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The Best Things To Do In NYC This Week, From The Richmond County Fair To Brazil Day
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Oriana Leckert
Published Aug 27, 2019
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By
Oriana Leckert
Published Aug 27, 2019
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The Talent Show: Control Freak @ Littlefield
See a surprising combination of performers at the monthly Talent Show. The theme for this edition is "control freak," so expect the hosts, writers and comedians Elna Baker and Kevin Townley, to try to keep everything in order. Which might be hard given the many extremely different performers: This American Life host Ira Glass, standup comedian Nikki Glaser, songwriter Lucy Wainwright Roche, rapper Fat Tony, sword swallower Lady Aye, and just to keep things extra-interesting, "BDSM balloon animal maker" Mistress B.
Tuesday, August 27th, 7:30 p.m. // Littlefield, 635 Sackett St., Brooklyn // Tickets: $8
Q&A with Marjoleine Boonstra @ Film Forum
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's The Little Prince can be read in a staggering 375 languages, more than any book other (except the Bible). Dutch filmmaker Marjoleine Boonstra traveled the world talking to people who have translated it into different languages, to see what this beautiful work has meant to them. Her resulting documentary, The Miracle of the Little Prince, will be on view at Film Forum for a week, and Boonstra will do a Q&A on opening night. The conversation will be moderated by filmmaker and translator Susannah Greenblatt and is presented by Words Without Borders.
Wednesday, August 28th, 8:10 p.m. // Film Forum, 209 West Houston St., Manhattan // Tickets: $15
Labor of Love @ Coney Island
The Schlep Sisters, aka Darlinda Just Darlinda and Minnie Tonka, have been strutting their stuff on stages from Alaska to Australia for a decade and a half. Celebrate their 15-year burlesque-iversary at Labor of Love, where they'll be joined by a slew of showbiz folks who have also been shaking what their mamas gave them for 15 years or more. The evening's femmecee will be Broadway Brassy, and the performers include Bambi the Mermaid, Angie Pontani, Amber Ray, and Lulu Lollipop.
Friday, August 30th, 10 p.m. // Coney Island USA, 1208 Surf Ave., Brooklyn // Tickets: $20
CreArt Music Festival @ Plaxall Gallery
Kick off the next season of offerings from LIC-based arts org CreArtBox at the second-annual CreArt Music Festival. The three-day fest strives to present classical music in a modern context, accompanied by theatre design, dance, and video projection. Performances include Messiaen's "Quartet for the End of Time," Wei Dai's "Mandalas in the Rubble," and the world premiere of interdisciplinary chamber opera "Two Roads," which features singers, actors, dancers, electronics, percussion, and a movable set.
Friday, August 30th, through Sunday, September 1st // Plaxall Gallery, 5-25 46th Ave., Queens // Tickets: $25 per show; $60 weekend pass
Rides at the Richmond County Fair
Courtesy of Historic Richmond Town
Richmond County Fair @ Historic Richmond Town
Have an end-of-summer bash at one of the country's biggest festivals: Richmond County Fair. For forty years, Historic Richmond Town has been turned into a massive amusement park, with all kinds of activities for all ages. The fair features a carnival midway full of rides, a wide variety of musical performances on four stages, a beer garden with DJ battles and circus performers, and activities from axe-throwing to a pop-up escape room. There will also be a Staten Island Culture Crawl with installations by local artists, live graffiti, and collective art-making.
Saturday, August 31st, through Monday, September 2nd // Historic Richmond Town, 441 Clarke Ave., Staten Island // Tickets: $10
Hercules @ The Public Theater
Celebrate the heroes in all of us at a participatory theater event: the first-ever stage adaptation of the Disney film Hercules. Part of the Public Works program, which invites professional actors and community members to create ambitious works together, Hercules will be performed by more than 200 New Yorkers of all ages, from all walks of life, and hailing from all five boroughs, alongside stage veterans like Jelani Alladin, James Monroe Iglehart, Roger Bart, and Krysta Rodriguez.
Opens Saturday August 31st, 8 p.m. // The Public Theater, 425 Lafayette St., Manhattan // Free
2019 Panorama Championship @ Brooklyn Museum
It's Carnaval season, and the West Indian Day Parade is just around the corner, with the WICA presenting several performances leading up to the big day. One of those is the annual Panorama Championship, with nine of NYC's best steel-band orchestras competing for glory. Participating groups include Harmony Music Makers, Pan Fantasy, Crossfire Steel Orchestra, and Despers USA; there will be additional music by DJ Spice, Backyard Sounds, Bench Warmers Rhythm Section, and more.
Saturday, August 31st, 6 p.m. // Brooklyn Museum, 200 Eastern Pkwy., Brooklyn // Tickets: $45
The beer garden at North Brooklyn Farms
Andee Maher
Beergarden Vol IV @ North Brooklyn Farms
Toss back a brew or four at North Brooklyn Farms' fourth-annual Beergarden, presented this year by Other Half. Get unlimited pours from a bevy of breweries, including Threes, Mindful Ales, Equilibrium, Obercreek, Mortalis, and many more. There will also be food by Steena's Weenas, glassware from Other Half, music by Om Zack iis, and killer skyline views perfectly framed by the Williamsburg Bridge.
Saturday, August 31st., 4 p.m. // North Brooklyn Farms, 320 Kent Ave., Brooklyn // Tickets: $50
Brazil Day 2019 @ Midtown
It's time again for one of the biggest Brazilian parties outside of Brazil itself. The 34th-annual Brazil Day will stretch an incredible 25 Midtown blocks, filling the streets and sidewalks with baterias de samba musical groups, Brazilian pop stars, all kinds of regional food, arts and crafts, and thousands upon thousands of revelers. The festival was started in New York 1984 by Joao DeMatos, who still produces it; these days the blowout takes place all around the world, from Tokyo to London to Luanda.
Sunday, September 1st // West 46th St., Midtown Manhattan // Free
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Oriana Leckert
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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