free things to do in New York City
Free events for Thursday, 05/19/11
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Free Events, Free Things to Do in New York City!  Read More

Are you looking for free things to do in New York City (NYC) on May 19, 2011?

54 free events take place on Thursday, May 19 in New York City. Don't miss the opportunities that only New York provides! Exciting, high quality, unique and off the beaten path free events and free things to do take place in New York today, tonight, tomorrow and each day of the year, any time of the day: whether it's a weekday or a weekend, day or night, morning or evening or afternoon, December or July, April or November! These events will take your breath away!

New York City (NYC) never ceases to amaze you with quantity and quality of its free culture and free entertainment. Check out May 19 and see for yourself. Summer or Winter, Spring or Fall! Just click on any day of the calendar above and you'll find most inspiring and entertaining free events to go to and free things to do on each day of May . Don't miss the opportunities that only New York provides!

Some events take place all year long: same day of the week, same time there are there for you to take advantage of. One of the oldest free weekly events in Manhattan is Dixieland Jazz with the Gotham Jazzmen, which happen at noon every Tuesday. Another example of an event that you can attend all year round on weekdays is Federal Reserve Bank Tour, which takes place every week day at 1 pm (but advanced reservations are required). You can take at least 13 free tours every day of the year, except the New Year Day, July 4th, and the Christmas Day. If you are classical music afficionado, you can spend whole day in New York going from one free classical concert to another. If you love theater, then New York gives you an option to attend plays and musicals free of charge, or at deep discount. You just need to have information about it. And we are here to make that information available to you.
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The quality and quantity of
free events,
free things to do
that happen in New York City
every day of the year
is truly amazing.

So don't miss the opportunities
that only New York provides:
stop wondering what to do;
start taking advantage of
free events to go to,
free things to do in NYC
today!

54 free things to do in New York City (NYC) on Thursday, May 19, 2011

All events are free unless otherwise noted.
        

Workshop | Tai Chi in the Park


Tai Chi and Eternal Spring are instructed by members of the Tai Chi Chuan Center for all ages and experience levels. Classes are rain or shine.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:30 am
Free

Discussion | Youth Employment in the Americas: Challenges and Prospects


A panel featuring experts to explore the challenges and prospects for preparing and facilitating young entrants into the labor market in Latin America and the Caribbean. Panelists will discuss youth employment trends, the current talent gaps in the region, and will also share their perspectives on how to effectively address youth unemployment. Confirmed Speakers: Jonas Prising, President of the Americas, Manpower Inc.; Sean Rush, President & CEO, Junior Achievement Worldwide; Bibiana Quiroga, Subdirector of Employment and Social Security, Departamento Nacional de Planeacion (DNP), Colombia. Moderator: Christopher Sabatini, Senior Director of Policy, Americas Society/Council of the Americas.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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8:00 am
Free

Tour | Federal Reserve Bank Tour


Learn about central banking functions that Federal Reserve System performs and see Bank's vault of international monetary gold on bedrock of Manhattan Island, five stories below street level. Learn why Federal Reserve has "Federal" in its name, while it's a private bank, not Federal at all. Congressman Ron Paul considers the Federal Reserve "both corrupt and unconstitutional" Five tours daily on the hour.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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9:30 am
Free

Gallery Talk | Native American artist Maxine Matilpi talks about her work


Learn about button blankets with Maxine Matilpi.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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10:00 am
Free

Gallery Talk | The Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Room


An expert leads informal discussions in the room and answers questions. Two sessions: 10am-1pm and 1:30pm -3pm.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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10:00 am
Free

Workshop | Yoga in the Park


Expert instructors, provided by lululemon athletica, lead all levels of yogis. Mats are provided.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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10:00 am
Free

City Walk | Manhattan Walk


4-4.5 miles, moderate/easy pace. Tour the magnificent marble main library at East 42nd Street and 5th Avenue, then walk to Chelsea Market, 9th Avenue and 16th Street, also visit sites in Greenwich Village. Bring lunch and water. Call to confirm.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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10:30 am
$3

Tour | Cathedral Tour


Explore the Cathedral's newly cleaned and restored Nave. Learn about the art, architecture and history of this great sacred space from 1892 to the present.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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11:00 am
$6

Workshop | Ping Pong in the Park


Test your skills at state-of-the-art tables. Paddles and balls are provided free of charge.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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11:00 am
Free

Other | A View from the Lunchroom: Students Bringing Issues to the Table - featuring Christo


Students in ten New York City public middle schools from all five boroughs are getting ready to present their public art pieces-school lunchroom tables transformed into colorful works of art that address important social issues in their communities and the world-and display them in the largest student art exhibition in the history of NYC parks. The tables will be showcased as part of an exhibition launched in the Park and then installed in ten community parks citywide (two in each boroughs). This fourth-annual citywide exhibition seeks to empower young people to have a voice in their communities to speak out on issues such as gangs, violence, homelessness, drug abuse, healthcare, and cultural diversity, among others-and become catalysts for social change through their art. Lunchroom tables are used as a canvas for this project as a symbol of student ideas and conversations. In the Park, students will be joined by artists Christo, Audrey Flack and others as well as Commissioner of NYC Parks Adrian Benepe, NYC School Chancellor Dennis M. Walcott, Commissioner of NYC Cultural Affairs Kate Levin, Sr. Counsel & Sr. Policy Advisor Wendy Gellman, Deputy and NYC DOE Visual Arts Coordinator Karen Rosner.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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11:30 am
Free

Tour | “Manhattan Adirondacks” Tour


Olmsted and Vaux designed the North Woods to replicate the forests of the Adirondack Mountains with its crystal streams, calming cascades, and rustic bridges. This scenic and meditative walk is right in New York City's backyard. Tour will be approximately one hour.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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12:00 pm
Free

Concert | Terry Waldo, Ragtime Pianist


Ragtime expert & stride pianist Terry Waldo is a protege of the late Eubie Blake. He has produced over 40 albums and wrote the definitive book This is Ragtime - just republished at Jazz At Lincoln Center with a new introduction by Wynton Marsalis. His 26-part radio series with the same title, produced for National Public Radio, fueled the 1970's ragtime revival.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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12:30 pm
Free

Tour | Cathedral Tour


Explore the Cathedral's newly cleaned and restored Nave. Learn about the art, architecture and history of this great sacred space from 1892 to the present.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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1:00 pm
$6

Concert | Comin' Up Shoutin'! A Celebration of African-American Music


Trinity Choir and guest artists; Juilian Wachner, conductor. A soulful afternoon of gospel, blues, spirituals and vocal improvisation.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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1:00 pm
Free

Gallery Talk | Native American artist Maxine Matilpi talks about her work


Learn about button blankets with Maxine Matilpi.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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1:00 pm
Free

Workshop | Open Lab Computer Class


Bring your technology questions and get one-on-one assistance. If you have your own lap top you can also bring it to the class.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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1:00 pm
Free

Screening | Short Films on and by Native Americans


Featuring UNRESERVED: The Work of Louie Gong, Writing the Land, Airplane, Button Blanket, and Preston Singletary: Echoes, Fire, and Shadows. Start times are 1pm and 3pm.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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1:00 pm
Free

Workshop | Featured Library Database: Academic Search Premier


Hands on using wireless laptops. Search for full-text articles in more than more than 4,600 magazines and scholarly journals covering a wide range of subjects. Learn some basic advanced search strategies to conduct preliminary research. Be sure to bring some topics for hands-on search demonstrations!
   New York City, NY; NYC
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1:15 pm
Free

Tour | “The Castle and its Kingdom” Tour


Take a walk around the lands dominated by the Castle, situated high on Vista Rock. Visit the tiny 55-acre realm on an eclectic tour of history and nature. Tour is approximately one hour.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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2:00 pm
Free

Workshop | All About Computers: Computer Safety


This will be a Lecture/Demonstration. Learn about threats to computers and their users, such as viruses, hackers, and spam, and solutions to minimize them.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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2:30 pm
Free

Workshop | Stay Well Exercise


A free Stay Well exercise session. Stay Well volunteers cetrified by the NYC's Department for the aging will lead participants in a well-balanced series of exercises for seniors of all ability levels. Please wear loose comfortable clothing. Exercise equipment will be provided. All participants are required to sign a personal medical waiver at the beginning of the class.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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2:30 pm
Free

Lecture | Embodied Identity and the Brain


JESSE PRINZ, Philosophy, the Graduate Center/CUNY, in conversation with VICTORIA PITTS-TAYLOR, Women’s Studies and Sociology, Queens College and the Graduate Center/CUNY. Jesse Prinz, Distinguished Professor of Philosophy, is author of the books The Emotional Construction of Morals, Gut Reactions: a Perceptual Theory of Emotion, and Furnishing the Mind: Concepts and their Perceptual Basis. He is co-Editor of the anthology Mind and Cognition. Victoria Pitts-Taylor is author of two books and editor of a two-volume encyclopedia on the sociology of the body and body practices.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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4:00 pm
Free

Party | The Modern Life Concept House Party


The Modern Life Concept House is Elle Decor's first New York designer show house in Chelsea, featuring a Room & Board-furnished space designed by Jesse Carrier, one of Elle Decor's A-List “Designers to Watch.”
   New York City, NY; NYC
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4:00 pm
Free

Birdwatching | Birding Tour of the Park


Discover the varieties of birds that call Bryant Park home during the migratory season with guided tours.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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5:00 pm
Free

Other | Chess & Games Club


A Beginning and Intermediate Chess Program for Adults. Show off your best moves against other chess fans! Or simply learn from other chess fans! Whether you're a chess master or just starting out, come join us for some board time. They also welcome board games and strategy games as well.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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5:00 pm
Free

Open Mike | Uptown Teen Open Reading


Calling all teen poets, spoken word artists, emcees, scholars and activists with something to say! Sign up to share your powerful and important voices in this open mic monthly series, outfitted with youth DJs, this safe, uncensored space provides a platform for you speak up. And if you're simply young at heart, come show some love for the next generation of performing artists.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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5:00 pm
Free

Screening | Short Films on and by Native Americans


Featuring UNRESERVED: The Work of Louie Gong, Writing the Land, Airplane, Button Blanket, and Preston Singletary: Echoes, Fire, and Shadows.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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5:30 pm
Free

Opening Reception | BFA Fine Arts Thesis Exhibition


An exhibition of thesis work by graduating students in the BFA Fine Arts program, an immersive undergraduate program that combines studio courses with courses in art history, theory, and liberal studies to cultivate the intellectual, conceptual, and critical skills required to become a successful professional artist.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
Free

Opening Reception | Brian Dettmer's Altered Books


Brian Dettmer carefully selects and sifts through stacks of old books to uncover the perfect source and subject for his cultural archaeological explorations and sculptural possibilities. He first determines the presentation, engineering and construction of his altered book or books. Then, with the precision of a surgeon, using scalpels and hundreds of x-acto blades, he alters the pre-existing information and images by selectively removing and manipulating elements to propose new ideas and map new visual journeys.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
Free

Opening Reception | Group Exhibition: EverGreene: The Artists & Their Art


The exhibit is comprised of the personal work of some 65 different artists, all of whom at some point worked for the company EverGreene Architectural Arts, a mural and decorative arts studio modeled on an atelier (for a piece on the company you can look at an old nytimes article here). Collectively, the artists have a unified aesthetic which can be seen in 32 state capitol buildings, over 200 theaters, and dozens of cathedrals, courthouses, and private residences across the country, but their personal work is surprisingly diverse, generally contemporary, and in a variety of media.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
Free

Screening | Lerone Wilson's Documentary Colored Frames


A look back at the last fifty years in African American art, Colored Frames is an unflinching exploration of influences, inspirations and experiences of black artists. Beginning at the height of the Civil Rights Era and leading up to the present, it is a naked and truthful look at often ignored artists and their progenies.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
Free

Screening | Luke Griswold-Tergis & Cory Mann's Documentary Smokin' Fish (2011)


Cory Mann gets hungry for smoked salmon and decides to spend a summer smoking fish at his family’s traditional fish camp in the Alaskan back-country. This break from his hectic life in Juneau offers him a chance to reflect on the messy zone of collision between the modern world and an ancient culture playing out in his life. 82 min. New York premiere. Discussion follows with the filmmakers.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
Free

Author Reading | Martha Plimpton, Colum McCann and others read from Know the Past, Find the Future: The New York Public Library at 100


Join Kathryn Court, President and Publisher of Penguin Books; Martha Plimpton, actor and singer; Wesley Stace, musician and writer; Colum McCann, 2009 National Book Award Winner; and other luminaries for a special reading from Know the Past, Find the Future: The New York Public Library at 100, NYPL’s free Centennial book generously published by Penguin Classics. The book, which will be given out on subways and buses, thanks to the MTA, and in parks, neighborhood libraries, and select bookstores beginning that morning, features photographs of and essays by more than 100 luminaries from New York City and around the world with their favorite item from the Library’s vast collections. After the reading, contributors will sign copies of this future classic.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
Free

Opening Reception | Photographs: Ellen Kooi's Out of Sight


The third solo exhibition with Dutch photographer Ellen Kooi. This new body of work continues Kooi’s exploration of the Dutch landscape as well as her ability to create hyper realities. Kooi situates people in natural settings and through distinct technical feats creates narratives that recall fairytales, movies and dreams.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
Free

Talk | Cochlear Implants


Author Arlene Romoff, President of the Hearing Loss Association of New Jersey, shares her personal hearing odyssey as related in her most recent book, Listening Closely: A Journey to Bilateral Hearing. She and William Shapiro, Supervising Audiologist at the NYU Cochlear Implant Center and Clinical Associate Professor, NYU School of Medicine, will explain how the process works, and who are good candidates for this technology. There will be real-time (CART) captioning for this event.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:30 pm
Free

Screening | Irish Documentary: Ken Wardrop's His and Hers (2009)


Director Ken Wardrop has established a sterling reputation by crafting elegant short films that capture humanity in quick bursts. Expanding on this technique into the feature form, he crafts a cinematic mosaic that tells a 90-year-old love story through the collective voice of 70 ladies at different stages of their lives. 80 min.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:30 pm
Free

Workshop | Microsoft Office 2003: MS Excel 2


Hands on using wireless laptops. Explore more advanced features of Microsoft Excel 2003. Topics include using formulas and functions, data sorting and conditional formatting.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:30 pm
Free

Author Reading | Sarah Burns discusses her book The Central Park Five: A Chronicle of a City Wilding


An unvarnished look at one of the most infamous crimes in New York City history: the case of the Central Park Jogger and the five men who served full sentences before someone else confessed to the crime.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:30 pm
Free

Performance | Boat Comedy Show


Come one, come all! Boat is back with an evening of brand new material. You will laugh as it's happening. You will cry when it's over. You very well may sneeze at some point, but you can't pin that on us. Don't miss out on some of the most cutting edge sketch comedy in New York. Boat is Mike Lane, Nunzio Randazzo, and Amos Vernon. Boat was an official selection at the 2010 and 2011 North Carolina Comedy Arts Festival and the 2011 San Francisco Sketchfest. You will love Boat and Boat will love you back.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:00 pm
$5

Book Discussion | Book Club: The Island of Eternal Love by Daina Chaviano


From award-winning author Chaviano comes this enchanting multigenerational epic of three families--from Africa, Spain, and China--and their bond to one another and the island they call home.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:00 pm
Free

Author Reading | Country rocker Steve Earle shares his novel I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive


A down-and-out musician struggles with addiction.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:00 pm
Free

Author Reading | Jill Picariello reads from her book Jessica Lost: A Story of Birth, Adoption and The Meaning of Motherhood


Picariello, a writer for ad agencies and magazines including New York and People, discusses this interwoven story about motherhood, loss and reunion.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:00 pm
Free

Discussion | New Media in Cuban Literature Today


A group of Cuba’s most contemporary writers, including several who reside on the island and others who reside in Europe—collectively, Abilio Estévez, Ernesto Hernández Busto, Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo, and Amir Valle—, and Rachel Price (moderator)(Princeton University), a contemporary scholar of new media in literature, will discuss the use of the Internet, e-mail, blogging, Facebook, Twitter, and other social media as a means of creative expression as well as of distributing contemporary writing on and off the island. All of the participants are featured in Review 82 (Cuba Inside and Out, Spring 2011). This program will be conducted in Spanish with simultaneous translation into English.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:00 pm
Free

Concert | No Name Comedy/Variety presents “The Uptown Cabaret”


No Name producer Eric Vetter calls the Cabaret an opportunity for musical talent to try out new material in a safe and fun place!. Hosted by the multi-talented Alex deSuze whose background includes acting, directing and singing at venues throughout the NYC-metro area with NY-based composer and teacher Rich Campbell providing the "fierce" musical accompaniment on piano.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:00 pm
No cover...

Other | Poets' Prize Award


The winner is Tony Barnstone, for Tongue of War (BkMk Press). The finalists are Kim Addonizio, for Lucifer at the Starlite (Norton), Amy Gerstler, for Dearest Creature (Penguin), and Katha Pollitt, for The Mind-Body Problem (Random House).
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:00 pm
Free

Author Reading | Ross Perlin disucsses his book Intern Nation: How to Earn Nothing and Learn Little in the Brave New Economy


If you live in NYC, chances are pretty good that you've worked as an intern at some point in your life. Ross Perlin's new nonfiction book takes a look at the culture of internships. He'll discuss Intern Nation with his editor, Andrew Hsiao.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:00 pm
Free

Concert | Soprano Marianne Juvik Sæbø performs Grieg's Haugtussa


For the 100th anniversary of the death of Edvard Grieg in 2007, Marianne Juvik Sæbø has put together a stage concert based Haugtussa. Vidar Eldholm's event brings a modern sound to Grieg's music, and he wrote additional new music.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:00 pm
$15 suggestion donation

Dancing | Tropical Dance Party


Revolutionary salsa dura ambassadors La Excelencia bring their bold new sounds to dancers and hardcore salsa fans worldwide. With free-flowing horns and lively percussion, Latin Beat Magazine calls the modernist big band "Young, raw, raging musical weapons of mass destruction...". NYC’s hottest tropical Afro-Latin and electronic DJs serve up a pan-American, transatlantic, equatorial soundclash. Free lesson by Salsa Salsa Dance Studio at 7pm.
   New York City, NY; NYC
7:00 pm
Free

Author Reading | Sandra Guzman discusses her book The New Latina’s Bible with Oscar-nominated actress Rosie Perez


Guzman discusses her book of Latina empowerment.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:30 pm
Free

Concert | Flat Earth Society, Belgian Band


The 1990s downtown New York aesthetic, turned on its ear. Flat Earth Society, hailing from Belgium, has every bit of the circusy, genre-jumping, soundtrack-esque, Raymond Scott–like, smirky moodiness that characterizes the Knitting Factory diaspora. Where that sound can sometimes turn snarky and sarcastic, the group wisely remains earnest and open, though they are sometimes too clever for unqualified endorsement. The 15-strong band, weighted toward lower horns and brass, is punchy and dynamic, playfully romping through clarinetist and leader Peter Vermeersch’s charts.
   New York City, NY; NYC
8:30 pm
Free

Concert | Steve Katz, Singer/Songwriter


Katz is a New York-based singer, songwriter and guitarist. Originally from Belgium, Katz has lived, traveled and found inspiration in exotic places such as India, Israel, Nepal and Thailand.
   New York City, NY; NYC
8:30 pm
Free

Jazz | 5/5/5 After Hours Set


A great way to hear some of the most talented young lions of jazz while enjoying spectacular views of Manhattan.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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11:00 pm
$5 cover, $5...

Performance | The Big One Comedy Show


The hottest comedians in New York City join special guests from NBC, Comedy Central, and more in a weekly comedy extravaganza on the main stage of the newly-renovated People's Improv Theater. Hosted by Harrison Greenbaum (Comedy Central's "Comics to Watch" and Andy Kaufman Award winner)
   New York City, NY; NYC
11:00 pm
$5

Performance | Tiny Bubbles Burlesque Show


With Professional Sensationalist Amber Ray. And let DJ John John Field rock your universe on the decks!
   New York City, NY; NYC
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11:00 pm
No cover
Complimentary Tickets

to shows, concerts ... (CFT Deals!)

Broadway | Broadway Show!

Regular Price: $101
CFT Member Price: $0.00

Concert | Christmas Concert

Regular Price: $55
CFT Member Price: $0.00
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