The 4th of July weekend is gonna be a hot one, and we’ve rounded up the best things to do whether you want to hide in the air conditioning or get in every minute of outdoor summer fun. Check out our guide to the best 4th of July parties with fireworks views, or if you’re a little cash-light the best free places to watch the action courtesy of Macy’s, then make your plans with our 4th of July weekend guide.
A beach relic gets new life
After reinvigorating Jacob Riis Park with their Beach Bazaar, the Brooklyn Bazaar crew have give the nearby Jacob Riis Bathhouse the same treatment. The beachside marvel of Art Deco architecture has been abandoned for decades, but now it hosts local food vendors including Musser’s Famous Crab Cakes and Ample Hills. Expect live music, too. The pavilion also has a video arcade, a small shop for beach essentials and chair/umbrella rentals, outdoor beer garden and glamping facilities by Camp Rockaway. Opens July 4 at 157 Rockaway Beach Blvd. To get there, take the 2 or 5 to the end of the line then hop on a Q35 bus, or the A to a Q22 bus. From Lower Manhattan and Sunset Park, take the NYC Ferry to 108th Street, then take the Q22 bus down the beach, riisparkbeachbazaar.com
See what’s hot on Asia’s ‘savage’ film scene
Catch up on the latest hits from China, South Korea and Japan at the “Savage Seventeenth” Asian Film Festival. Movies are screened at the Film Society of Lincoln Center through July 12 and SVA Theatre July 13-15, spanning genres from zombie flicks to rom-coms (both of which can be equally savage, as anyone who’s been on a blind date knows). This year includes 21 North American premieres, 12 New York premieres and four world premieres. Through July 15, multiple times and locations, $15-$249, filmlinc.org
A Nutcracker for summer
December’s Sugar Plum Fairy has met her summertime match. The acclaimed American Ballet Theatre has returned to the Met Opera for its annual residency, bringing with it the return of 2017’s instant classic: Whipped Cream, a new family show choreographed by Artist in Residence Alexei Ratmansky. Reminiscent of The Nutcracker, this whimsical ballet tells of a young boy who falls into a trance after eating too many sweets and dreams of adventure. Through July 7, Metropolitan Opera House, 70 Lincoln Center Plaza, $22-$235, abt.org
Dance party at the lighthouse
On Saturdays in July, catch jazz under the stars by the Kingsborough Lighthouse during Hot Summer Nights. The free outdoor concert series on the waterfront in southern Brooklyn start with the Boogie Woogie Independence Day show starring swing trio Duchess. Other artists down the line are Professor Cunningham & His Old School, Jumaane Smith and Jason Prover’s Sneak Thievery Orchestra. July 7-28, 8 p.m., Kingsborough Lighthouse Bandshell, 2001 Oriental Blvd., Brooklyn, free, onstageatkingsborough.org
Drink to one of summer’s classic films
If you’re thinking Wet Hot American Summer can’t be improved upon, you’re absolutely correct. When the performers of A Drinking Game get onstage at the Bell House to perform the 2001 indie flick live, it will undoubtedly be less brilliant than the film itself — save for one element: you and everyone else will be drinking freely when the right cues are given. July 7, 7 p.m., The Bell House, 149 W. Seventh St., Brooklyn, $15, thebellhouseny.com
A hoedown at Lincoln Center
One of Texas’s hottest honky-tonk bands makes its way to NYC to play Lincoln Center’s outdoor music and dance festival Midsummer Night Swing. Heybale, known for its Sunday appearances at Austin’s Continental Club, travels to the Big Apple for a free concert in Damrosch Park, including a beer garden and food trucks. Tickets will get you onto the dance floor for some Southern shuffles, Western swing and Texas two-step. July 7, 6:30 p.m., Damrosch Park, 70 Lincoln Center Plaza, free-$25, midsummernightswing.org
Party for the next generation
You wish your fundraiser for after-school library programs were as cool as the Classic Generation Bridge Summer White Ball. This year’s party makes R&B its focus with live performers and a DJ keeping the dance party going into the wee hours, with cocktails and a Southern buffet. If it must be said: Dress in your best whites. July 7, 7 p.m.-2 a.m., 295 Fifth Ave., $45-$150, soulnightevents.com
Attend a Middle Eastern block party
It already feels like we’re living in the Middle East with the recent heat wave, so go all out to experience Arab-American life during the Arab Street Festival, the largest gathering of its kind in the Northeast. The free event includes live music and other performances, as well as food that offer tastes of the Middle East and North Africa. There will also be vendors to shop authentic products and art. July 7, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Great Jones St. (Broadway to Lafayette), free, naaponline.org
Combine yoga, meditation and drumming
Upgrade your exercise routine by tapping into your spiritual center with percussive beats at the Rubin Museum this Sunday. Part of its Spiral Sessions, this week’s Dharma, Dreams & Drumming class will be led by musician and meditation guide Johnny Scifo, blending yoga, pranayama and chi-gong style movement, followed by a shamanic drum circle. Guests must bring their own yoga mats; you may also bring a small drum or bell. July 8, 9:30-11 a.m., Rubin Museum, 150 W. 17th St., $25, rubinmuseum.org
Fantasize about that summer road trip
Thousands of car enthusiasts from around the country will gather at Pier 94 for one of the largest auto shows in the nation this Sunday. AutoCon not only shows off some of the hottest models of today and yesterday, but also vehicle builds, product launches and talks from leaders in the field. There will also be DJs, live entertainment, giveaways and chances to try out the latest in car technology. July 8, 1-8 p.m., Pier 94, 711 12th Ave., $20-$50, autoconevents.com
Check out how comics depict New York City
Riding the New York City subway may feel like a daily adventure, but the city’s “motorized carriages” have been the scene of drama in comics since they opened in 1917. Head to the New York Transit Museum this weekend to browse Underground Heroes to see the good, the bad and the ugly ways artists have incorporated mass transit into their work, from griping political cartoons to hilarious coincidences. Through Jan. 6, closed July 4, 99 Schermerhorn St., Brooklyn, included with museum admission ($10), nytransitmuseum.org
