun too. Well, it seems this bazaar may not have so many games with stuffed animals, but there is going to be one heck of a rummage sale, plus plenty for the kids to do. Check it out if you're in the neighborhood - it's the kind of neighborhood thing that makes the West Village what it is.

When: October 9 10AM-4:30PM and October 10 12:30PM-4PM
Where: St. John's in the Village (218 West 11th Street)
Website: http://www.stjvny.org

Barbeque Heaven: Pig Roast in FiDi

Ok, I hate the acronym FiDi. But it gets the point across. While this isn't exactly a festival it's a pretty cool party - how often do you really get a pig roast in Manhattan?  Join the folks at the Iron Horse for their annual Block Party. Then head down to the Seaport and do the tourist thing or try to elbow your way into a good spot to see the fireworks. Damn you Macy's for discontinuing the East River fireworks!

When: July 4, 2010 from 12-9PM
Where: Iron Horse NYC, 32 Cliff Street
Website: http://www.ironhorsenyc.com

Festival for Young Writers

This festival is the culmination of the summer for kids who have participated in a weekly summer writing program that meets in Fort Greene Park. Sign up started June 14 and the program starts July 10, so if you know a budding Dickens or Dickinson, sign them up now!

When: August 21
Where: Fort Greene Park, Brooklyn
Website: http://www.nywriterscoalition.org/events/fort-greene-park-summer-literary-festival/

Happy Independence Day!! Street Fairs this Weekend

I found a few more sources this week for street festivals - the list is pretty lengthy. I plan to start a Google Calendar that shows everything and will link to it... eventually.
Friday July 2, 2010

Multicultural Festival 11AM-4PM
St Johns Place between Bedford & Rogers Aves BROOKLYN

Saturday, July 03, 2010

McBURNEY YMCA 6th Avenue Festival
6 Ave and 14th Street

Maple Court Family and Friends Day Block Party
8:00 am- 8:00 pm
E. 123 St between Park Ave and Madison

USO - Avenue of the Americas Summer Festival
Avenue of the Americas (on 6th Avenue from 42nd - 56th Street)

Woodside on the Move Festival
Woodside Avenue between Roosevelt Ave and 65th Place QUEENS

Flushing Development Center Street Fair
Sanford Ave between Flushing and Main Streets - Flushing QUEENS

Sunday, July 04, 2010

The Great July 4th Festival
(on Water from Fulton - Broad Street)

Mulberry Street Pedestrian Mall 8AM-4PM
Mulberry Street between Canal Street and Broome Street, Hester Street between Mott Street and Mulberry Street

Meretz-Israeli Civil Rights
Lexington Avenue Festival
LEXINGTON Ave at East 42nd Street

Peloteros Unidos SBL 109th Street Festival 4:30-11:00PM
East 109th Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenues

PrideFest: Where We're All Fabulous

The annual Gay Pride week kicked off with a rally on June 19 at SummerStage in Central Park and continues with a host of events throughout the week, but the best is definitely saved for last with the annual Pride march and PrideFest, this year with extra oomph due to 2010 being the 40th Anniversary of the Stonewall Riots - the event that brought the gay community together and started the gay rights movement.

Both PrideFest and the March are completely open to the public. Come see an amazing pageant of people displaying their true and varied colors, with music.

Also, check out the Pride website at http://www.nycpride.org for a list of Pride events - dances, performances, and a couple festivals within this giant festival.


When: June 27, 2010 11AM-7PM
Where: Hudson Street between 10th and 14th Streets in the West Village (March goes down Fifth from 36th Street to Greenwich and Hudson Street, turning on 9th Street)
Website: http://www.nycpride.org

River to River

This weekend kicked off the annual River to River Festival - one of the more comprehensive arts festivals meant to get you out and checking out downtown Manhattan. 

Known mostly for its musical presentations, River to River (or R2R) sanctions arts performances ranging from theater to dance to spoken word, as well as other miscellaneous activities. August 21-22, for instance, has an automotive theme: a classic Volkswagen show paired with a day to have your car seats checked out by a certified technician.

R2R is so big it actually includes other festivals such as the J&R MusicFest and the 29th Annual Downtown Dance Festival. There's bound to be something for everyone. Head over to the website and print out the program, then start marking it up.

When: June 20-August 31
Where: Outdoor venues around Lower Manhattan
Website: http://www.rivertorivernyc.com

This weekend: Solstice in Times Square

Pre-registration is required!!  Sign up for a class (or waiting list) here!


PS: unfortunately the 7:30 AM is full, but I highly recommend the instructor Douglass - I've taken his class at Yogaworks and it's wonderful!  http://www.yogaworks.com

Duffy Square (Broadway and 7th Ave near 46th street) becomes ground zero for hundreds (thousands?) of yogis saluting the sun on the longest day of the year. Bring your mat and join in. Local teachers give talks and classes during the day. Last year, the first 1500 yogis snagged some swag.

When: June 21 starting at dawn and going to dusk

Where: Times Square between 46th and 47th Street
Website: http://www.timessquarenyc.org/about_us/events_solstice.html

Make Music New York!!

In what's become a summer solstice tradition, Make Music New York kicks off summer with an overwhelming number of music acts, all performing around the city at public spaces both intuitive (Summer Stage at Central Park, Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn) and not so intuitive (Jackson Heights Post Office, Cortelyou Road Public Library in Brooklyn).

The schedule on the website reveals a huge number of spaces, places and genres of music where you can hear bands. Pick the one closest to you, pick the type of music you'll like best, or throw a dart to choose (but not at your computer screen!).

Take a look at the website for special events as well. The SecondLine New York caught my eye, as did the "Mass Appeal" project where you can show up with your own instrument and play in a band. Don't have an instrument? Find the pianos and play your own tune in "Play Me, I'm Yours".

And if punk is your thing, find your way to Governor's Island between 10AM and 5PM (Free ferries leave from Dumbo and downtown Manhattan) for Punk Island. You can guess what that is. A list of bands is on the website, as well as a reminder that no alcohol or weapons are allowed on Governor's Island. You can guess why that's there, too.

When: June 21, 2010 11AM-10PM
Where: All over the place in all 5 boroughs
Website: http://makemusicny.org/

Crest Hardware art show

Billed as a "local block party" to benefit the NYC Reliquary (a repository for all kinds of New York mundania throughout the ages), the Crest Hardware Art Show promises artist displays, vendors, kids' activity table, food (a 10 foot smoker will be on hand to provide mouth-watering barbeque - for those of us who are missing the Big Apple BBQ Block Party!) and music near the Lorimer Street stop on the L train.

When: June 19 from 12PM-11PM
Where:  558 Metropolitan Ave btw Lorimer and Union.
Website: http://cresthardwareartshow.com/