Hi All. This edition of NYC Best Weekend Bets has been carefully calibrated for maximum fun and minimum stress on your part over the course of the next few days. It features a little something for everyone (music, movies, free vodka opportunities, theatre, cheap beer bars and more) and will be punctuated with inspirational images of AMELIE, since with Bastille Day this weekend we have an opportunity to celebrate all things French. Even if they have nothing to do with Bastille Day.
Before we kick off though: do sign up to get this as a newsletter/tell all your friends to sign up for it too + follow us on twitter @BYTNYC so you can keep track of all the fun content to come.
OK-ready for the weekend now?
THURSDAY
- first and foremost: SO MUCH FREE MUSIC THIS WEEKEND. Just.SO.Much.
- Kicking that theme today is:
- this awesome/ridiculous sounding tribute to Donna Summer feat. Gloria Gaynor, The Village People and more (FREE)
- Dan Deacon, John Maus and RoomRunner @ River Rocks (FREE)
- Neko Case and Charles Bradley @ 220 Vasey Street (FREE)
- and George Clinton @ River2River Festival (FREE)
- Truly a little something for everyone.
- For those more into free movies than free music-check out the screening of To Kill A MockingBird @ The Brooklyn Park Bridge
- in the mood for beer? check out the 2nd annual Craft Beer Jam @ The Greene Space
- in the mood to get weird? Greg Barris puts on his psychedelic comedy show with live music backing @ UCB
- also bound to be weird: Alan Cummings’ one man show MACBETH (part of the Lincoln Theatre Festival and on through Saturday)
- + for dancing-check out Le Bump @ Tandem Bar (also FREE)
FRIDAY
- Eleanor Friedberger, who will forever have a place in our hearts is playing River2River Festival (FREE)
- also free: Anna Tijoux/Calle 13 @ Prospect Park Bandshell
- Psychobilly Luau Festival is on this weekend, which means only 2 things really– gross muttonchops and girls with adorable bangs.
- on a completely different end of spectrum Ali Shaheed Muhammad of TRIBE heads up “That’s my Ish” party @ The Dumbo Loft
- celebrate sex toys and such @ Babeland’s 4th Anniversary Party
- celebrate people trying to not celebrate sex toys by going on real dates by joining Evan Barden in celebrating the year that was One Hundred Dates by watching him go on a date on stage! (that sentence didn’t make much sense, I know)
- + unpretentious indie rock (yes, such a thing still exists) @ The Living Room
SATURDAY
- Happy Bastille Day-in a sea of French offerings, here are two that we’re pretty jazzersized about:
- the Bastille Day Wine Crawl and this Old French vs. New American cheese party
- speaking of “crawls”-plenty of those around today – like the Bushwick Walkabout (free booze included in ticket) or the Bed-Stuy: Afternoon Delight
- for those into more of an active lifestyle than just walking/crawling two options (too):
- The Muse is holding FREE circus classes! + Daytime watersports extravaganza @ Governor’s island (and it seems anywhere else near a body of water)
- ALSO:
- it is the last day of the Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival + naturally, there is an afterparty too (with Busta Rhymes!)
- + ROBOTS ON FILM!
- young designers showing their work in pretty gardens
- A Music+Lomography combo festival
- and a midnight performance art/tea party @ New York Foundation for the arts
- +get magical with TYCHO @ Webster Hall
- and an apocalyptic party for all you queens out there at The Public Assembly
SUNDAY
- wish you were at comic con this weekend? well, watching our “Which Superhero You’d Like to Bang?” video is a pretty good consolation prize, we promise.
- then-movie day: as always check out our film section for reviews OF EVERYTHING worth laying your weary eyes on: To Rome With Love, Take This Waltz, Spiderman and more.
- then-power through our “50 BEST TRACKS OF 2012 THUS FAR” story where we review all of those in haiku (+ play handy youtube clips) so you can be the best informed, wittiest music nerd around.
- then also: catch a free screening of WHITE MEN CAN’T JUMP (starring the inimitable pairing of Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson) @ The Habana Outpost
- Funny People reading their tweets. Hosted by Black Book editors.
- if you’re feeling adventurous: a weird free play in a park in Queens. We’re not guaranteed anything here.
- A Ben Fold’s musical unauthorized by Ben Folds. Idk. Something. Probably featuring pianos.
- + free whiskey.
LEAVE US COMMENTS WITH THINGS YOU THINK WE MAY HAVE (not on purpose) MISSED. And remember: if you have tips, an event you want to let us know about or would like to get involved with BYT NYC, shoot us an email at: info@brightestyoungthings.com with #BYTNYC in the title. See you around and all the time. And, one for the road: here’s to happy endings
