Ride everything at Luna Park for $5, cheer on The Revolution, browse the Affordable Art Fair and more things to do in New York City this weekend.
THEATER
It’s the Roaring ‘20s and a crew of gangsters and dancers, rich and poor, have gathered to bask in the opulence of Berlin’s Grand Hotel. After its Tony-winning debut in 1989, Grand Hotel: The Musical returns off-Broadway this weekend. Part of the Encores! series at New York City Center, which revives rarely-produced musicals for a short run with big-name stars, it stars Junior Cervila, Natasha Diaz, John Clay III, Brandon Uranowitz and Irina Dvorovenko. Through March 25, New York City Center, 131 W. 55th St., $35-$135, nycitycenter.org
ART
It’s the 25th edition of the Affordable Art Fair, which invites art newbies especially to gather for an event that can get their collection started, with items starting at just $100. Bringing together over 70 galleries from around the world and featuring more than 300 artists, the fair provides something for everyone’s taste and budget. In addition to regular hours, there’s also Art After Dark for young arts-lovers to sip cocktails and socialize while they browse on Thursday, 6-9 p.m. March 22-25, Metropolitan Pavilion, 125 W. 18th St., $10-$80, affordableartfair.com
CULTURE
Museums citywide are in the midst of celebrating Asia Week, and the fun caps off this Thursday with a special event at the Rubin Museum. Enjoy access to the current exhibition, The Second Buddha: Master of Time, along with beer from Brooklyn Brewery, cocktails featuring TYKU Sake and passed hors d’oeuvres in a festive atmosphere. It’s part of the museum’s yearlong theme dedicated to The Future, unpacked by examining beliefs from the past and present. March 22, 6:30-8:30 p.m., The Rubin Museum, 150 W. 17th St., $85, rubinmuseum.org
WORLD WATER DAY
In honor of World Water Day, you can make it “rain” inside Grand Central. Belgian beer brand Stella Artois is setting up a giant chandelier made of water droplets in Vanderbilt Hall that ripple and flow when activated — you do that by purchasing a special chalice that helps Water.org provide five years of clean water for one person in the developing world. March 23-26, 8 a.m.-8 p.m., 89 E. 42nd St., water.org/stellaartois
ARTS
Coney Island Ritual Cabaret Festival
Cabaret is an art form that can mean a lot of things — which is part of its beauty, and part of what the Coney Island Ritual Cabaret Festival seeks to honor and explore. Inviting an array of local musicians, dancers and performance artists to express their idea of cabaret, the fest plumbs traditions that are deeply ingrained in the culture of New York. Each night begins with a Body Ritual Movement performance by the Diego Pinon Ensemble. March 23-25, Coney Island USA, 1208 Surf Ave., Brooklyn, $15-$35, coneyisland.com
ARTS
If you’ve struggled to connect with modern dance, Y Cabaret is a new way to experience the art form. The intimate setting of a black box theater erases the conventional boundaries between artist and audience. Bearded Ladies Productions invites crowds to get more personal with choreographers and their funny, sexy, thought-provoking works. March 24-25, 8 p.m., 14th Street Y, 344 E. 14th St., $20-$22, 14streety.org
CARNIVAL
We may have gotten another blizzard this week, but there’s no stopping Coney Island’s Luna Park from opening on schedule this Saturday. Guests of the theme park’s opening day festivities will be able to enjoy unlimited free rides including on the Cyclone rollercoaster with a $5 donation to Girl Scout Troop 6000. The official opening ceremonies take place on Sunday, with free egg creams, the blessing of the rides and more fair fun. March 24, 10 a.m., Luna Park, 1000 Surf Ave., Brooklyn, $5, lunaparknyc.com
COMEDY
I Am Not a Comedian…I’m Lenny Bruce
Political satirist and dark humorist Lenny Bruce carved out a space for himself in the mid-20th century with a uniquely bleak outlook and take-no-prisoners screed — which often landed him behind bars for public indecency. In a new, one-night-only show at the Cutting Room, Ronnie Marmo brings the original back to life for a risque night of laughs and way-too-true insights (aka, the kind of stand-up we all need right now) to benefit the Lenny Bruce Memorial Foundation. March 25, 7:30 p.m., Cutting Room, 44 E. 32nd St., $50, thecuttingroomnyc.com
SEXY FUN
A Night of Jazz, Wine & Sex Education
Park Slope’s educational pleasure shop Please celebrates three years of normalizing sex with information and conversation (and toys!) this Thursday. A Night of Jazz, Wine & Sex Education is a free event that includes mini versions of the store’s most popular workshops (on rope bondage and oral sex), plus complimentary sausage bites (we see what you did there) from neighbors Jake’s Handcrafted and wine from Fresh Direct. There will also be live music by The Hot Club of Flatbush. March 24, 7-9 p.m., Please, 557 Fifth Ave., Brooklyn, free, pleasenewyork.com
MUSIC
A popular part of the lineup at National Sawdust in Williamsburg, The Revolution is a monthly series that specifically highlights Brooklyn- and Harlem-based artists who embody activism and evolution. This Saturday, the series celebrates its second anniversary — and 25th edition — with a special showcase featuring music by Dot Cromwell, beccs, Meridian Lights, Elle Winston and MAE.SUN. March 24, 10 p.m., National Sawdust, 80 N. Sixth St., Brooklyn, $15-$20, nationalsawdust.org
FOOD
Your cravings align at the annual Grand Bazaar Food Truck Fest, when a dozen of the city’s best mobile kitchens cluster on the UWS for one amazing day of delicious eats. The New York Food Truck Association partners with Grand Bazaar NYC (which raises money for local public schools) Sunday; it’s free to attend, with food a la carte. That’s in addition to the weekly rotation of 80-plus vendors selling everything from jewelry and antiques to home decor and original art. March 25, 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m., Grand Bazaar NYC, 100 W. 77th St., free, grandbazaarnyc.org
