We’ve officially made it through a quarter of 2018. In our book, that’s something to celebrate, and there’s no shortage of ways to do it!
Learn about S and M, autism, or Japanese culture. Catch an orchid evening at the Bronx Botanical Garden, or find a new plant friend of your own.
Eat good at Smorgasburg or the World Fare, jam out at the Brooklyn Folk Festival or with Lily Allen, or drink up at the NYC Craft Beer Fest or Margarita Rumble.
Go to a parade, see a movie or 10, or even have a pillow fight! If you want a full calendar this month, then thanks to us, you’ve got one!
1. Smorgasburg Opening Weekend 2018 (90 Kent Ave, April 1 @ 11 AM)
What better way to celebrate the beginning of spring than by dropping by one of the city’s most famous and most delicious outdoor markets?
Enjoy some of NYC’s best eats along with a beer, wine and cocktail bar all against the scenic backdrop of Brooklyn’s Prospect Park.
If you plan on heading out, enter here for a chance to win some Smorgasbucks and a $50 bar tab!
2. Easter Parade and Bonnet Festival ( 5th Ave btwn 49th and 57th St, April 1 @ 10 AM)
Celebrate NYC’s creative over the top spirit by attending one of its most whimsical events.
Every year, hundreds of city dwellers trek down 5th Avenue wearing some of the craziest bonnets imaginable.
Watch the silliness from the sidelines, or don your own maddest hat and join the procession yourself!
3. World Autism Awareness Day (405 East 42nd St, April 5 @ 8 AM)
If you or someone you love is on the autism spectrum, you may be interested in attending the United Nations’ observance of World Autism Awareness Day.
This year’s program will focus on the importance of empowering women and girls with autism, and will feature a keynote address by Julia Bascom, debate on hard hitting topics like education, employment, and violence, and even an appearance by movie star Dakota Fanning for a discussion on women with autism in film.
4. NVRsleep #taxseason (772 Dean St, April 4 @ 9 PM)
Join NVRsleep, Brooklyn’s trending “music platform and party for today's creative class,” for its 23rd installment.
They’re helping you decompress from all your tax season woes with “an evening of hip-hop and R'n'B vibes inspired paper chasing” featuring beats from Rodney Hazard, FabRoc, and SilkyBlack, and topping it all off with a special prosecco punch. Free with RSVP!
5. Little Cinema; Man Who Fell To Earth (200 Eastern Pkwy, April 4 @ 7:30 PM)
Little Cinema is collaborating with the Brooklyn Museum to celebrate the life and legacy of David Bowie by presenting his star turn in 1976 sci-fi masterpiece The Man Who Fell To Earth like it’s never been seen before!
The cult film will be newly enhanced with video remixing by Chnnls, dance choreography by Katherine Crockett, vocals by Daisy Press, and more. $20 tickets also include museum admission!
6. Brooklyn Institute: Sado-Masochism: Economies of Desire and Recognition (167 Bowery, every Thursday @ 6:30 PM)
S and M may be your idea of a good time with your boo, but did you know concepts of domination and submission are also crucial to understanding our political landscape?
This four-week course will explore how the “erotic language of S&M is embedded in the theoretical frameworks we use to approach questions of knowledge, pleasure, and power.”
Be prepared to use that noggin of yours to study works by greats including Hegel, Lacan, the Marquis de Sade, Adorno and Horkheimer, and Susan Sontag.
7. Orchid Evenings (2900 Southern Blvd, April 6, 7, 13, 14, 20, & 21 @ 6:30 PM)
Enjoy April flowers at their very best with help from New York Botanical Gardens and Daniel Ost.
On select evenings, this installment of the Belgian Floral artist’s yearly Orchid Show exhibition of “living sculptures” will be open after hours for 21+ guests to revel in special performances by “Live Orchid Dancers,” music by DJ X-Ray and specialty cocktails like the Dancing Lady.
There’ll even be a fire pit alight to help you keep warm!
8. Brooklyn Folk Festival (157 Montague St, April 6-8 @ various times)
St Ann’s Church will be celebrating all things folk with their 10th annual three-day bash featuring “40+ bands, workshops, film screenings, and a world-famous banjo toss contest.”
The event is all ages and family friendly, with children under five admitted free.
Seating is first come, first serve, and you can grab tickets for individual sessions or a full festival pass if you don’t wanna miss a beat.
9. International Pillow Fight Day 2018 (Washington Square Park, April 7 @ 3 PM)
Thought pillow fights were only for kids? Think again! Grab your softest feather-free pillow and join a crowd of your young at heart neighbors to whack each other silly!
Once you’re all riled up, you can continue the fun at an official afterparty at a location TBA.
This year’s theme is “Space Ponies,” and pajamas are welcome!
10. She/Her/Them: Identifying Female (119 Ludlow St, April 11 @ 7 PM)
Explore what it means to be a woman and delve into some astonishing work from the female-identifying artists of Con Artist Collective, NYC’s largest collective of emerging artists.
If you can’t make this unforgettable exhibit, check out some of the other receptions going on at their Lower East Side location, taking place every Wednesday!
11. TRAP Karaoke: R&B Live (204 Varick St, April 13 @ 8 PM)