I’m sharing with you all a LIVE stream of NYC experiences in Photos, Videos and Tweets from Islandwoo on Tumblr.

I’d love it if you would share your NYC experiences (photos, videos, links) by web or by email and please also connect with me on:
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An unique, fun & social experience awaits you this winter and all year round: Dodgeball League!

Downtown Dodgeball helps bring teams of New Yorkers together for weekly games and social outings. You can join as an individual or small group and be placed on a team, or join as a full team.

Games are held Tuesday nights between 6:30 and 9:30 in the East Village. The winter 2010 coed dodgeball season begins January 19th and runs for 7 weeks with an 8th week of playoffs.
Registration deadline: 12/31/2009. For more info: visit their website

Watch this nicely made video to get a sense of what to expect

Free to watch, $60 to play:
* A full season of dodgeball officiated by Downtown Dodgeball refs
* The opportunity to network with cool ladies and gents in a fun atmosphere
* Access to exclusive drink specials at the league bar
* A Downtown Dodgeball team t-shirt
* And much, much more!

UPDATE: 2010 Events available for April | May | June | July | August | September. Summer event schedules are being finalized and will be updated as soon as they’re available. Please follow @UniqNYC on twitter or facebook.com/UniqNYC for updates.

[−] August Events

➪ Rumble on the River – Outdoor Boxing
➪ Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival
➪ Blue’s BBQ – Hudson River Park
➪ Dominican Day Parade

Summer Events Starting in August
➪ US OPEN Tennis
➪ Met Opera Summer HD Festival

Ongoing Events
➪ Street Fairs in August
➪ Williamsburg Pool Parties
➪ SummerStage Central Park & More
➪ Celebrate Brooklyn! In Prospect Park
➪ Movies With A View – Brooklyn Bridge Park
➪ PS1 Warm Up
➪ Socrates Sculpture Park Outdoor Cinema
➪ Lincoln Center Out of Doors
➪ Broadway in Bryant Park
➪ Summer Screen at McCarren Park
➪ Hudson River Flicks
➪ Hudson River Flicks Kids
➪ Hudson River MoonDance
➪ Hudson River Rocks Concerts
➪ Summer in the Square at Union Square
➪ Shakespeare in the Park at Central Park
➪ River to River Festival
➪ Bryant Park Summer Film Festival
➪ Water Taxi Beach
➪ BKLYN Yard Summer Events
➪ Luna Park Amusement Park
➪ Good Morning America Summer Concert Series
➪ DUMBO First Thursdays Gallery Walk
➪ NBC Rockefeller Plaza Concerts
➪ Rooftop Films Summer Series
➪ Big Bambú at the Met Rooftop
➪ Red Hook Ballfields Food Trucks

Ongoing NYC Things To Do

Through the summer
Top 10 Rooftop & Garden Bars in NYC
Through the summer
Latest Broadway and Off-Broadway Deals and Discount Codes
Through the summer
Walk Through the Heart of Central Park
Through the summer
Walk Across the Brooklyn Bridge

I will add new things to do to this list as I find out about them. Be the first to be notified by following me on twitter or facebook

The theater may be dark over the summer, but you can still experience extraordinary Met Opera performances, in Lincoln Center, thanks to a brand-new initiative. Starting August 29, the Met will present its first-ever Summer HD Festival, featuring screenings of ten productions from the company’s Peabody and Emmy Award-winning Live in HD series.

The HD productions will be shown in Lincoln Center Plaza on consecutive nights. The screenings are free with no tickets required; 2800 seats will be available each night on a first-come, first served basis. There are no rain dates.

Full Performance Schedule

La Fille du Régiment – August 29 at 8 pm
Donizetti’s comic opera La Fille du Régiment stars Natalie Dessay as Marie, Juan Diego Flórez as Tonio, Felicity Palmer as the Marquise of Berkenfield, Alessandro Corbelli as Sulpice, Donald Maxwell as Hortensius, and Marian Seldes in the spoken role of the Duchess of Krakenthorp. Marco Armiliato conducts. Approximate running time: 140 minutes.

Roméo et Juliette – August 30 at 7:30 pm
Plácido Domingo conducts Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette, starring Anna Netrebko and Roberto Alagna as the star-crossed lovers, Isabel Leonard as Stéphano, Nathan Gunn as Mercutio, and Robert Lloyd as Frère Laurent. Approximate running time: 175 minutes.

Eugene Onegin – August 31 at 7:45 pm
Valery Gergiev conducts Tchaikovsky’s most beloved opera, Eugene Onegin, with Russian baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky in the title role opposite Renée Fleming as the heartbroken Tatiana, with tenor Ramón Vargas as Lenski. Approximate running time: 160 minutes.

Macbeth – September 1 at 8 pm
Met Music Director James Levine conducts Verdi’s Macbeth, featuring Maria Guleghina as Lady Macbeth, Željko Lučić as Macbeth, Dimitri Pittas as Macduff, and John Relyea as Banquo. Approximate running time: 145 minutes.

Il Barbiere di Siviglia – September 2 at 7:45 pm
Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia, in a production by Tony Award-winning director Bartlett Sher, features Joyce DiDonato as Rosina, Juan Diego Flórez as Count Almaviva, Peter Mattei as Figaro, John Del Carlo as Dr. Bartolo, John Relyea as Don Basilio, and Claudia Waite as Berta. Maurizio Benini conducts. Approximate running time: 165 minutes.

Peter Grimes – September 3 at 7:45 pm
Anthony Dean Griffey sings the title role of Britten’s Peter Grimes, with Patricia Racette as Ellen Orford and Anthony Michaels-Moore as Balstrode. Donald Runnicles conducts. Approximate running time: 150 minutes.

La Bohème – September 4 at 8 pm
Franco Zeffirelli’s production of Puccini’s La Bohème features Angela Gheorghiu as Mimì, Ramón Vargas as Rodolfo Ainhoa Arteta as Musetta, Ludovic Tézier as Marcello, Quinn Kelsey as Schaunard, Oren Gradus as Colline, and Paul Plishka in the dual roles of Benoit and Alcindoro. Nicola Luisotti conducts. Approximate running time: 130 minutes.

Orfeo ed Euridice – September 5 at 8 pm
Mark Morris’s production of Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice stars Stephanie Blythe as Orfeo, with Danielle de Niese as Euridice. Heidi Grant Murphy is Amor. James Levine conducts. Approximate running time: 100 minutes.

Il Trittico – September 6 at 7:30pm
James Levine conducts Tony Award-winning director Jack O’Brien’s production of Puccini’s Il Trittico, which consists of three one-act operas: Il Tabarro, Suor Angelica, and Gianni Schicchi. In Il Tabarro, the three principal characters caught in a deadly love triangle are portrayed by Maria Guleghina, Salvatore Licitra and Juan Pons. Barbara Frittoli is the young nun Angelica, with Stephanie Blythe as the Princess in Suor Angelica, and the comedy Gianni Schicchi features Alessandro Corbelli in the title role. Approximate running time: 170 minutes.

Madama Butterfly – September 7 at 8:00 pm
Academy Award-winning film director Anthony Minghella’s production of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly stars Patricia Racette as Cio-Cio-San, Marcello Giordani as Pinkerton, Dwayne Croft as Sharpless, and Maria Zifchak as Suzuki. Patrick Summers conducts. Approximate running time: 145 minutes

Hudson River Park runs along the west side of Manhattan offering greens for sunbathing, free concerts, and hundreds of outdoor activities.

The 850-foot long Pier 45 in Greenwich Village (cross at Christopher St) is NYC’s most picturesque pier for sunbathing and free activities. Amenities include shade structures, seating areas, wood decking and a stretch of grass lawn that has become a favorite spot for sunbathers. Nearby you can grab food and refreshments at the Regatta Cafe or catch the NYC Water Taxi to the Beach. Pier 46 also has free fishing for all ages with Big City Fishing, as well as educational programs. Heat up, then cool down using Pier 45′s super interactive water feature -enjoy a spritz of fresh water right when you need it. The Hudson River Park Trust also sponsors free events on Pier 45 in the summer. Here is what’s going on this summer at Pier 45, 46 (as well as other piers up to 96):

10th Annual Blues BBQ

Location: Pier 54 at 14th St.
When: Sunday, August 23, 2PM – 9PM
Back for the 10th year, Hudson River Park’s annual Blues BBQ Festival brings the best Blues bands from across the country together with the finest New York City BBQ restaurants for a fantastic summer day on the river. This feast for your senses brings you the sights, sounds, smells and tastes of a true southern BBQ experience!

This year’s performers will include:
Eden Brent
Eddy “The Chief” Clearwater
Diunna Greenleaf
the Homemade Jamz Blues Band
Michael Burks

Film: RiverFlicks for Grown Ups

Location: Pier 54 at 14th St.
When: Wednesdays, movies begin at dusk (generally around 8:30 PM) Seating is available. Free popcorn. Beverages and Snacks are for sale. Closed Captioning available.
Movie Theme: I Know What You Saw Last Summer! Watch all of your favorite blockbusters from 2008 on the big screen, again! This time around, they’re all FREE and out under the stars. From superheroes to gossiping gals, Hudson River Park’s RiverFlicks has all of last years favorite summer hits!

July 8 – Iron Man (PG13)
July 15 – Vicky Cristina Barcelona (PG13)
July 22 – The Dark Knight (PG13)
July 29 – Hancock (PG13)
August 5 – Tropic Thunder (R)
August 12 – Sex and the City: The Movie (R)
August 19 – Pineapple Express (R)

RiverFlicks for Kids

Location: Pier 46 at Charles St.
When: Fridays, movies begin at dusk (generally around 8:30pm.) Free popcorn. Beverages and Snacks are for sale. Closed Captioning available.
What: Join us at Hudson River Park’s Pier 46 as we screen new and classic films for the whole family!

July 10 – Wizard of Oz (G)
July 17 – Kung Fu Panda (PG)
July 24 – Ghostbusters (PG)
July 31 – Star Wars: The Clone Wars (PG)
August 7 – Muppet Movie (G)
August 14 – Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (PG)
August 21 – Curious George (G)

Hudson River Park’s MoonDance

Location: Pier 54 at W. 14th St.
When: Sundays. Free dance lessons begin at 6:30pm courtesy of Dance Manhattan. Live bands go on at 7pm.
What: Whether you’ve been dancing for years, or want to learn how to boogie like a pro, Hudson River Park’s MoonDance is your chance to strut your stuff under the stars! No experience necessary. Featured styles include swing, tango and salsa.

July 12 – George Gee Big Band
July 19 – Hector Del Curto’s Eternal Tango Orchestra
July 26 – Los Hermanos Colon
August 2 – Nu Guajiro
August 9 – David Berger Jazz Orchestra

Hudson River Park’s RiverRocks

Location: Pier 54 at W. 14th St.
When: 3 Thursdays at 6 PM.
What: All concerts are free!

July 9 – Matt and Kim featuring Flosstradamus and Team Robespierre
July 23 – Ted Leo and the Pharmacists featuring Extra Golden and Radio 4
August 13 – Yeasayer featuring Amazing Baby

Hudson River Park’s Stars of Tomorrow

Location: Pier 45 at Christopher St.
When: Tuesdays at 6:30 pm
What: Enjoy music from Bach to BeBop on Tuesday nights, as students from the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music and Mannes College The New School for Music perform on one of Hudson River Park’s most beautiful piers. Performances begin on June 2nd.

June 2 Sarah Charles Quartet- Jazz from THE NEW SCHOOL FOR JAZZ AND CONTEMPORARY MUSIC
June 9 Samuel Mortellaro Trio- Jazz from THE NEW SCHOOL FOR JAZZ AND CONTEMPORARY MUSIC
June 16 Classical Brass Trio – MANNES COLLEGE THE NEW SCHOOL FOR MUSIC
June 23 Classical Woodwind Trio – MANNES COLLEGE THE NEW SCHOOL FOR MUSIC
July 7 Classical Brass Triofrom THE NEW SCHOOL FOR JAZZ AND CONTEMPORARY MUSIC
July 14 Shrimrit Shoshan Trio- Jazz from THE NEW SCHOOL FOR JAZZ AND CONTEMPORARY MUSIC
July 21 Darrell Smith Trio – Jazz from THE NEW SCHOOL FOR JAZZ AND CONTEMPORARY MUSIC
July 28 Classical Woodwind Trio – MANNES COLLEGE THE NEW SCHOOL FOR MUSIC
Aug 4 Amanda Ruzza Trio- Jazz from THE NEW SCHOOL FOR JAZZ AND CONTEMPORARY MUSIC
Aug 11 Erika Kapin Trio- Jazz from THE NEW SCHOOL FOR JAZZ AND CONTEMPORARY MUSIC
Aug 18 Classical Brass Trio – MANNES COLLEGE THE NEW SCHOOL FOR MUSIC

Sunset on the Hudson

Location: Pier 45 at Christopher St.
When: Fridays at 7:00 pm

Every Friday from June 5th through August 21st (except July 3rd), enjoy the gorgeous sunset and mellow sounds of New York’s acclaimed Guitar Man David Ippolito from this spectacular grass covered pier that stretches 900 feet into the majestic Hudson River.

Celebrate Brooklyn! is one of New York City’s longest running, free, outdoor performing arts festivals. Launched in 1979 as a catalyst for a Brooklyn performing arts scene and to bring people back into Prospect Park after years of neglect, Celebrate Brooklyn has been an anchor in the park’s revitalization and has become one of the city’s foremost summer cultural attractions.

Jump to June Performers | July Performers | August Performers

Over its history, Celebrate Brooklyn has presented over 1,700 artists and ensembles reflective of the borough’s diversity, ranging from internationally acclaimed performers to emerging, cutting-edge artists. All Celebrate Brooklyn performances are FREE! The festival attracts upwards of 250,000 attendees from across New York City to the Prospect Park Bandshell each summer.

2009 Summer Schedule – All Events are Rain or Shine

Saturday August 1, 2009
Movie & Music: Dean & Britta – 13 Most Beautiful…Songs for Andy Warhol’s Screen Tests | Crystal Stilts
From 7:30 PM (Gates: 6:30 PM)
Luna alumni DEAN & BRITTA perform original scores to Warhol’s rarely seen short silent film portraits, which captured Factory superstars, celebrities, and anonymous teenagers in mesmerizing 4-minute shots. “The music unabashedly translates the ominous drone of early Velvet Underground songs like I’m Waiting for the Man and Venus in Furs into a more modern electronic mode reminiscent of Giorgio Moroder’s chic torture-chamber disco.” (NY Times) Commissioned by the Andy Warhol Museum, the project is like an archeological dig unearthing NYC’s 1960s art scene, complete with soundtrack. Brooklyn’s CRYSTAL STILTS, “moody-sounding f***ers who make fabulous stripped-down garage-pop,” (Pitchfork) will set the tone for the night.

Thursday August 6, 2009
Movie & Music: Purple Rain Sing-A-Long With Escort
From 7:30 PM (Gates: 6:30 PM)
To celebrate the 25th anniversary of one of history’s greatest pop albums, and the extravagantly, hilariously whacky and over the top film it inspired (the apotheosis of both the purple one’s genius and self caricature), we invite you to don something lacey and ruffled and come get your Prince on. We’ll have lyric subtitles, but you know the words already. Brooklyn’s own live disco orchestra ESCORT plays an opening set, and will lead the sing-along festivities. Rated R. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or guardian.

Friday August 7, 2009
Grace Potter & the Nocturnals | Deer Tick
From 7:00 PM (Gates: 6:00 PM)
Fronted by the Joplin-like vocals and driving Hammond B-3 of their fearless frontwoman, GRACE POTTER & THE NOCTURNALS play “blues-based rock with glorious passion.” Hard to categorize—folk? indie rock? alt-country? Americana?—but easy to love, DEER TICK “write and play some of the most soulful, inspired music around, littered with lyrics as sharp as a shot of whiskey and rapid-fire guitar solos strong enough to blow the dust off your boots.” (Brooklyn Vegan)

Saturday August 8, 2009
Big Daddy Kane | Plus Screening of BDK: the Big Daddy Kane Story | Hosted by “The worlds #1 beatboxer” Rahzel
From 7:00 PM (Gates: 6:00 PM)
The Lyricist Lounge returns with a once in a lifetime night of positive hip-hop featuring Brooklyn legend BIG DADDY KANE performing with his live band, preceded by a screening of the short documentary BDK: THE BIG DADDY KANE STORY, directed by Lyricist Lounge’s own Anthony Marshall. Other special guest performers TBA!

Past Events

Monday, June 8, 2009
David Byrne: Songs of David Byrne & Brian Eno
From 8:00 PM (Gates: 6:30 PM)
Among iconic New York artists, DAVID BYRNE has few peers. In this concert he plays songs from his collaborations with Brian Eno, which began in the late 70s and span three Talking Heads albums, 1981’s groundbreaking My Life in the Bush of Ghosts, and last year’s Everything that Happens will Happen Today. An ensemble cast including dancers, background vocalists, and a killer band amplify the spectacle—a legendary Brooklyn night in the making, sure to pass instantly into NYC folklore.

Thursday June 11, 2009
Goran Bregović & His Weddings & Funerals Orchestra
From 7:30 PM (Gates: 6:30 PM)
Sarajevo-born GORAN BREGOVIC is a seminal figure in the Yugoslav rock world, a film composer who has been likened to Enio Moriconi and Nino Rota, and a co-conspirator with artists as varied as Iggy Pop and Cesaria Evora. With his own massive band, featuring brass, a classical string ensemble, an all-male choir, and traditional Bulgarian and Roma singers, he marries the dance music of a raucous gypsy wedding with Eastern European choral arrangements in “a mind-blowing return trip with no destination or port of arrival…a magnificent concert, one of the greatest marvels to be heard on stage today.” (La Vanguardia, Spain)

Friday June 19, 2009
David Rudder, Samantha Thornhill
From 7:30 PM (Gates: 6:30 PM)
A performer of such innovation and vitality that Jamaican newspaper The Gleaner called him “the Bob Marley of soca,” DAVID RUDDER changed the face of Caribbean music with his heart pounding mix of classic calypso and soulful pop. Trinidadian born Brooklynite SAMANTHA THORNHILL, an author, educator, and slam poetess of the first order, will prime the crowd with some spoken word derring-do.

Saturday June 20, 2009
Movie: La Nave De Los Monstruos With Live Score by Ethel and Gutbucket
From 7:30 PM (Gates: 6:30 PM)
“I wish there were more rock bands who played like ETHEL.” (Guardian UK) In a special Celebrate Brooklyn commission, the nation’s premier rock-infused, postclassical string quartet teams up with the artrock wild men of GUTBUCKET to perform a new original score to the vintage Mexican science fiction classic La Nave De Los Monstruos (The Monsters’ Ship, 1959). In the film, the last male on Venus has died and two Venusian hotties embark on a quest to find men on other planets. The two bands dig into this fertile ground after developing the project at a BRIClab residency this spring. GUTBUCKET performs an opening set. Friends of CB pre-performance reception sponsored by Aguayo & Hubner Fifth. See Friends panel for details.

Thursday June 25, 2009
Femi Kuti and the Positive Force | Melvin Gibbs’ Elevated Entity
From 7:30 PM (Gates: 6:30 PM)
Having long established himself as the heir apparent to his famous father Fela’s superfunky Afrobeat throne, the unstoppable FEMI KUTI returns to the Bandshell to make all of Prospect Park into one giant Nigerian dance party. Brooklyn born MELVIN GIBBS, “the best bassist in the world,” (Time Out NY) starts the night off with his ELEVATED ENTITY project, something of a downtown NYC supergroup, which continues Gibbs’ exploration of African diaspora music with a fusion of Afro-Brazilian rhythms, funk and rap.

Friday June 26, 2009
Blonde Redhead
From 7:30 PM (Gates: 6:30 PM)
Vaunted NYC underground sensualists BLONDE REDHEAD have shape-shifted from dissonant noise explorations to ethereal, dreamy pop over the course of their career, always inspiring intense devotion from their fans. “It is as if they are pressing on piano keys and each key is a trigger that tugs a wire within the listener. There are keys for longing, possession, despair, and ecstasy—and Blonde Redhead travel fast and skillfully over the whole keyboard.” (PopMatters)

Saturday June 27, 2009
Dr. Dog | Phosphorescent | These United States
From 7:00 PM (Gates: 6:00 PM)
DR. DOG’s foot stomping, back porch blend of “a little folk, blues, indie rock, soul, bluegrass–and a whole lot of down-home harmonizing” (Philadelphia Weekly) channels The Band one moment, the Beach Boys another, and Pavement the next. In the music played by Brooklyn’s Matthew Houck, a.k.a. PHOSPHORESCENT, “you can hear Bob Dylan, Neil Young and Will Oldham—but the modern day folkie has a sound all his own.” (Gothamist) THESE UNITED STATES’ “distinct electro-folk sound” (NPR) rounds out the bill.

Thursday July 2, 2009
Obie Juan BermudÉZ | Cucu Diamantes | Rebel Diaz
From 7:00 PM (Gates: 6:00 PM)
The Latin Grammy-winning Puerto Rican pop star OBIE JUAN BERMUDÉZ, “a talent on par with Juanes or Alejandro Sanz,” (Houston Chronicle) pits his mojo against Yerba Buena singer CUCU DIAMANTES’ fiery mix of “salsa, funk, cumbia, hip-hop, pop-punk, mariachi, tango, disco and flamenco…just for starters,” (NY Times) and the political activist hip-hop of REBEL DIAZ, whose mesmerizing frontwoman Lah Tere unleashes rhymes with hurricane force.

Thursday July 9, 2009
Dance: STREB: Invisible Forces
From 8:00 PM (Gates: 7:00 PM)
The breathtakingly acrobatic Williamsburg-based company celebrates 30 high flying years with Invisible Forces, which combines the thrills of the circus and the velocity of the Indy 500 in one crowd pleasing Action Event. STREB’s new Action Platform, a 20 ft. amped-up rotating floor, the Espana Whizzing Gizmo, and the 2 dimensional vertical pipe grid Airlines will dazzle and amaze. Beautiful bodies engaging sexy hardware in show stopping pieces will keep you on the edge of your seat, heart in throat. “Streb’s unique movement art—kin to sport, circus, physics experiment, and hard labor—has reached a peak of theatricality and dare-all virtuosity.” (Village Voice)

Friday July 10, 2009
Los Amigos Invisibles | Aterciopelados
From 7:30 PM (Gates: 6:30 PM)
A double shot of unfiltered South American pleasure in which the great Venezuelan party band LOS AMIGOS INVISIBLES, a lusty outfit that combines a “love of disco and funk with their reverence for oldfashioned Latin dances like the mambo and bossa-nova,” (NY Post) locks horns with Columbian national heroes ATERCIOPELADOS. Proficient in everything from punk to electro-lounge to jangly Latin folk rock, the velvety ones (English translation, for all you gringos) have an uncanny ability “to take north-of-theborder musical styles…and breathe new life into them.” (Time)

Saturday July 11, 2009
Ezra Jack Keats Family Concert, A Very Special Family Show With They Might Be Giants
From 4:00 PM (Gates: 3:00 PM)
Brooklyn’s own legendary alternative rockers THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS have made some astonishingly good kids’ albums, most recently the 2009 Best Children’s Album Grammy Winner Here Come the 123s, becoming in the process “the ultimate fan- and now family-friendly rock act.” (Billboard) They return to the Bandshell to headline our annual Ezra Jack Keats Family Concert, which also features readings of Keats’ classic stories by WFUV’s Claudia Marshall. Special appearance by Livable Streets Education’s big purple friend ZoZo!

Thursday July 16, 2009
Kronos Quartet | Luminescent Orchestrii
From 7:30 PM (Gates: 6:30 PM)
For more than 35 years KRONOS QUARTET has pushed, made fun of, made irrelevant, and pretty much pulverized the standard notion of the string quartet, assembling in the process “a body of work unparalleled in its range and scope of expression.” (NPR) Their repertoire runs the gamut from Bartók to Charles Mingus to Jimi Hendrix, and their collaborators have been as diverse as Philip Glass, Asha Bhosle, and Nine Inch Nails. They share the Bandshell stage with the frenzied and slightly diabolical LUMINESCENT ORCHESTRII, a Gypsy punk string ensemble that “plays renditions of Appalachian and Gypsy tunes that run from lively and infectious to deeply melancholy.” (Time Out NY)

Friday July 17, 2009
The Robert Cray Band | the Sweet Divines
From 7:30 PM (Gates: 6:30 PM)
The five time Grammy-winning Stratocaster titan ROBERT CRAY’s “soul-infused blues has become the bridge between traditional and contemporary blues;” (Rolling Stone) he remains a strong persuader, as potent as ever after three decades of recording and touring. THE SWEET DIVINES, four young ladies with a smoking band behind them, pay homage to the traveling soul revues of the 60s with an authentic sound that evokes Stax, Aretha, James Brown, and funky New Orleans. “Sign them up, and let them bring the funk to the masses!” (BBC) Friends of CB pre-performance reception sponsored by Betancourt Realty & Associates. See Friends panel for details.

Saturday July 18, 2009
African Festival With King Sunny Adé | Freshly Ground | The Mandingo Ambassadors | Cheikh M’Baye & Sing Sing | Abena Koomson | Yasser Darwish
From 2:00 PM (Gates: 1:00 PM)
Our annual day-long festival of music, food and crafts features a lineup of bands that will keep the dancers moving from day till night, with the great KING SUNNY ADÉ of Nigeria leading the charge. The bill includes South Africa’s FRESHLY GROUND, making a rare US appearance to whip the revelers into a frenzy with its mix of indigenous African sounds and contemporary urban styles; THE MANDINGO AMBASSADORS, from NYC by way of Guinea, whose music “has been structured to make you feel good” (NY Times); wild Senegalese drum troupe CHEIKH M’BAYE & SING SING; powerful Brooklyn born Ghanaian vocalist ABENA KOOMSON; and whirling traditional Egyptian dancer YASSER DARWISH.

Thursday July 23, 2009
Dance: Stephen Petronio Company
From 8:00 PM (Gates: 7:00 PM)
“One of the few contemporary dancer makers who have created an instantly recognizable style,” (NY Times) STEPHEN PETRONIO celebrates his company’s 25th Anniversary Season with the dynamic and elemental I Drink the Air Before Me, an evening length work inspired by the power of extreme weather and storms both atmospheric and internal. Petronio’s predeliction for forward thinking popular music (his dancers have moved to Rufus Wainwright and Antony in the past) is satisfied here by a score from new classical composer and crossover sensation Nico Muhly.

Friday July 24, 2009
Buckwheat Zydeco | the Holmes Brothers
From 7:30 PM (Gates: 6:30 PM)
Swamp boogie accordion master BUCKWHEAT ZYDECO and his band “spit out the kind of crackling music that’s been missing since the heyday of Stax Records…on stage the attack is relentless.” (Wall Street Journal) THE HOLMES BROTHERS harmony-filled blend of American roots jumps from church to the juke joint and “recalls the era when soul seceded from gospel music,” (Mother Jones) with a healthy dose of blues, funk and country thrown in. Friends of CB pre-performance reception sponsored by Warren Lewis Realty Associates. See Friends panel for details.

Saturday July 25, 2009
Kailash Kher | Electro Morocco
From 7:30 PM (Gates: 6:30 PM)
The South Asian superstar, Bollywood icon, and judge of Indian Idol KAILASH KHER moves “among styles without hesitation, adding elements of folk, reggae and rock to Indian pop…(he) has a voice as appealing as it is thrilling.” (Wall Street Journal) Comprised of five NYC-based Israelis, ELECTRO MOROCCO combines buzzing guitars with synths and beats to concoct a dance floor friendly mix of retro rock, Middle Eastern folk, and warped electro.

Thursday July 30, 2009
Burning Spear | Naomi Shelton & the Gospel Queens
From 7:30 PM (Gates: 6:30 PM)
Roots reggae legend BURNING SPEAR brings his Rastafarian message of positivity back to the Bandshell for another epic performance. Last year’s vital Jah Is Real featured contributions from Bootsy Collins and Bernie Worrel; Spear has never sounded better. “Four decades and still dropping knowledge: no other artist, with the possible exception of Toots Hibbert, can lay claim to being reggae’s true elder statesman.” (PopMatters) The evening begins with the righteous harmonies and church-inflected soul of NAOMI SHELTON & THE GOSPEL QUEENS.

Friday July 31, 2009
The Royal Family: Soulive’S 10Th Anniversary Celebration
From 7:00 PM (Gates: 6:00 PM)
The exceptional jazz-funk trio SOULIVE celebrates 10 years of “simmering instrumental funk” (Entertainment Weekly) by busting out THE ROYAL FAMILY, a hard hitting conglomeration of various side projects and special guests that will come together for the jam of the summer. Ivan Neville’s DUMPSTAPHUNK, “musically hard-nosed and rooted in 1970s inner city funk,” (Offbeat)” kicks off the show with a set of New Orleans’ nastiest grooves.

Benefit Concerts

Proceeds help support free shows at Celebrate Brooklyn!
July 1: MGMT (Sold out)
July 21: Jackson Browne
Aug 11: TV on the Radio
Aug 12: Bonnie Raitt & Taj Mahal
Aug 14: Animal Collective (Sold out)
Aug 15: Animal Collective

Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Movies With A View returns for its 10th Anniversary Season on Thursday, July 9, 2009. This summer, sidle up, nab a patch of grass and enjoy a night of fabulous entertainment FREE. Come down (walk across the Brooklyn Bridge or scoot) to the park to enjoy one of the city’s premiere outdoor film series with an eclectic line-up of films and breathtaking views of the NYC waterfront & Brooklyn Bridge.

The films are chosen by an all-volunteer Film Committee and each feature is preceded by a short film. DJs from Brooklyn Radio kick off the evening, spinning tunes as the sun sets, while RICE sells delicious dinners on-site. The theme for this summer’s films is Stolen Summer – the season of capers, thrillers and heists!

July Film Schedule

(Activities start at 6PM)

Thursday, July 9 – Feature Film: Raising Arizona
Short: Ami Underground directed by D.W. Young
DJ: DJ DRM
Thursday, July 16 – Feature Film: The Maltese Falcon
Short: Under the Rollercoaster directed by Lila Place
DJ: MonkOne
Thursday, July 23 – Feature Film: Paper Moon
Short: The Coffee Bird directed by Bryan Brinkman
DJ: Tim “Love” Lee
Thursday, July 30 – Feature Film: To Catch A Thief
Short: Icebox Blues directed by Jesse Ash
DJ: DJ Ayres

August Film Schedule:

Thursday, August 6 – Feature Film: The Return Of The Pink Panther (1975)
Short: It’s Good to Be Green directed by Michael Garvey
DJ: Soulstatic
Thursday, August 13 – Feature Film: Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid
Short: Birdman of Brooklyn directed by JL Aronson
DJ: Nick Name
Thursday, August 20 – Feature Film: Catch Me If You Can
Short: 6 a.m. directed by Carmen Vidal
DJ: DJ Emch
Thursday, August 27 – Feature Film: Edward Scissorhands
Short: I Am Not Obsessed directed by Imani Dean
DJ: Oneman

UPDATE: 2010 Events available for April | May | June | July | August | September. Summer event schedules are being finalized and will be updated as soon as they’re available. Please follow @UniqNYC on twitter or facebook.com/UniqNYC for updates.

[−] July Events

➪ Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival
➪ New York Philharmonic Summer Concerts
➪ Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest
➪ City of Water Day
➪ Jamaica Underwear Run
➪ New York City Nautica Triathlon
➪ The Siren Music Festival
➪ Bastille Day on 60th Street
➪ Cool Japan Festival
➪ Met Opera in the Parks – Summer Recital Series
➪ Washington Square Music Festival

Summer Events Starting in July
➪ Movies With A View – Brooklyn Bridge Park
➪ PS1 Warm Up
➪ Socrates Sculpture Park Outdoor Cinema
➪ Lincoln Center Out of Doors
➪ Broadway in Bryant Park
➪ Summer Screen at McCarren Park
➪ Hudson River Flicks
➪ Hudson River Flicks Kids
➪ Hudson River MoonDance
➪ Hudson River Rocks Concerts

Ongoing Events
➪ Street Fairs in July
➪ Williamsburg Pool Parties
➪ SummerStage Central Park & More
➪ Celebrate Brooklyn! In Prospect Park
➪ Summer in the Square at Union Square
➪ Shakespeare in the Park at Central Park
➪ River to River Festival
➪ Bryant Park Summer Film Festival
➪ Midsummer Night Swing
➪ Water Taxi Beach
➪ BKLYN Yard Summer Events
➪ Luna Park Amusement Park
➪ Good Morning America Summer Concert Series
➪ DUMBO First Thursdays Gallery Walk
➪ NBC Rockefeller Plaza Concerts
➪ Rooftop Films Summer Series
➪ Big Bambú at the Met Rooftop
➪ Red Hook Ballfields Food Trucks

Jump to June Events | July Events | August Events

I will add new things to do to this list as I find out about them. Be the first to be notified by following me on twitter or facebook

The High Line was originally constructed in the 1930s, to lift dangerous freight trains off Manhattan’s streets. Section 1 of the High Line is now open as a public park! When all sections are complete, the High Line will be a mile-and-a-half-long elevated park, running through the West Side neighborhoods of the Meatpacking District, West Chelsea and Clinton/Hell’s Kitchen. It features an integrated landscape, designed by landscape architects James Corner Field Operations, with architects Diller Scofidio + Renfro, combining meandering concrete pathways with naturalistic plantings. Fixed and movable seating, lighting, and special features are also included in the park.

See images of the architects’ vision for High Line Park: Design Gallery

Summer Events

July 12th – High Line Street Festival with Target
July 15th – Design Talk: Lecture with the Designers
Throughout the summer – Walking Tours of High Line
Throughout the summer – Family Events
Full schedule of events

The High Line is open from 7:00 AM to 10:00 PM daily. Access to the High Line is possible via any of these access points: Gansevoort, 14th, 16th, 18th, 20th Streets. Dogs are currently not allowed on the High Line due to the limited area of the pathways and the fragility of the new plantings.

New York City is in no shortage of amazing rooftops for public gatherings. Though I’ve never come across one as unique as this: X-Initiative presents the premiere of Pool Noodle Roof by Jeffrey Inaba’s Los Angeles-based practice, INABA. The rooftop space, which will be used for film screenings and special events, will be open to the public daily during selected visiting hours throughout the summer.

Four separate seating areas have been specially designed to cluster around an ‘X’ shaped carpet that covers the entire rooftop surface. The furniture, which is also X-shaped in plan, has been constructed from pool noodles – the long and cylindrical, foam water floatation toys commonly found in suburban backyard pools. The pool noodles have been cut and bunched vertically into chaise lounge and ottoman units of varying heights that accommodate up to 150 people. When viewed from above, the arrangement of vibrant colored buoyant seating material spells out the word, ‘bububluooopppp’ (the sound of something rising or sinking). Pretty clever!

I love it when interaction with public art installations is encouraged. When I tried to pet Jeff Koons’ balloon dog at the Met Rooftop, I received a much different reaction!

Islandwoo Tip: X has not disclosed their summer schedule yet but has promised to email Islandwoo. So follow me on Twitter to be the first to be notified.
Location: 548 West 22nd Street between 10th & 11th Aves. Be sure to also visit the newly opened High Line Park (Manhattan’s elevated park) nearby