Labor Day weekend is over and New York comes alive with a new season. Sports dominate with the US Open, but fashion is the rage with New York Fashion Week. With so many events what will you choose to attend?

9/ 1 – 10: Watch the world’s best players compete under the open sky at the U.S. Open Tennis Championship at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing Meadows.

9/ 1 – 3: New York International Salsa Congress has workshops, performances, live concerts, and competitions at New York Marriott Marquis at Times Square.

9/ 1 – 3: Watch 300 unicycles roll around the city Thursday and Friday, or try it yourself at New York City Unicycle Festival, with unicycle sports, exhibitions, and races at Governor’s Island on Saturday and Sunday. Free.

9/ 1 – 3: Electric Zoo is an electronic dance-music festival that brings top acts and 150,000 fans to Randall’s Island Park each Labor Day weekend.

9/ 1 – 4: See popular Metropolitan Opera shows onscreen in Lincoln Center Plaza at Summer HD Festival. Free.

9/ 1 – 30: Free Summer Movies are shown evenings at parks in Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, and the Bronx.

9/1 – 10/1: Generations in Jazz Festival has performances every night at Dizzy’s Club at 60th & Broadway.

9/2 – 4 and 9 – 10: Washington Square Outdoor Art Exhibit features 120 artists on the sidewalks of University Place. Free.

9/ 2 – 10/ 1, 2017 (weekends & Labor Day): Travel one hour north to 16th century England to see knights joust, mingle with costumed minstrels, shop in an artisan market, play games, and watch shows at New York Renaissance Faire in Tuxedo Park.

9/3: Brazilian Day is a lively festival celebrating Brazil’s independence with music, dance, and food in 25 blocks of Little Brazil near West 46th Street. Free.

9/3: The Great North River Tugboat Race & Competition begins with a tug parade and ends in contests and awards at Pier 84. Free to watch from Pier 84, or buy tickets to board the spectator boat leaving Pier 83.

9/4: Celebrate Caribbean culture and history at the lively New York Caribbean Carnival: Labor Day Parade, which has dancers in colorful costumes, reggae, and calypso music on Eastern Parkway, beginning at Schenectady Ave. and ending at Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn with Caribbean food and craft vendors. Free.

9/4 – 17: Get two tickets for the price of one, or get upgraded seats for select theater shows during NYC Broadway Week.

9/6 – 15: Top models, photographers, and designers attend invitation-only events during New York Fashion Week

9/8 – 14: Festival of New Trumpet Music (FONT) offers a variety of concerts.

9/9 (10 a.m.): Celebrate workers with the AFL-CIO at NYC Labor Day Parade on 5th Ave from 44th Street to 67th Street.

9/9 (11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.): Taste amazing dishes from dozens of chefs (like glazed pork belly and peach on ramen, wood-smoked pork pizza, roasted pork sliders, bacon banana bread with caramelized bacon), with cider samples, a whiskey tent, and craft beer at Pig Island in Erie Basin Park.

9/9 – 10: See exhibitors of gay and lesbian products, services, and weddings, at The Original LGBT Expo in the Jacob Javits Convention Center. Free.

9/9 – 10 and 16 – 17: Autumn Crafts Festival features hundreds of juried artists, entertainment, and craft demonstrations in tents outside Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. Free.

9/10 (1 to 6 p.m.): Enjoy carnival rides & games, live bands, a sideshow, aerialists, reptile shows, and a green market at West Side County Fair at Riverside Park South & W. 70th Street. Free.

9/10: Washington Square Park Folk Festival features an old time string band, blues, traditional Mexican, and a square dance. Free.

9/10 – 25: Enjoy outstanding music, comedy, theater, dance, lectures, and films during SummerStage in city parks. The (mostly) free concerts are popular, so arrive early.

9/11: Tribute in Light is two brilliant beams that shine into the sky all night near the World Trade Center site.

9/13 – 17: Browse contemporary paintings, prints, sculptures, and photographs from 67 galleries at the Affordable Art Fair NYC, which includes workshops and activities at Metropolitan Pavilion.

9/13 – 30: Oyster Week is a series of adventurous dining events and activities that benefit sustainable aquaculture.

9/14: Local chefs prepare signature dishes accompanied by microbrews, wine, and music at Harvest in the Square on the North Plaza of Union Square Park.

9/14 – 24: The Feast of San Gennaro is popular for its religious procession, colorful parades, live music, ethnic foods, and a famous cannoli-eating contest in Little Italy at Mulberry & Grand streets. Free.

9/16: Ideas City includes visionary speakers, exhibits of innovative design, performances, and tours to celebrate creativity and the exchange of ideas. Free.

9/16: See German-American marching bands, floats, dance groups, and walkers in traditional costumes in the Steuben Parade on Fifth Ave. Free or reserved seats.

9/16, 2017 (SOLD OUT): Enjoy German beer and food with live music at the Steuben Parade Oktoberfest at Rumsey Playfield.

9/16 (12 to 5 p.m.): Sample dishes from 15 East Village restaurants, with live entertainment and local musicians, at the Taste of East Village on E. 7th Street (from Cooper Square to 2nd Avenue).

9/16 (11 a.m.): Learn about the oceans from marine scientists and hands-on activities at Submerge at Pier 26. Free.

9/16: Escape New York has scenic rides ranging from 25 to 100 miles. Begin in Sakura Park, cross the George Washington Bridge, and return to a finish-line festival.

9/16 (12:30 to 5 p.m.): Food-cart and food-truck vendors prepare their best dishes for you and the judges at the Vendy Awards, which includes live music, beer, wine, beverages, performances, and awards on Governors Island.

9/19 (6:30 p.m., VIP 5:30 p.m.): Enjoy tastes from 30 local food and wine purveyors at Taste of the Village in Washington Square Park.

9/20 – 24: Watch show jumping and exhibition acts, with a family day on Sept. 24 at Central Park Horse Show in Trump Rink at Central Park.

9/20 – 24: Urbanworld Film Festival features films and panel discussions that support and develop content creators of color at AMC 34th St. Theater and SVA Theatre.

9/21 – 24: New York Burlesque Festival is four nights of bump and grind by 100 performers in feathers and lace, ending in a glittery razzle-dazzle spectacular.

9/21 – 24: Viva! Latino Film Festival screens subtitled shorts, feature films, documentaries, and music videos.

9/22 (8 p.m., VIP 7): Taste dishes from dozens of Asian restaurants with cocktails, beer, wine, and sake at New York Feast by LuckyRice at the Mandarin Oriental.

9/23: Get a free ticket for two people to visit one of 103 museums in New York state on Museum Day Live.

Honey festival

9/24: Tunnel to Towers Run/Walk honors and provides financial support to our first responders and military.

9/28: Sip for the Sea is a $200 benefit for the aquarium featuring pairings of sustainable wines with seafood and hors d’oeuvres at Central Park Zoo for age 21+.

9/28 – 10/15: See classics, documentaries, and full-length feature films by the world’s great filmmakers at the New York Film Festival (NYFF).

9/30: Taste coffee from 20 specialty roasters and coffee shops, with snacks and entertainment, at NYC Craft Coffee

Up Next

Labor Day Sales, Parades and Things To Do

Don't Miss

Time To Bless The New Year of Theatre

Suzanna Bowling

Suzanna, co-owns and publishes the newspaper Times Square Chronicles or T2C. At one point a working actress, she has performed in numerous productions in film, TV, cabaret, opera and theatre. She has performed at The New Orleans Jazz festival, The United Nations and Carnegie Hall. She has a screenplay and a TV show in the works, which she developed with her mentor and friend the late Arthur Herzog. She is a proud member of the Drama Desk and the Outer Critics Circle and was a nominator. Email: suzanna@t2conline.com

Art

Ken Fallin’s Broadway: Celebrating Hadestown’s 1000th Performance

Published

13 hours ago

March 24, 2023

Ken Fallin

On Sunday, March 19, 2023, Hadestown celebrated the first day of spring and the show’s recently-achieved milestone of 1,000 performances at Broadway’s Walter Kerr Theatre.

The handsome artist with Anais Mitchell

On hand were songwriter Anaïs Mitchell and director Rachel Chavkin, Tony Award winner Lillias White, original Broadway cast member Jewelle Blackman as Persephone, Grammy Award winner Reeve Carney as Orpheus, Tony Award nominee Tom Hewitt as Hades, and two-time Tony Award nominee Eva Noblezada as Eurydice. were joined by Amelia Cormack, Shea Renne, and Soara-Joye Ross as the Fates. The chorus of Workers is played by Emily Afton, Malcolm Armwood, Alex Puette, Trent Saunders, and Grace Yoo.

The winner of eight 2019 Tony Awards including Best New Musical and the 2020 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album, Hadestown is the most honored show of the 2018-2019 Broadway season. In addition to the Tony and Grammy Awards, it has been honored with four Drama Desk Awards, six Outer Critics Circle Awards, including Outstanding New Broadway Musical, and the Drama League Award for Outstanding Production of a Musical.

Following two intertwining love stories — that of young dreamers Orpheus and Eurydice, and that of King Hades and his wife Persephone — Hadestown invites audiences on a hell-raising journey to the underworld and back. Mitchell’s beguiling melodies and Chavkin’s poetic imagination pit industry against nature, doubt against faith and fear against love. Performed by a vibrant ensemble of actors, dancers, and singers, Hadestown delivers a deeply resonant and defiantly hopeful theatrical experience.

Art

The Disney Revolt: The Great Labor War of Animation’s Golden Age

Published

2 weeks ago

March 13, 2023

Suzanna Bowling

In the summer of 1941, Walt Disney’s top animator led hundreds of Disney artists out on strike, nearly breaking the studio. This is the true story of those two creative geniuses, plus a corrupt advisor and a mafia gangster, who collided to cause the greatest battle in Hollywood history.

An essential piece of Disney history has been unreported for eighty years.

Soon after the birth of Mickey Mouse, one animator raised the Disney Studio far beyond Walt’s expectations. That animator also led a union war that almost destroyed it. Art Babbitt animated for the Disney studio throughout the 1930s and through 1941, years in which he and Walt were jointly driven to elevate animation as an art form, up through Snow White, Pinocchio, and Fantasia.

But as America prepared for World War II, labor unions spread across Hollywood. Disney fought the unions while Babbitt embraced them. Soon, angry Disney cartoon characters graced picket signs as hundreds of animation artists went out on strike. Adding fuel to the fire was Willie Bioff, one of Al Capone’s wise guys who was seizing control of Hollywood workers and vied for the animators’ union.

Using never-before-seen research from previously lost records, including conversation transcriptions from within the studio walls, author and historian Jake S. Friedman reveals the details behind the labor dispute that changed animation and Hollywood forever.

Join a book talk with the author Jake S. Friedman on March 21 @ 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm, at The Lambs, 3 West 51st, 5th floor. RSVP@The-Lambs.org. The book will be available to be purchased and signed by the author.

Jake S. Friedman is a New York–based writer, teacher, and artist. He is a longtime contributor to Animation Magazine, and has also written for American History Magazine, The Huffington Post, Animation World Network, Animation Mentor, and The Philadelphia Daily News. For ten years he was an animation artist for films and television as seen on Nickelodeon, Disney Channel, and Saturday Night Live. He currently teaches History of Animation at the Fashion Institute of Technology and at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. The rest of his time he specializes in mental health for the creative psyche.

The moderator will be honorary Lamb Foster Hirsch, a professor film at Brooklyn College and the author of 16 books on film and theater, including The Dark Side of the Screen:Film Noir, A Method to Their Madness: The History of the Actors Studio, and Kurt Weill on Stage: From Berlin to Broadway.

The Cole will be Magda Katz.

More about the book here.

Art

April’s Midnight Moment A New Nature

Published

2 weeks ago

March 10, 2023

Suzanna Bowling

In A New Nature, the Midnight Moment for April being shown from 11:57pm – 12am, artist Mark Dorf imagines the future of our natural world as one that’s neither a blockbuster-style apocalyptic wasteland nor an Edenic return to primitive earth. Instead, the vignettes in A New Nature depict the dynamics of our present — a messy, global system in which simulations are entangled with our expectations of real life, and our perception of what constitutes the natural world is mediated, supported, suppressed, amplified, and interrupted by technology.

Integrating gaming and surveillance aesthetics with both animations and footage of the Rocky Mountain region, Dorf collapses the barriers of what’s real in a way that echoes our digital consumption of the world. A mass of living tree roots is scanned and imposed over a simulated ocean; a mountain range is represented as a topographical blueprint. Even the filmed footage, captured at the field research station of the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, is manipulated with compositing techniques and color treatment. As Dorf explains, “The more we create simulations of landscapes or nature, the more we expect nature to be and perform as the simulation that we’ve already made.”

This unique edit of the work was crafted specifically to mirror the brisk pacing of the plazas and billboards in Times Square. As the video progresses, the pace increases, emphasizing the influence of our technological lives on the way “Nature” is understood and perceived.

“The presentation of A New Nature in Times Square is an extension of the concepts in the work itself. Nestled within the endless motion and electrical currents flowing through the glowing canyons of Times Square, the moving images harmonize with their surroundings and enact their post-natural position.”
— Mark Dorf

April’s Midnight Moment is presented in partnership with Public Works Administration in conjunction with Dorf’s solo exhibition there from April 1–30, 2023, which includes the full length version of A New Nature.

Dorf would like to thank the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, and Dr. Paul CaraDonna and Dr. Amy Iler for their continued support in bringing together the arts and sciences.

Mark Dorf is a New York based artist whose practice utilizes photography, video, digital media, and sculpture. Often working directly with ecologists and technologists in the production of his works, Dorf is influenced by human’s perceptions of and interactions with what we call “Nature”, urbanism, design, and virtual environments. As opposed to seeing these subjects as categorically separate, Dorf reveals their entanglement and integration with one another as an inclusive and lively planetary ecology. Being both self-aware and critical of their own means of production, Dorf’s works craft a vision of an ecological future that navigates away from environmental collapse in the Anthropocene and imagine a “New Nature.”

Public Works Administration (“PWA”) is a digital art project space located in the 50th Street subway in Times Square. They spotlight underground artists who use digital tools to drive culture forward.