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Everything Fun You Can Do in NYC This Weekend
Plus, a new exhibit from Ukrainian artists, silent discos for the Queen, and plenty of pastries.
By Juliet Izon – Thrillist
As everyone in NYC knows, another sign that summer has officially started is the beginning of Pride Month. And while you should obviously be supporting our city’s LGBTQIA+ bars and businesses year-around, June is a wonderful time to double-down on your efforts. We’ve got intel on two Pride-themed film festivals to get you started, but other exciting events this weekend include a bake sale with some of the city’s hottest restaurants to support abortion access, and a quiet (yet loud) way to cheer on the Queen of England’s Jubilee.
Read on for everything fun you can eat, drink, and do in NYC this weekend. And for even more activities, make sure to check out all of the city’s exciting new restaurant openings and our summer list of cool events.
Travel the world with globally-inspired desserts from a famed bakery
Weekend-long
SoHo
Anytime pastry chef Dominique Ansel debuts a new line of desserts, you should run, not walk, to sample his latest creations. This Friday at Dominique Ansel Bakery—the original birthplace of the Cronut®—the creator of our favorite viral treats launches Around The World, a collection of pastries that’s dedicated to popular travel destinations. Forgo all the hassles of dealing with the airport right now and order goodies like the Mexican Taco (sweet corn crémeux, milk chocolate mousse, flourless chocolate sponge cake); Thai Mango Sticky Rice (creamy vanilla rice pudding, fresh mango compote); or Italian Burrata (mascarpone mousse, olive oil biscuit) instead.
Cost: Pastries are $9.50 each
Grab free food at this event celebrating Immigrant Heritage Month
Friday, June 3, and Saturday, June 4
Fordham Plaza and Albee Square Plaza
New Yorkers are justifiably proud of our city’s many immigrant roots all year, but June is the official time to celebrate Immigrant Heritage Month. Join the I Stand With Immigrants Initiative in Fordham Plaza this Friday and Albee Square Plaza on Saturday, where food trucks will be serving free meals from celebrity chefs like Hawa Hassan, Joanna Chang, and Tom Colicchio. We’re especially excited to try Chang’s Chocolate Tofu Mousse with Black and White Sesame Brittle.
Cost: Free
Get your culture on at one of these film fests
Weekend-long
Various locations
This weekend brings not one, but three different film festivals to our city, that span a range of topics, and dozens of sweet flicks. First up: the 25th annual Brooklyn Film Festival which includes the world premiere of Signs of Lovealong with 35 other two-hour film programs. NewFest Pride is a five-day festival of the best of LGBTQIA+ film and media and will premiere Fire Island as well as screen new episodes of Queer as Folk. And finally, Nitehawk Cinema launches the Be Gay, Do Crime series this Friday, which focuses on queer folks who commit crime as an act of resistance; catch The Living End this weekend.
Cost: Prices vary
Eat and shop your way through this charming Brooklyn neighborhood
Saturday, June 4
Park Slope
It’s a two-festival day in Park Slope this Saturday, when the neighborhood will host not only the delicious Taste of Park Slope, but the Brooklyn Pop Up x Open Streets Artisans Fair as well. The former will feature bites from local favorites including Negril BK, Bar Crudo, and Bonnie’s Grill, with ticket proceeds going to Seeds in the Middle, an organization that fights food inequality in Brooklyn. At the Artisans Fair, look out for everything from jewelry to locally made beauty products to home goods.
Cost: Taste of Park Slope tickets from $35
Support a bake sale for abortion access
Saturday, June 4, 4:30 pm-6:30 pm
West Village
This Saturday, channel your rage over this country’s lack of abortion access by supporting a delicious fundraiser. Oh God, A Bake Sale to Support Abortion Access is the brainchild of famed pastry chef Natasha Li Pickowicz (Never Ending Taste, Flora Bar, Café Altro Paradiso) and Alison Leiby, the writer and comedian behind Oh God, A Show About Abortion. Over 20 NYC-based bakeries and chefs are donating tasty treats, including Claire Saffitz, Camille Becerra, and Ursula, with proceeds going to The Brigid Alliance, a nonprofit organization that arranges and funds the necessary logistics for those forced to travel for safe abortion care.
Cost: $7 per voucher, which can be redeemed for one baked good
Celebrate the Queen of England’s Jubilee with a silent disco
Saturday, June 4, 8 pm
Lincoln Center
It’s no secret that Americans are a little bit fascinated with the royalty across the pond. So, if you’d like to celebrate Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee—that’s 70 years on the throne!—right here in NYC, head to Lincoln Center this Saturday. Famed DJ Mark Ronson will be spinning tunes for a silent disco at The Oasis, the city’s largest outdoor dance floor.
Cost: Free
Bring the beach to you at this bar’s new pop-up
Weekend-long
Lower East Side
If a trip to The Hamptons or even The Rockaways isn’t in the cards for you this weekend, never fear: you can just take a trip to the Lower East Side instead. Wild At Heart Beach Club is the brand-new pop-up at lively downtown bar The Skinny: Think palm tree wallpaper, beachy bites, and, of course, plenty of frozen cocktails. There will also be tons of events on a weekly basis, including Friday night burlesque shows and bottomless brunches on Saturdays and Sundays.
Cost: Cocktails from $13
Chow down at Smorgasburg’s first burger event
Sunday, June 5, 11 am-6 pm
Prospect Park
Nothing screams summer like the start of Smorgasburg season, but this weekend the open-air food market has something special up its sleeve. The first-ever Smorgasburger event is dedicated to that very special sandwich, and will feature George Motz’s famed Motzburger, plus other varieties like Palenque’s burger stuffed inside an arepa, and Tojo Kitchen’s Wagyu patty on an ube bun.
Cost: Prices vary
View a moving poster exhibit that documents the war in Ukraine
Weekend-long
Upper East Side
Although the war in Ukraine has only just started, it has, of course, already had an enormous impact on the Ukrainian people. To see the atrocities through the lens of its artists, head to the Ukrainian Institute of America this weekend, where the new exhibit Impressions of War: Poster Art from Ukraine has just opened. All the posters and printed works featured are by Ukrainian designers and artists struggling to live through Russia’s invasion and deal with themes like opposition and cruelty, as well as resistance.
Cost: $25 per ticket
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So many great things to see and do, places to eat and drink in NYC.
How to find them?
Here are 9 more of my fave NYC suggestions:
The Ultimate Guide to the Best Pizza in Manhattan – PureWow
Visiting NYC After Dark? Try These 9 Things At Night | TheTravel
Upper West Side Deli Named Among Best Indian Restaurants In NYC | Upper West Side, NY Patch
NYC’s Central Park Is the World’s Most Popular Movie Filming Destination – Thrillist
Review: Commerce Inn Serves a Stellar Chicken Frites in the West Village – Eater NY
Miami’s Kyu Brings Wood-Fired Asian Flavor to Manhattan-gotham mag
Central Park’s Wollman Rink Will Transform Into A Groovy Roller Disco This Summer – Secret NYC
Your Concise New York Art Guide for June 2022-hyperallergic
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