Last Minute Festival: 4th Annual Latke Festival

An impressive lineup of restaurants are contributing dishes to the 4th annual Latke Fest. Traditional latkes from East Village standard Veselka join contemporary interpretations from the likes of BAMCafe and Ditmas Park's The Farm on Adderley.

It wouldn't be latkes without a complement of vodka, and luckily your ticket in includes wine, sodas and, yes, vodka as well.

You must buy through the website as no walk up tickets will be sold.


When: December 10 @ 6:30 pm
Where: BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music)
Website: http://www.greatperformances.com/latkefest
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New York Comedy Festival

The headliner names have been sold out for this annual laugh fest, but you can still get into some of the lesser known, more local names. Nothing free, unfortunately, this is pretty establishment - nothing experimental. But market-tested means probably sure to please.

When: November 8-11, 2012
Where: Venues around the City
Website: http://www.nycomedyfestival.com

2012 Chocolate Show

If you hate Hershey's, can't stand Cadbury's and think Dove is weak, go to the Chocoloate Show this weekend. Some of the strongest chocolate I've ever tasted - no milk and little sugar here!  Plus some of the latest chocolate products make their debut - last year I saw Silly Cow Farms Hot Chocolate Mix, and this year it's all over Whole Foods! The quirky No Chewing Allowed also had some delicious foods, and Barnes & Noble brings an excellent selection of dessert-related books to browse. Samples galore! Find the holiday's cutest niche gift or plan something special for your next occasion. Or just enjoy all those antioxidents. Yeah, sure, that's why you'll go: the health benefits.

When: November 9-11, 2012
Where:  Metropolitan Pavillion - 125 West 18th Street, New York, NY
Website: http://www.chocolateshow.com/accueil.aspx

Ancient Drama Theater Festival

The Ancient Drama Festival is held under the auspices of the Cyprus Ministry of Education and Culture, The Federation of Hellenic Societies of Greater New York and New Greek TV. This unique festival is a celebration of the theatre community and citizen’s exploration of the relationship between today’s artist and audience with the ancient texts.

The annual Festival boasts 12+ productions.

Where: Hellenic Cultural Center, 27-09 Crescent Street, Astoria, NY 11105
When: November 4-18, 2012
Website: http://ancientdramafestival.blogspot.com/

United Solo Festival Features One-Man Shows

United Solo is the world's largest solo theatre festival. . Highly experienced performers and untried new talents perform solo shows in many categories (e.g. storytelling, improv, stand-up, magic, puppetry, dance, multimedia, drama: tragedy or comedy).

When: October 11-November 18, 2012
Where: Theater Row - 42nd Street, New York City
Website: www.unitedsolo.org

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HEALTH: Living by Numbers

Ok, so not really a festival, but a celebration of something very specific: living by numbers means tracking as many measurables as possible. Tim Ferriss and J. Craig Venter are two speakers. The fact is that when you track things about yourself, you can improve a lot of things about yourself that seemed hard or impossible to do. Numbers are being pushed in a lot of frontiers, from fitness to genomics and beyond.

You can't go to this conference, but you can watch it online. Log on and check out some cutting edge conversations.

When: October 15-16, 2012
Where: Online only
Website: http://www.wiredhealthconference.com/

Feast for Good

The Feast gathers remarkable innovators from across industries to engage each other in creating world-shaking change.The Feast has hosted its annual conference since 2008 in New York City as well as in New Orleans during 2009. For 2012, The Feast is expanding its format to host the inaugural Social Innovation Week, a series of events in October including our flagship conference and two new happenings: The Feast Worldwide dinner party and The Feast Pavilion.

The Feast Pavilion will be open to the public from 10AM-6PM on Saturday October 6 and will feature artists, designers and other exhibits based on doing good through innovation. Food will also be present from some well-known food truck purveyors.

Where: 121 Delancey Street, Manhattan
When: October 6, 2012 10AM-6PM
Website: http://www.feastongood.com/pavilion/

FIRST!! Kings County Fiber Festival

If you can't make it up to Sheep & Wool in Dutchess County this month, this first-ever fiber festival in Brooklyn will be a nice consolation. Artisans peddling their fiber-oriented wares, demonstrations and more. Knitters and crocheters (natch) will be joined by dyers, spinners, weavers and more. This is a first-year event and will sure to flesh out. There's quite a burgeoning fiber community in Park Slope now that will surely embrace this event!

Where: Old Stone House 3rd Street & 5th Ave, Park Slope Brooklyn
When: Sunday October 6, 10-6 PM
Website: http://www.nycgovparks.org/events/2012/10/06/first-annual-kings-county-fiber-festival

Bronx - Native American Festival

Explore aspects of the beautiful cultures of the Native American Tribes at this day-long festival in Pelham Bay Park. Pelham Bay Park will host four hours of performances, exhibits, arts and crafts, delicious food, storytelling, nature programs, and more.

When: September 23, 2012 12-4PM
Where: South Picnic Area, Pelham Bay Park, Bronx
Website:  http://www.nycgovparks.org/events/2012/09/23/native-american-festival?utm_source=bit.ly&utm_medium=smlink&utm_campaign=social-media

Vote DANCEWAVE - It Counts!

Hello all! It's me, Hanna, the crazy festival lover behind FestivalBuzz. I'd like you to join me online in another venue: Facebook

The occasion is the Chase Community Giving grant drive. You've probably seen it before: you go on Facebook and vote for a charity.

Here's where I come in: I am on the board of DANCEWAVE, a Brooklyn-based dance center with an innovative teaching style that exposes students to top level professional choreographers and pre-professional dance training. Simply put, our student dancers are 100% amazing and hold their own well against even adult dance companies, as they did in August at the Downtown Dance Festival.

Dancewave gets amazing results on a shoestring budget. We are up against nonprofits with budgets up to $10 million dollars, but our budget is only $750,000. So a grant of $10,000 will go a long way! And to a very visible place: our new studio!

Dancewave is in the planning phase to build out a studio that we can actually fit our classes into. They've grown so big, we have to rent satellite spaces! And our staff has grown to bursting out of the tiny office in our storefront studio - 5 plus interns in a space meant to fit no more than four at a time. We've located a new space and will be signing the lease any day. We've obtained sufficient capital funds through our allies in New York City government.

But that money can only go to hard construction costs. It can't go to all the non-construction expenses that we're going to incur in the 18-24 months it's going to take to get this done. For one thing, we have to pay rent on the new space even while we can't use it! Doesn't seem fair, does it? Unfortunately if we want to use City funds (and we pretty much have to), that's what has to happen.

So, I'm hoping you see where your vote becomes VERY important. Nonprofits often run the problem of not being able to use program funds for general operating expenses. Dancewave is lucky in that we do take in some tuition funds which we can use for general operating expenses, but this period of capital growth is going to stretch us. In fact, it could bring us over the edge. This Chase grant would help us get through the most perilous time and let us keep serving the students who need us for support and who are blooming and growing into beautiful people as they dance with us.

I had a chance to sit down with our scholarship candidates just this week, and it struck me what a bunch of smart, funny, hopeful and VERY talented people they are. I want to create a more permanent dance center for them, and also for all the Brooklyners who will be able to use the space for recreation, as another performance or rehearsal space, or just want that particular block of Fourth Avenue to be beautiful.

So, please join me in voting this period for Dancewave on Facebook. In two minutes you can be helping to support Brooklyn small nonprofits, education in the arts, and over 1000 young people who are served in our companies, studio classes and afterschool programs.

Thank you!
Hanna
When: NOW through September 19, 2012 
VOTE: https://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/charity/view/ein/11-2726558?ref=0df919e580

New York Clown Theatre Festival at the Brick

 Starting with a celebration parade and ending with a funeral procession, the NY Clown Theatre Festival features more than two dozen theatrical clown performances, a clown silent film night and clown cabaret performances, plus free talks on clowning's influence on society and mainstream show business.

If you aren't familiar with classical clowning (think Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Marcel Marceau), or if it's something you thought you left behind after a brief semester in college, this is a great way to appreciate the pure art form of classical clowning, and see it with a few twists. See one performance or buy a 5-pack.

When: September 7-30, 2012
Where: Brick Theater, 579 Metropolitan Ave Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Website: http://bricktheater.com/

Washington Square Outdoor Art Exhibit

If you're out of town on Labor Day, be sure to come by the next weekend to see a stunning array and variety of art, usually in a very pleasant walk down University Place. FB found out recently that Jackson Pollack (one of our favorite painters) and William DeKooning provided the first inspiration for the outdoor exhibit. 

 When: September 1, 2, 3 and 8, 9
Canon SX40 HS 12MP 35X Optical Zoom Digital Camera Black 5251B001
Where: University Place from East 12th to East 3rd St
Website: http://wsoae.org/

DreamUp Theater Festival

Theater for the New City will present a lineup of wide-ranging and original theatrical visions embracing drama, poetry, music, and dance in the summer of 2012 from performing artists representing theater and performance companies in their theater complex in downtown New York.

The Dream Up Festival is dedicated to new works from both performance groups and individuals. Plays, dance theater, solo works and interdisciplinary material are included.  Theater for the New City prides itself on keeping ticket prices low - $12-15 each, which is a real bargain in NYC, where ticket prices routinely start at $50 for Off-Broadway shows.

When: August 19 - September 9, 2012
Where: Theater for New City, 155 First Avenue(between 9th and 10th Streets).
Website: http://www.dreamupfestival.org/

Four free shows of classical, chamber, choral and orchestral music, jazz and world are featured annually at the Washington Square Music Festival.  The festival is free and runs Tuesday through July.

The first performance is July 10 at St. Joseph's Church on Sixth Avenue and Washington Place in Greenwich Village and features the Festival Chamber Orchestra and West Village Chorale performing a concert of Music & Poetry. The concert is free but seating is first-come, first-served.

When: Four consecutive Tuesdays in July starting July 10, 2012
Where: St. Joseph's Church and/or Washington Square Park Stage
Website: http://www.washingtonsquaremusicfestival.org

New York Musical Theater Festival

Perhaps the next TONY winner will be found amongst this crop of 30 new musicals, debuting over 20 days starting July 9. Tickets ($25 per person) are still available to most musical performances. The festival also offers several free seminars as well as readings, workshops and concert performances. If you can't afford Broadway but want to see some great musical theater, this is a good place to go. When: July 9-29, 2012 Where: Various venues in the Theatre District, Manhattan Website: http://www.nymf.org

CBGB Music & Film Festival

 The famed name CBGB remains alive through this inaugural (hopefully annual) festival of music and rock-related documentary films shown July 5-8.  Passes to the musical showcase performances are still available at the latecomer price of $89 - a bargain if you can make 3-4. A free live performance will be staged in Times Square July 7.

The film festival runs 2 days only (and one of them is today, so get your butt out there). Film screenings come together with the conference, which offers interesting technical and industry talks.

Alas, if this is the first you've heard of it, you've missed out on the artisanal spirits tasting & exhibition. Better luck next year.

When: July 5-8, 2012
Where: 40 Venues throughout NYC
Website: http://www.cbgb.com

Fourth Annual North River Historic Ship Festival

Advance tour tickets to participating boats have already sold out for this festival, but the free first-come first-served tours on Friday 3-6PM, Saturday 12-5PM and circus performances (tickets required) on Sunday still have space. 


In addition, more than 100 boat-trip tickets will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis at the North River Historic Ship Society tent on Pier 25 beginning at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 30. Tickets for all trips are expected to go quickly, so come early if you want to be assured of a ride.  Those who do not get tickets can sign up for a standby list.  Unclaimed boarding passes will be handed out at the North River Historic Ship Society tent beginning 10 minutes before each ride. 


When: June 28-30, 2012
Where: Piers off North Moore Street in Hudson River, Tribeca
Website: http://www.nrhss.org

Improv and Other Amazing Feats

The Improv crowd is a pretty wacky, hard-working while hard-partying crowd, as FestBuzz found out earlier this year in an introductory intensive. But this weekend the gloves REALLY come off as the Upright Citizens Brigade Del Close Memorial Improv Marathon goes off at 6 different venues in Chelsea and the East Village.

You can literally see improv all night. The larger venues - SVA theaters and FIT Haft auditorium, play host to long-running favorites as well as teams of alums who have gone on to fame and fortune on TV. A weekend pass is only $30. Un-freaking-believable. I miss these guys so much... can't wait to go back.

When: June 29-July 1, 2012
Where: Venues throughout Manhattan
Website: http://www.delclosemarathon.com/dcm14/schedule

Hells Kitchen ArtiST Studio Tour 2012

A free event where dozens of artists open their homes, galleries, and studios for a self guided tour. Participating artists include individuals with well established and honored careers, as well as emerging artists, and all mediums will be represented: including painting, sculpture, photography, theater, dance, and much more.

Information and tour maps will be available online a few days in advance of the event at www.artistsinthekitchen.org. Before the festival, printed versions will be available at participating artists studios and businesses.

When: June 24-26
Where: Hells Kitchen
Website: http://artistsinthekitchen.org/hk-studio-tour-june-24-26-2011/

Brooklyn Waterfront Beer Festival

150 craft beers will be available for tasting at the summer Brooklyn Waterfront Beer Festival.  Approximately 75 breweries are slated to attend. Food trucks will also be on hand to sell their wares (separately). The setting for this is a grand tasting tent pitched on the East River and providing lovely views as the sun goes down. 21 and over policy strictly enforced - no kids will be allowed on site. The tasting is set up in two different sessions - afternoon and evening - with VIP ticket holders allowed extra time to taste.  




When: June 16, 2012 (afternoon and evening sessions separate)
Where: 5 North 11th Street , Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Website: http://bkbeerfest.com/

Taste of Times Square

We had a rocking good time last year at this evening-long festival. Show up, buy a bunch of tickets, then walk around and trade them for whatever strikes your fancy. Go hungry. It will be your dinner. Seriously.

When: June 11, 2012
Where: Times Square west of Seventh Ave
Website:http://www.timessquarenyc.org/events/taste-of-times-square/index.aspx
Kodak EasyShare Z990 12 Megapixel 30X Optical Zoom Black Digital

Belmont Festival Week

Did you know that an entire week of events was held to celebrate the Belmont Stakes?  FB did not, so we're making sure everyone else does now! Some of the events include a a parade (Elmont, sadly it was last Saturday), a film festival (Elmont), an outdoor fair (Floral Park and Garden City), exhibits, benefits and even a human  run that ends at the Belmont finish line.  FB might just be in the Grandstand next Saturday, but next year we're keeping an even closer eye on what's going on the week before.


When: June 2-9, 2012
Where: various sites in Belmont, Elmont, Garden City & Floral Park, Queens
Website: http://www.belmontstakes.com/experience/events.aspx

Tastes for LAB

A few great tastes events are coming up - this one, like Taste of Tribeca, is for a local school called LAB. Housed in the picturesque Meatpacking District, it's a great way (and fairly cheap way, given the restaurants that show up) to have some great food.  Afterwards, walk it all off on the High Line - the Gansevoort entrance is just a couple blocks away.

When: June 2, 2012
Where: Gansevoort Plaza, Meatpacking District
Website: http://tastesnyc.org/index.html

2012 World Science Festival

 Now in its fifth year, the 2012 Festival brings together many of the world's leading scientific minds with renowned artists and influential thinkers for a five-day celebration that, through discourse and debate, conversation and performance, allows everyone—kids and adults, novice and enthusiast—to experience science in a unique and thrilling way.

Saturday's free event is Innovation Square. It’s an afternoon of demos, challenges, and interactive activities, suitable for tech enthusiasts of all ages.

Sunday's free event is the Street Fair in Washington Square. Interactive exhibits, experiments, games and shows. Also free is a presentation at the Metropolitan Museum of Art regarding particle physics and their use to authenticate masterpieces of previous centuries. 


When: May 30 to June 3
Where:  Venues throughout New York; Innovation Square at MetroTech Plaza, Brooklyn
Website: http://www.worldsciencefestival.com

New York Indian Film Festival

The festival highlights films from all over the world based on cultural Indian themes. Directors hail from all over the world - New York, Vancouver, India, Sri Lanka, Tanzania and more. Many films have been selections to other prominent film festivals such as SXSW and Montreal, as well as the Oscar Winning short documentary film Saving Face. Find a window into contemporary Indian culture as it is experienced and disseminated around the world.

When: May 23-27, 2012
Where: Paris Theatre: 4 West 58th St, NYC (between 5th & 6th Ave).
Tribeca Cinema Theatre: 54 Varick St, NYC (at Laight St, 1 block west of Canal).
Skirball Center: 566 La Guardia Place, NYC (corner of La Guardia Place & Washington Square South).
Michelson Theatre: NYU Tisch Department of Cinema Studies, 6th Floor, 71 Broadway, New York City.Website:  http://www.iaac.us/NYIFF2012/schedule.htm

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

Westchester Square Arts Festival (Bronx)

This three-day arts festival will feature the work of musicians, theatre companies and visual artists from the Bronx, all around NYC and beyond.

 With local bands & delicious local eats, this festival is a celebration of the Westchester Square community, the Bronx and the arts.

Buy tickets or come to the free outdoor arts festival on Saturday. Tickets to some performances at Foster Hall are free but require reservations.

When: May 18-20, 2012
Where: St. Peter's Episcopal Church, 2500 Westchester Avenue, Bronx, NY 10461
Website:   http://westchestersquareartsfestival.org/

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Internet Week Starts Today

Celebrating New York City's newly minted status as #2 for tech in the US, Internet Week is a "crowdsourced" festival, meaning many different companies, groups and other entities entered ideas for events to be included. Some are free, some are $500, but all have to do with Internet and technology. It's too late to buy an HQ pass, but check out the website and maybe catch something near you, or streamed live, if available.

When: May 14-21, 2012
Where:  Throughout New York, HQ at 82 Mercer Street
Website: http://www.internetweekny.com

Bike Expo New York

Starting tomorrow, the first ever Bike Expo New York  will precede this year's 5 boro bike tour. This event is refreshingly FREE and located along the New York green way - the bike path that runs along the East River - making it accessible to bike riders, of course.

Exhibitors will showcase bikes and biking gear, and you can be sure that lots of information about biking as a green and healthy transportation alternative will abound as well. This might just finally inspire FB to get her bike out of storage, fixed and into circulation!


When: May 3-5, 2012
Where: Basketball City (Pier 36 on Hudson River)
Website: http://www.bikeexponewyork.org

Taste of Tribeca 2012

IT's back.  Though typically sold out by the date of the event, Taste of Tribeca sometimes has tickets available at the gate. Try to avoid this by planning and buying ahead though, as some of the city's highest-rated restaurants participate.

When: May 19, 2012
Where: Hudson & Duane Street, Tribeca
Website: http://www.tasteoftribeca.com/

Taste Queens at Queens Taste!

The Queens Economic Development Corporation and lead sponsors Citi and Fairway Marketinvite you to Queens Taste 2012, the borough's premiere networking and culinary event. At least 50 restaurants and other food purveyors will provide delectables to more than 1,000 attendees, including some of the most powerful and best-connected Queens residents. The cuisine will feature everything from sweet to savory, Asian to Italian, and crunchy to creamy. But it will all be mouth-watering.

When: May 1, 2012
Where: Citi Field's Caesars Club 123-01 Roosevelt Ave., Flushing
Website: http://www.discoverqueens.info/queenstaste/about/

Green Festival New York

FestivalBuzz just got the paper version of the Green Festival's program, but you can check it out on their website . Just click on "schedules" to see the break down by stage or area of the venue. Just below, click "Event Guide" to get a digital version of the printed event guide.

Green is not the only theme. Activism is also healthily represented in the program, with talks on Occupying Wall Street to Urban Gardening to eating healthfully using food stamps.  Lots of green/natural/organic food and personal products are on display at the booths on the floor. The festival tries to be zero-emissions itself, and invites attendees to bring their own utensils as well as cell phones and batteries to recycle.

If you want to make a good impact on the environment but don't know how, this might be a good place to start. And yes, there will be music!

When: April 21-22, 2012
Where: Javits Center North (11th Ave btw 39th & 40th Streets)
Website: http://www.greenfestivals.org/nyc/updates/

Taste of Fifth

Another fabulous taste event is coming up  - this one for the Restaurant Row on Fifth Ave in Park Slope, Brooklyn.  The setting, Grand Prospect Hall - is one of the great ironies in Brooklyn - a beautiful old world baroque-style banquet hall (complete with courtyard featuring rushing fountain) overlooking the Prospect Expressway. Hey, at least it's easy to get to!  Come, eat!

When: April 18, 2012 6:30-9:30 PM
Where: Grand Prospect Hall - 263 Prospect Ave, Brooklyn
Website: http://parkslopefifthavenuebid.com/tasteof5th

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/

2012 Tribeca Film Festival Tickets On Sale!

The 11th Annual Tribeca Film Festival ticket packages are on sale now. This is the best way to get tickets to the most anticipated films premiering at the festival. Or, be adventurous and choose the "Programmer's Picks" package: 2 tickets to 6 different films based on answers you give in a questionnaire.  A great choice if you don't have any one thing you want to see.

If you only want to see one film, you'll have to wait til Monday, April 16, when single film tickets go on sale. If you buy with an American Express card, you'll get a 6-day head start and can purchase on April 10.  The Tribeca Film Festival lineup looks great this year! FestivalBuzz WILL be there!

Information about free Tribeca events such as the Industry events and Tribeca Drive-in (free movies projected outdoors) can now be found on the website.

When: April 18-29, 2012
Where: Movie Theaters throughout Downtown Manhattan
Website: http://www.tribecafilmfestival.org

New York City Auto Show Returns

IT's BAAAAACCKCKCKCKCK!

The mecca for all things auto returns to the Javits Center to cap off (or start off, however you look at it) another car model year.  Tour every recognizable auto label from Ford to Maybach to Porsche and Lamborghini.  Learn new things about cars and check out the concept cars (the most interesting part in FB's book) to get a glimpse of when the base model will drive itself and the in-dash robot can brew your favorite coffee blend. Tickets, as always, are required, but it's a good distraction for the Spring Break week, especially now that Ringling Bros. Circus is not making its annual stop.


When: April 6-15, 2012
Where: Jacob Javits Center
Website: http://www.autoshowny.com/

Varli Indian Food Festival

 An annual Indian food, dessert and wine tasting event, the Varli Food Festival showcases the culinary creations of over 60 top-caliber restaurants and caterers, and promotes awareness of Indian cuisine and culture. World famous chefs will demonstrate their skills in crafting signature dishes, displaying first-hand the unique art of Indian cooking.

Tickets are pricy at $100 each, but the benefits are pretty cool:

• a FREE spice market allowing you to pick and choose Indian spices to take home and cook with
• a Celebrity Chef CookBook with recipes from each chef exhibiting at the event
• every festival attendee will receive a gift bag with $500 worth of gift certificates to local Indian restaurants
• a full open bar and wine kiosks
• several dessert stations 

 FestivalBuzz loves Indian food, and might be spotted here as well!

When: April 5, 2012 5-10PM
Where: Metropolitan Pavilion 125 West 18th Street
Website: http://www.varlifoodfestival.com

Taste Brooklyn... Mmmm... Tastes Good

Another of the popular "Taste" series features restaurants from Park Slope, Williamsburg and other points in Brooklyn, coming together for your gastronomic pleasure.  Tickets, often over $100 at swanky Taste events in Manhattan, start at $50.

When: April 3, 2012 5:30-9PM (VIPs enter at 5:30, public enters at 6:30PM)
Where: 155 Water Street at Pearl Street, Dumbo, Brooklyn
Website: http://www.brooklynexposed.com/index.php/tastingbrooklyn

Craicfest Irish Festival

The annual Irish festival of music & film returns to the Tribeca Film Center and Mercury Lounge in Manhattan. Kids Fleadh on March 10 with goodie bags, short films, step dancing and music.


When: March 8-10, 2012
Where: Tribeca Cinemas (Laight Street at Varick Street)
Website: http://thecraicfest.com/
http://www.tribecacinemas.com/craic2012.html

American Craft beer festival NYC

75 craft brewers will be sampling their work at the Armory in Murray Hill. Gourmet versions of traditional food paired with beer will also be available. There will be some brewing seminars from well known experts as well (schedule on website).  Tickets will get you in for one of two tasting sessions - in the afternoon and in the evening.

When: Saturday, March 3, 2012
Where: Lexington Ave Armory (68 Lexington Ave)
Website: nyccraftbeerfest.com

KidsCafe Goes To College - Modern Dance in College and Beyond

 Dancewave's Kids Cafe Festival offers serious high school dancers an opportunity to see dance departments from professionally-based college dance programs in the metropolitan area and beyond.

The college theme is a twist on Dancewave’s annual Kids Cafe Festival, a popular community event now in its 19^th year that invites high school dancers from all over New York City to perform dances created by both student and professional choreographers.


When: March 3-4, 2012, 3PM
Where: LIU Kumble Theater
Website: http://dancewave.org/kidscafe.php

Flamenco Festival 2012 at NY City Center

 The four-day celebration of flamenco returns to New York City with four renowned flamenco groups performing. A beginner's flamenco lesson is offered for all ticket holders 90 minutes before each performance in the lobby at the architecturally gorgeous City Center.
 
When: March 1-4, 2012
Where: New York City Center
Website: http://www.nycitycenter.org/tickets/productionNew.aspx?performanceNumber=6264

This Weekend: 2012 Wine Expo at Javits Center

Over 600 wines for sampling and seminars (sign up for each individually). Two sessions of Grand Tasting on Friday or Saturday. Discover vendors of wine pairings and wine accessories, too.

MONEY SAVER: if you search AM New York print edition and/or follow Oasis Day Spa on the website, you will find $15 discount codes.
 
When: March 2-3, 2012
Where: Javits Center (34th St at 11th Ave)
Website: NewYorkWineExpo.com

NYC Bulgarian Film Festival

Bulgaria is not a part of Europe we pay a lot of attention to (mercifully they are not directly in the crosshairs with the current European debt crisis), but many films have won good reviews at festivals around the world. The New York version of the Sofia Independent Film Festival (also called The Bulgarian Film Festival over here) showcases 10 of the best films to come out of this small country in the past 2 years - veterans of Toronto and Cannes as well as smaller festivals.

When: February 21-25, 2012
Where: Tribeca Cinemas (Varick and Laight Streets)
Website: http://soindependentfilmfest.com/ny-2012/index.php

Tour De France Stinky Cheese Festival

Tour de France NYC Restaurant Group has created its Stinky Cheese Festival 2012. Special menus feature cheese at all its French cuisine restaurants throughout Manhattan. Check the website for festival menus at each restaurant.

When: February 10-17, 2012
Where: Restaurants Around New York
Website: http://www.tourdefrancenyc.com/

BAM Kids Film Festival

6 charming feature films are showcased in the 14th annual BAM Kids Film Festival. For the more fidgety, 6 shorts programs are also available, based on whimsical themes such as Who Knew?  and Let's Play! to the self-explanatory Animation Nations.  Free kid-friendly musical performances at BAMCafe help kill the time between screenings. Take your little one to some quality cinema and get them started early. Some or all showings  may sell out before the showing dates, so buy sooner rather than later if this is how you're planning to amuse the family.

When: February 4-5, 2012
Where:  BAM Rose Cinemas (30 Lafayette Ave in Brooklyn)
Website: http://www.bam.org/view.aspx?pid=3935

Happening now! Kids Food Festival

Focused on turning kids into discerning foodies (and learning to eat healthy), the pavillions at CitiPond, fresh off the Christmas shopping season, are now host to the Kids Food Festival. Admission to much of the festival is free, with tickets required for food pavilion and performance pavilion. If the James Beard Foundation is involved (and it is), it's probably worth it.

When: January 21-22, 2012 10AM-6PM
Where: CitiPond (Bryant Park - 42nd between 5th and 6th aves)
Website: http://www.kidsfoodfestival.com

Motorcycle Show is Back

Yes, the motorized shows are back!  Starting with the Motorcycle Show, get a glimpse of the latest and greatest in 2-wheeled motorized conveyances.

When: January 20-22
Where: Javits Center (11th Ave & 33rd Street)
Website: http://www.motorcycleshows.com

Restaurant "Week" Starts Tomorrow!

The annual struggle to bring in the crowds after the gorgy (yes, that's a word) of the holiday season brings us the blessing of Restaurant "Week). This year, Restaurant "Week" is nearly 3 weeks long, and you can get some delicious food at some hard-to-afford establishments for $35.00 (prix fixe, but that's ok, right?)


When: January 16-February 10, 2012
Where: Fancy Restaurants all over New York
Website: http://www.nycgo.com

2012 Brooklyn Israel Film Festival

This year's Brooklyn Israel Film Festival - hosted by Kane Street Synagogue in Carroll Gardens - features 3 Israeli films.  The first is The Debt, which I saw a month ago. It was very good.  The other two - Restoration and Dolphin Boy - received high marks at the 2011 Jerusalem Film Festival.

Tribeca Film Festival has had some other Israeli films that were fantastic over the past few years. The one I think of first is A Matter of Size, a lovely story about some overweight guys who find their niche in Sumo.  Netflix it. It's adorable.

When: January 26-29, 2012
Where: Kane Street Synagogue 236 Kane Street Brooklyn, New York 11231
Website: www.kanestreet.org/IFF