(7/19-7/21) Looking for what to do in New York this weekend? We've got the latest on all the goings-on, from concerts to museum exhibitions to comedy to the best in city sightseeing. This weekend we're looking forward to an Ice Cream Blizzard for National Ice Cream Day, a Pierre Cardin exhibition launch, and celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the moon landing.
THE BIG EVENT
(7/19-7/20) Pinknic on Randall's Island. Since its inception in 2016, Pinknic has welcomed thousands of guests, all dressed in pink and white, to take a seat on our rosé-colored picnic blankets to rosé all day with friends. With unobstructed views of the Statue of Liberty and Manhattan skyline offering the perfect backdrop, Pinknic has quickly become a New York City summer tradition. This year's lineup features Mark Ronson, Chromeo, Pnau, and more.
PLUS
(Through 7/21). National Caviar Day is Thursday, July 18th, but beloved New York restaurants Benjamin Steakhouse Prime and The Sea Fire Grill are celebrating all week long. Through Sunday, take advantage of deals on caviar and Champagne. Don’t you deserve it?
(7/19) Chelsea Art Gallery Tour. Take a fascinating gallery tour of Chelsea—the world’s center for contemporary art—and see the very latest in painting, sculpture, electronic media, and photography. Your guide, who holds a Ph.D. in arts education, helps explain the artwork and leads the group in lively discussion. Don't let the heat scare you off—all the art is indoors.
(Now-7/21) Concludes this Sunday! Mais Oui! French Restaurant Week in NYC. French Restaurant Week, similar to New York Restaurant Week, offers discounted food and drink at French restaurants around the city. Every participating restaurant will provide prix fixe options: $17.89 for 1 drink and an amuse bouche; $25 for 2 lunch courses and a drink; $42 for 2 dinner courses and a glass of wine; and $178.90 for a meal for two that includes a bottle of wine.
(7/21) Every Sunday on the Upper West Side you can check out Grand Bazaar NYC, the city’s largest curated market—and most distinctive! This Sunday in addition to dozens of local artisans and designers, you’ll also find the 4th Annual NYC Summer Ice Cream Blizzard. It’s the perfect way to celebrate National Ice Cream Day. For this 4th annual Blizzard discover makers and flavors you’ve never heard of or tasted before. What could be better on a hot summer day?
(Now-7/21) Come celebrate the Natsu Matsuri ("summer festival") at ICHIRAN’s Brooklyn location in Bushwick! The Natsu Matsuri is filled with fun events like the Gachapon (Toy Vending Machine) where guests can win cool prizes like an ICHIRAN mug, toys, or a free noodle refill! While waiting for a seat in the restaurant, traditional Japanese games and a photo area will be set up for all guests to enjoy. ichiranusa.com
(Ongoing) Use City Guide's coupon booklet for The Mills at Jersey Gardens. Outlet shopping plus additional savings!
EXHIBITION OF THE WEEK
Terry O'Neill (British, born 1938). Raquel Welch in a Pierre Cardin outfit featuring a miniskirt and necklace in blue vinyl, worn with a Plexiglas visor, 1970. Image courtesy of Iconic Images. © Terry O’Neill / Iconic Images.
(7/20-1/5/20) Fashion phenom Pierre Cardin will be honored in a retrospective at the Brooklyn Museum this summer. On July 20, the 50th anniversary of the Apollo moon landing, Pierre Cardin: Future Fashion will open to celebrate the French designer who embodied the Space Race and futuristic concepts in his designs. In the exhibition, you’ll see striking geometric dresses, accessories, and “couture furniture” from Cardin, a living legend at 96 years old. In addition to designs, photographs, and film related to Cardin’s career in fashion, Future Fashion will showcase other works of futurism by diverse creators. Clips from Georges Méliès’ 1903 film A Trip to the Moon and William Cameron Menzies’ 1936 film Things to Come will be among the rarities on view. brooklynmuseum.org
PLUS
Pieces from Shepard Fairey's Obey Giant series, part of his 30th anniversary collection. Photo: Dan Bradica, courtesy of Beyond the Streets.
(Now-8/30) Beyond the Streets at the space Twenty Five Kent in Williamsburg, Brooklyn celebrates some of the biggest names in graffiti, including work from NYC legends Tats Cru, Lady Pink, Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat, as well as Shepard Fairey, Invader, Brooklyn duo FAILE, artifacts from NYC's beloved Beastie Boys, street photographer Martha Cooper, and much more. Get tickets at beyondthestreets.com.
Installation view of Too Fast to Live, Too Young to Die: Punk Graphics, 1976-1986 at the Museum of Arts and Design. Photo by Jenna Bascom.
(Now-8/18) Too Fast to Live, Too Young to Die: Punk Graphics, 1976-1986 at the Museum of Arts and Design. More than 40 years after punk exploded onto the music scenes of New York and London, its impact on the larger culture is still being felt. Born in a period of economic malaise, punk’s energy coalesced into a powerful subcultural phenomenon that transcended music to affect other fields, and especially graphic design.Too Fast to Live, Too Young to Die explores the visual language of punk through hundreds of its most memorable graphics, from the shocking remixes of expropriated images and texts to the DIY zines and flyers that challenged the commercial slickness of the mainstream media. #PunkGraphics
(Now-1/3/20) The most significant site of the Holocaust, Auschwitz was not a single entity, but a complex of 48 concentration, forced labor, and extermination camps, at which 1 million Jews—and tens of thousands of others—were murdered. Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away., a new exhibition at the Museum of Jewish Heritage—A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, explores the legacy of history’s deadliest mass murder site. More than 700 original objects and 400 photographs are on display, many for the first time in North America. Among the artifacts: personal possessions, fragments of a barrack, a gas mask used by the SS, and an original German-made Model 2 freight wagon used for the deportation of Jews to the ghettos and extermination camps in occupied Poland. 36 Battery Pl. (1st Pl.), 646-437-4202,;mjhnyc.org
(Now-10/1) When you see the sheer volume (some 130) of mind-blowing instruments that have been played by a broad cross-section of iconic musicians, all tucked into one space, you’ll understand why the sprawling Metropolitan Museum of Art is the appropriate place for the new show, Play It Loud: Instruments of Rock & Roll. It’s the first time a music exhibit of this magnitude has been presented, with guitars alone including the white Fender that Jimi Hendrix played at Woodstock, Prince’s 1993 “Love Symbol” guitar, and one of Pete Townshend’s smashed Gibsons encased in Lucite.
(Ongoing) You can experience the world of history’s most famous spy at Driven: 007 x SPYSCAPE, a new exhibition inside New York’s spy museum, SPYSCAPE. This immersive exhibition brings you into the Bond universe with sets, props, and insights about the creation of the ageless secret agent. Among the highlights: an Aston Martin DB5, the lab of Quartermaster (or Q), M16’s gadget master, concept art from Oscar-winning production designer Sir Ken Adams, and an exploration of 2012 Bond film Skyfall’s unforgettable final scene.
COMEDY
(7/19-7/20) Jessica Kirson performs at Gotham Comedy Club, with Kevin Dombrowski and Andy Haynes.
PLUS
(Now-7/20) Dave Chappelle continues his Broadway debut with five nights at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre.
Click here for more comedy shows in NYC this weekend.
KIDS
(7/21) Nickelodeon's JoJo Siwa D.R.E.A.M. the Tour stops at Forest Hills Stadium.
PLUS
(7/20) American Museum of Natural History Presents: SpaceFest. Join in a celebration of space exploration—past, present, and future—to mark the 50th anniversary of the historic Apollo 11 Moon landing. Enjoy a day of family-friendly presentations, performances, and hands-on activities about the wonders of the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
(7/20) Celebrate everything folk at the American Folk Art Museum’s Summer Saturday—an all-day free event featuring live music, artist demos, guided tours, and family fun. Kids can enjoy art-making, face painting, and music with Elena Moon Park, Brendan O’Shea, and Queen Esther; gallery guides will lead tours of the museum’s current exhibition between sets. Artisans will demonstrate their skills, and their work will be for sale in the museum shop.
(Now-11/3) Kids of all ages will want to check out the new Bronx Zoo Dinosaur Safari. It's the biggest, most realistic dinosaur safari ride in America. Travel back in time on a guided tour to learn about dinos of the past and descendent animals of the present. The experience will take riders through 2 acres of woods, in which they will meet animatronic dinosaurs, including two 40-foot-long T. rexes, a 60-foot-long herbivore called Omeisaurus, and the Spinosaurus, one of the largest carnivorous dinosaurs to ever exist. For even more kids activities, and to learn more about the brand new Bronx Zoo Dinosaur Safari, check out our sister site nymetroparents.com!
(Now-9/8) Above & Beyond: The Ultimate Flight Exhibition at The New York Hall of Science. NYSCI’s summer exhibition uses flight simulation, augmented reality, touch tables, design and skill challenges, virtual reality, and more to immerse visitors in the wonders of flight.
(Ongoing) Color Factory, a massive interactive art space, began in August 2017 in San Francisco. Wildly popular, the project has set up shop in SoHo and is sure to inspire lines as long as the cronut did at nearby Dominique Ansel Bakery. Designed by a wide spectrum of artists, Color Factory walks visitors through 16 rooms devoted to the wonder of color. You’re invited to compliment someone using color words, discover your signature color, and read wishes for the world written by NYC school children on varicolored balloons. Each room is equipped with a camera that can take a picture of you and send it to your phone: the better to post with! On view now through August, 2019. 251 Spring St., support@colorfactory.co,colorfactory.co, @colorfactoryco
Updated!! Read about more Instagrammable pop-up exhibits in NYC here.
(Ongoing) Exhilarating Family Fun at Stomp NYC. Special discount packages available!
Click here for more events to do with kids this weekend.
SIGHTSEEING
(7/20) All aboard! Coney Island Nostalgia Ride. On Saturday, July 20th, enjoy a scenic ride to the beach on a vintage subway car. Once the trains arrive at Stillwell Avenue, you can opt to brave the rides at Luna Park, check out the action on the legendary Boardwalk, or try one of Nathan’s Famous Hot Dogs. (Please note: ticket price does not include admission to Luna Park.)
PLUS
(Ongoing) Feelin' the need for speed? The BEAST Speedboat Ride is back! Zoom past the Statue of Liberty at a heart-racing 45 mph!
Paddlesports Galore! Free Kayaking, Rowboat Rentals & Paddleboard Yoga in NYC.
(New!) Madame Tussauds New York Presents Broadway. Take a magical journey starting with a cocktail at the Broadway Bar, and then traveling through a kaleidoscope of your favorite musicals. Enter the world of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Evita, Sunset Boulevard, and Cats. You can sing “Memory” with Grizabella the “Glamour Cat” and wear the Dreamcoat yourself as you become a Broadway star. The Phantom of the Opera will also guide you through this dazzling backstage experience, and perhaps do a little singing himself along the way. Live actors will be on hand to enhance the rush both on- and offstage.
(Ongoing) Get the full stadium experience with Yankee Stadium Tours, which offers exclusive access to New York Yankee historic spots like Monument Park, The Great Hall, and even down to the dugout. The daily tours also bring you close to baseball artifacts like Babe Ruth’s bat, Lou Gehrig’s jersey, and rings and trophies representing the Yankees’ 27 world championships.
(Ongoing) For more than 70 years, Circle Line has been showing visitors the city, including the only cruise that goes all the way around Manhattan: Circle Line’s Best of NYC Cruise. One trip will show off five boroughs, three rivers, and more than 20 bridges on the way to 101 New York City sights. State-of-the-art Empire Class ships have recently launched, providing quieter rides, better sound for the personable onboard guides, bigger windows, improved climate control, and more outdoor deck space. (For dining and entertainment, take a ride on Hudson’s, a three-story “floating rooftop” that’s a Circle Line sibling.)
Immerse yourself in the deep, dark depths of the ocean, where Humboldt squid fight to the death and 50-foot whales ride overhead. Play with virtual sea lions, navigate a kelp maze, and more at National Geographic Encounter: Ocean Odyssey! Here's a $10 off coupon!
Bring a loved one to take in the breathtaking view at Top of the Rock.
(Ongoing) Part show. Part tour. All entertainment. THE RIDE is a one-of-a-kind experience that turns the streets of New York into a stage. Journey through Times Square and midtown Manhattan as the city’s landmarks unfold before your very eyes. THE RIDE’s theatres-on-wheels also tour lower Manhattan, with THE DOWNTOWN EXPERIENCE Powered by THE RIDE, which lets visitors re-live iconic moments in New York history through the magic of TimeLooper Virtual Reality Headsets. Use our coupon and save $10 off!
FOOD, MUSIC, AND NIGHTLIFE
(7/16-8/11) The popular Shakespeare in the Park program returns to Central Park. Next up is a production of Coriolanus. FREE. Tickets required.
PLUS
(7/19) Robyn: The Honey Tour stops at Barclays Center.
(7/19) For more than 70 years, Circle Line has been showing guests the best sights of NYC. In addition to a full lineup of sightseeing cruises, this summer you can get out on the water with Rockin’ the River Music Cruises, a series of floating open-air concerts. Friday the 19th brings Tusk: The Ultimate Fleetwood Mac Tribute out for a special evening. circleline42.com
(7/19) The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum Continues Free Fridays Series on July 19 Ahead of the Apollo 11 50th Anniversary. This month, celebrate the Apollo missions with Dr. Noah Petro who will share images from NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter at the Museum's Astronomy Night. Following the talk, enjoy stargazing on the flight deck with high-powered telescopes (weather permitting). Advance registration is optional.
(7/20) Weird Al Yankovic performs with the Queens Symphony Orchestra: The Strings Attached Tour at Forest Hills Stadium in Queens.
(7/20-7/21) OZY Fest. NY's most interactive festival, returns to Central Park. This year's lineup includes Trevor Noah, Alex Rodriguez, Rachel Ray, Marc Cuban, Spike Lee, Laurene Powell Jobs, Malcolm Gladwell, Padma Lakshmi, and many others .
(Now-9/30) That’s right, it’s rosé all day once again. Rosé Mansion is back for another summer residency in NYC after a successful run last year. The designs in all 14 rooms will be brand-new, and the mansion will be twice the size of last year’s iteration. You’ll get tastings of 8 different pink wines as you travel through a champagne ball pit, a mini-theme park called Roséland, and a tree house! There will also be two different rosé wine bars where you can hang out, plus grub from Taco Dumbo on hand. 111 W. 32nd St., rosewinemansion.com, @rosewinemansion
(7/21) One Giant Leap: Apollo 11 and the Moon Landing 50 Years On at Town Hall. Renowned astronauts and stars of stage and screen participate in this soaring Times event commemorating the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11 and humankind's first steps on the moon. The evening will feature the reading of a short play by Tony Award-winning author J.T. Rogers.
(Ongoing) Drink, laugh, and save! Summer Savings on The Imbible: A Spirited History of Drinking! Choose from the evening show or Day Drinking: The Brunch Musical. Sit back and enjoy music and three cocktails, while the cast of The Imbible give insight into the history and science behind alcoholic beverages, tracing their economic and political impact on our cultural development. They'll also conduct live demonstrations of brewing beer and distilling spirits. Save $15 off admission.
Click here for more "Nightlife This Weekend in NYC. "
Click here for "Where to See Drag Shows in NYC."
Click here for "10 Things to Do in Brooklyn This Summer."
EVERYTHING TO DO NYC
Want free advice on what to do and see in New York? Join our Facebook group Everything to Do NYC, a place for people to ask questions and get tips on how to make the most of the city.
Like what you see? Click here for more ideas on The Best Things to Do in July. We've got August covered, too! Going to be in town this summer? Read more about Where to Find Outdoor Concerts This Summer in NYC.
