This weekend's going to be pretty stormy, but you shouldn't let that stop you from getting out there and enjoying the few moments of sunshine!
This is the last weekend of July, seriously... August is next week, that's nuts.
Now that you've realized that the summer is more than half over, you should probably make sure you take advantage of these upcoming weekend events.
You don't want to enter fall filled with FOMO, right? Right.
July is closing out with a bang this year, and maybe even a bolt of lightning.
July 29th
The Brooklyn leg of the Art of Rap Festival is kicking off on Friday at the Coney Island Amphitheater.
Haven't had the chance to check out this decked out venue? Now would be a good time to trek out to Brooklyn and listen to the sounds of Ice-T, Public Enemy, and Naughty By Nature, just to name a few.
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Tickets are still available, so if you wanna get down tonight, snag yours from here ASAP.
July 30th
This 6th Annual New York City Poetry Festival will be going down July 30th and 31st on Governors Island. This event is jam-packed with live readings, with the festivals headliners, Jericho Brown, Camille Rankine, and Matthew Yeager, reading on the 31st.
There will also be art exhibits, food vendors, and plenty of opportunities to purchase copies of your new favorite books of poetry.
Plus, for all those budding poets out there, there'll be an open mic on both dates, all you have to do is make sure you sign up before 2 p.m.
Love craft beer? Get super pumped. This event lets you try the widest selection of craft beers you'll probably ever lay your eyes on, all while grabbing some souvenir tasting glasses, and some snacks in between drinks.
The best part, no lines. You'll be able to hop from beer to beer without having to age a year or two while waiting in line to try out your next selection.
Tickets range from $15-$150, so pick your price range and grab your ticket here while you still can.
Astoria Night Market
This is the last of the Astoria Night Market for this season, so make sure you head out to Queens to take advantage of their featured global foods, listen to live music, and shop for some handmade goods.
The night market is held on the Kauffman Astoria Studios, what was once home to Paramount Studios, and is now home to such series as Orange is the New Black, and Sesame Street.
The event goes from 7 p.m to midnight, and is completely open to the public. Stop by, have a bite, have a dance, and maybe have a laugh (or not, if you're soulless, but hey, we're not here to judge).
Harry Potter Midnight Release
How appropriate that lightning may be lighting up the sky on the night of the much awaited return of our favorite wizard (in the form of a script of London's hit play).
The eighth installment in the Harry Potter series is coming out Saturday at midnight, and venues around the city will be celebrating this latest release. If you were too young to stay up until the wee hours of the night any of the original sevens release parties, now's your chance.
There are dozens of release parties going down this weekend, you just have to find the one that's right for you. Wanna get boozy to celebrate Harry's return?
Head to Villain in Brooklyn for Firewhiskey and Butterbeer Pong. For a more classic release party, head to The Strand (costumes are recommended, for the record) and cram into a photobooth with your best wizard squad.
Check out this comprehensive list of all of the parties going down in NYC for Cursed Child, and find the one that's right for you.
July 31st
NYC Summer Ice Cream Blizzard
This is definitely the 'coolest' event going down this weekend. The Grand Bazaar NYC is kicking off their first ever themed event in the most delicious way possible.
This event will feature 12 artisanal ice cream vendors, and over 60 delicious flavors to choose from. And, as always, the Grand Bazaar will be featuring jewelry, clothing, and other various products from local artisans, all of which will be for sale.
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The proceeds from this event will be benefiting the educations of 4,000 local public school children, making this event that much sweeter.
It's everyone for themselves at this wet and wild Sunday event. A $10 ticket to the 2016 Water Games gets you 30 water balloons and 1 beer. Not too shabby.
However, if you're someone who never leaves the house without your own water balloons, then you're good to go because admission to this event is free.
Why not get soaked by something other than the rain this week? Plus, once you've had your fill of water balloons you can hang out in their designated dry zone.
[Feature Image Courtesy Pancakes and Whiskey]