So, friends, we’ve had a few days of warmer weather lately. And we certainly don’t wanna jinx things, but it’s possible that the worst of winter is over. And whether it ends up snowing, raining, or shining, there’s no reason not to say farewell to February by enjoying some of the coolest activities NYC has to offer.
Learn about spacetime or Kombucha, drink up some homebrew or during Glitter, catch enlightening films at BAAD or the Museum of The Moving Image, or even find out how to get more Instagram followers at Talk Hole’s Unfluencer’s summit!
Get going, guys!
Friday, February 23rd
1. New York City Electroacoustic Improvisation Summit (186 Jay Street, 7 pm)
Your laptop may be your lifeline, but did you ever expect to see it on a list of musical instruments?
It’s part of the set list of groundbreaking bands Oracle and Cast Down Tither at this unique concert that showcases “music by artists focused on the integration of music improvisation and real-time interactive computer systems.”
You’ll also get to enjoy tunes coming from a transducer-activated cello and a feedback system for broken audio equipment. Some really cool stuff.
Finally hear from the artists afterward at a panel discussion moderated by Adam Wilson! A second concert is also taking place Saturday if you’re in the mood for more after the first.
2. How Space Warps Time (150 W 17th St, 7 pm)
Do you have an intense interest in the interplanetary?
If you’re at all curious about time and space, then you’ve gotta make some in your schedule for NASA commander Tony Antonelli and behavioral researcher Gal Zauberman’s conversation about how time can pass differently once we get away from our little old earth, and how that time difference might affect our psychology and decision making.
Hey, you better be prepared in case we all have to escape to Mars someday, amirite?
3. W.E.B. Du Bois Night (1368 Fulton Street, 7:30 pm)
As you might have heard, February is Black History Month.
So what better way to kick off it’ last weekend then to celebrate the life of one of the most famous African American authors, thinkers, and activists in the American canon?
At Brooklyn’s Restoration Plaza, you can honor his memory with a “fun-filled night of great jazz, funk and soul, passionate spoken-word and visual art and dancing” featuring poet Quincy Troupe, The Ronnie Burrage Ensemble, other special guests, and a Soultrain Line.
Tickets also benefit the World Rhythm Academy's educational programs, so you can do good and feel good!
Saturday, Febraury 24th
4. Drag Bingo At The Cat Cafe (46 Hester St, 7 pm)
If the chance to hang out with some cute kitties wasn’t exciting enough, why not add in a good old-fashioned game of bingo and some hilarious drag queen hosts?
All this can be yours at Manhattan’s Meow Parlour if you buy a ticket to join Goldie Lox & Ona Louise for a 2 hour night of fun featuring “snacks, games, prizes, and of course, cats”!
5. Blunderland Variety Show: New York (2 Wyckoff Avenue, 7 pm doors 8 pm show)
In a rut? No problem!
Audience inspiration is exactly the goal of this upcoming “delectable evening of variety with all the whimsical, surreal, and psychedelic you can handle”.
The traveling extravaganza brought to us by Eric Schmalenberger and “drawing from the finest burlesque, circus, cabaret, and queer scenes” is on its way in to Brooklyn’s famous House of Yes for one night only, so don’t let it pass you by!
6. Screenings At The BAAD (2474 Westchester Avenue, 7 pm and 9 pm)
Who would have thought that the best way to have an awesome Saturday night might be to have a BAAD Saturday night?
The acronym stands for the Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance, and this evening will be the last of their annual GET TOUGH! GET BAAD series, which features “films and events celebrating queer power, diversity, defiance, strength and visibility."
On view will be new gay-themed films The Perfect Idea, Signature Move, and Body Electric. Check out the trailers and RSVP here!
7. Midnights: Glitter Drinking Game (308 Bedford Ave, 11:59 pm)
We’re guessing you’re not Cinderella, so why be home by midnight this Saturday when you could be enjoying “underrated Mariah Carey disco pop tunes” instead?
Head to Brooklyn staple Videology for a screening of this “love story set against the backdrop of the New York club scene” and some $5 beer + shot combos available during the film to help make things even more fun.
Sunday, February 25th
8. Lunar New Year Parade (Chinatown, 1 pm)
There’s no reason to fret if you missed out on last weekend’s lunar new year celebrations.
You've still got time to ring in the year of the dog with an awe-striking array of floats thanks to this free parade from Better Chinatown USA.
It’ll be headed down Mott & Canal streets to Chatham Square to East Broadway towards the Manhattan Bridge, and finishing up on Eldridge and Forsyth Streets towards Grand Street next to Sara D. Roosevelt Park.
We’d suggest heading down early if you want to find a good spot to watch all the action!
9. Kombucha 101 (936 Madison St, 4 pm)
Are you a big Kombucha fan? Ever wished you could try your hand at brewing the stuff yourself?
The Earth Arts Initiative is here to make things easier for you by providing everything you need to become your very own source of the fermented, effervescent beverage.
Just grab a ticket, and you can learn “what a SCOBY is” as well as “how to feed it”, and “each participant will leave with their own brew to nurture at home”!
10. TALK HOLE presents: Annual New Unfluencers Summit (22-25 Jackson Avenue, 2 pm)
It looks as if the upcoming edition of Moma PS1’s acclaimed VW Sunday Sessions program may be their best one yet!
Comedy duo Talk Hole (Steven Phillips-Horst and Eric Schwartau) are taking charge to host “the world’s first global summit on influencer culture” which will utilize “performances, panel discussions, museum-wide engagements, and small bites” to let attendees in on their answer to “the crucial question, ‘why don’t they follow me?’”
We certainly can't wait to find out!
11. Of the Deep: Films by the Department of Tropical Research (36-01 35 Ave, 2 pm)
This special screening of exclusive footage captured by star-studded research crew “Department of Tropical Research” during their 1930s record-setting deep dives will be “introduced by Jon Dohlin, Vice President and Director of the New York Aquarium
It will be presented with live musical accompaniment by High Water” and followed by “a discussion about marine ecology and underwater filmmaking with conservation biologist and whale researcher Howard Rosenbaum and Fabien Cousteau, grandson of pioneer Jacques Cousteau."
A ticket also includes museum admission, so leave some time for a look around before or after!
12. NYC Beer Week First Annual Homebrew Competition (82 Prospect St, 3 pm)
What better way to end the weekend than with a bunch of home-brewed beer?
Kick off NYC’s “beer week” and attend shiny new brewpub Randolph Beer’s search for the best of the best in Dumbo this Sunday.
Judging begins at 3 pm with the announcement of winners at 7, and all interested parties are free to join the participants’ bottle share during the deliberation for a $10 donation. Sounds like a tasty way to drink your fill!
[Feature Image Courtesy Instagram]