The 'Low Down: 6/18 - 7/2 ✨
How quickly can you eat a whole rotisserie chicken?
Hey friends,
Summer is officially here. This edition has the Mermaid Parade, a foraging walk with a guy who goes by "Wildman," and — somehow on the same day — both a rotisserie chicken eating contest and a ping pong tournament (a doubleheader I did not have on my solstice bingo card). Throw in a $10 tote of used books and a Persian bagel collab and you've got two great weeks ahead.
📚 The Strand’s Summer Sidewalk Sale
Now through Sunday, June 21 | The Strand (828 Broadway) | $10+
“We’re bringing the Strand’s legendary outdoor book carts front and center for a special Sidewalk Sale, all weekend long! Here’s how it works: choose a small Strand tote for $10 or a large tote for $25, then fill it up with as many used books as you can carry from our sidewalk sale carts. There’s no limit on the number of totes, so feel free to go back for seconds (or thirds). The sale features used books only, with a constantly changing selection of well-loved favorites, hidden gems, and unexpected finds. It all happens outside the store, and quantities are limited—so come early, dig in, and enjoy the thrill of the hunt.”
📡 The Late Night Radio Fest
Friday, June 19 | The Tank ( 312 W 36th St) | Friday, June 19 | $18
“This weekend of radio theater invites listeners to experience two highly acclaimed radio plays with decidedly queer subplots. Friday is a night of suspense: "The Strange Case of Nick M." concerns a podcaster who stumbles upon a series of questionable medical experiments conducted on a concert pianist with a 30-second memory. Saturday night is pure comedy: "Price in Purgatory" follows the late, great, camp horror icon Vincent Price as he goes on a Dantesque journey with a lookalike spirit guide. Pre-recorded. Strictly audio. Eye masks provided.”
🍒 Sour Cherry Joon Hangout @ Apollo Bagels
Friday, June 19 | Apollo Bagels - Williamsburg (133 N 7th S)
“We’re bringing a Persian-inspired bagel to Apollo Bagels, and we’re calling it Sour Cherry Joon. Let’s hang out and eat it together. Sour Cherry Joon is a toasted Barbari-style bagel with sesame and nigella seeds, paired with Apollo’s first-ever flavored cream cheese, a sour cherry cream cheese that’s creamy, tangy, a little sweet, and so good with the warm, savory bagel. It’s nostalgic, Persian-inspired, and one of a kind. Bring a friend, bring your joons, come hang out, and let’s enjoy this special bagel together.”
📿 Craft Club: Vintage Beaded Jewelry Making
Saturday, June 20 | 20 Grand Ave | $65
“There are few things in this life sweeter than getting a compliment on something and being able to say “thanks, I made it!!” This season, we’ll be making jewelry! Together we will craft the coolest and most custom-to-you necklaces from a wide variety of curated vintage and glass beads. We’ll kick off with an inspo session and hardware demo before leaving you to select + bead your hearts out.The tunes will be bumping and tea will be brewing:). All materials included”
🎉 MacDougal Street Mambo
Saturday, June 20 | MacDougal St. from Houston to Prince | Free
“Join us on Saturday, June 20th for our third annual MacDougal Street Mambo, presented by @doordash ! We’re closing down MacDougal St. from Houston to Prince to celebrate one of New York’s best dining blocks. Taste your way through Roscioli, Hamburger America, Raku, Croft Alley, and more, right on the block they call home. Free to enter, with live music and more! Kick off Summer 2026, SoHo style: come dance in the street, get your Mambo merch, and enjoy the party!”
🧜♀️ The 44th Annual Mermaid Parade
Saturday, June 20 | Coney Island | Free
A very classic weird-NYC summer event: Coney Island’s Mermaid Parade starts at 1pm at W 21st & Surf Ave, heads east, then moves to the Boardwalk. Coney Island USA calls it the nation’s largest art parade, with costumes, floats, marching groups, and the official “opening” of beach season.
🛍️ Mr. Mickey’s Annual Charity Sale
Saturday, June 20 and Sunday, June 21 | The Standard East Village (25 Cooper Square)
“Mr. Mickey is once again clearing out his legendary closet for a cause. Shop a curated mix of designer gems, vintage treasures, and wild one-of-a-kind finds at Cuna Bar & Lounge. What began more than two decades ago as a few bags of vintage clothing and donated pieces has grown into a true East Village tradition. Mr. Mickey returns June 20-21 with his legendary closet sale, bringing together fashion, community, and philanthropy in one of the neighborhood’s most anticipated events.”
🍗 Annual Rotisserie Chicken Eating Contest
Sunday, June 21 | Roma Pizza (85 7th Ave) | $25
This makes for a great first date… take it from me.
Enough said.
🏓 Summer Solstice Ping Pong Tournament
Sunday, June 21 | Farm.One (625 Bergen St) | $20
“Due to popular demand, we’re hosting another ping pong tournament! We’ll be hosting two brackets: beginner (1pm) and advanced (3pm). Beginner bracket is for good vibes. Think beer in hand as you battle your opponents. First place prize is $75. Second place prize is $20. Advanced bracket is for take-no-prisoners competition. To make things serious, prize money is $250. Spots are limited! $20 Entry Fee (Includes 1 Draft Beer) for both brackets.””
🍔 The Great Nosh
Sunday, June 21 | Governors Island | $40
Bummed I am missing this Katz’s Deli x Santo Collab — it’s going to be SO good.
“NYC’s hottest picnic is back! Touch grass. Eat babka. The Great Nosh is the ultimate summer picnic packed with NYC’s best restaurants, plus one-of-a-kind chef collabs, immersive art, picnic treats, cooking demos (yes, from actual Jewish grandmas), and all the sunshine you can handle.”
😄 Show & Tell: What Brings You Joy
Monday, June 22 | Fabrik (12-16 Vestry St) | Free
“Wherever you are in your career journey, it’s important to remind yourself of what really lights you up. Join Funemployed ?! & Friends at our third Show & Tell. We’re focusing on what brings us joy. i.e..... What’s a cool/fun part of yourself you want to share more of? What are you proud of recently? What is a summer activity/plan you are excited for or want to push yourself to do? We’ll sit in a big circle and those who want to Show & Tell something can. Tell us a a bit about what excites you and/or show us something (a creation, a skill, etc.)! Anything goes.”
🍷 Wine & Pine, Volume 26
Monday, June 22 | Ten Degrees Bar (121 St Marks Pl) |
“Join us for Volume 26 of Wine and Pine, a reading series about desire! There will be drink specials, homemade desserts, and a good time. Signed books will also be available to purchase and we are collecting donations for Hive Mind Books / Bureau of General Services - Queer Division. Hope to see you there for Pride month!”
🍴 Sugarcane to Glass: Rum and the Making of Caribbean Flavor
Wednesday, June 24 | Museum of Food and Drink (55 Water Street) | $20
“Join chef and mixologist Nelson German and culinary anthropologist and author Andréa Lawson Gray in conversation with Tonya Hopkins exploring rum, sugar, and the histories that shape Caribbean flavor. Drawing from their book Caribbean Cocktails: Drinks and Bites from the Afro-Latino Diaspora, they will examine how ingredients travel, how knowledge is passed, and how cultural expression takes form through food and drink. Focusing on sugarcane as a foundational crop and rum as both an industrial product and cultural practice, the conversation will trace the movement of plants and people across the Caribbean and the African diaspora. Grounded in both scholarship and lived experience—including German’s Afro-Latino upbringing in New York’s Washington Heights—the discussion will consider how systems of trade, labor, and exchange continue to shape contemporary flavor.”
🧠 How To Live By Your Human Design
Wednesday, June 24 |Fabrik (12-16 Vestry St) | $30
“Learn to wake up everyday and ask yourself the right questions, follow your Emotional Authority, your unique decision making strategy and more! Syeda Zaidi is a Love, Intimacy & Human Design Coach. Her mission is to help people know themselves better so they can live in alignment, and to support people in loving bravely, with more care and full integrity.”
♠️ Board Game Night with New York Games
Thursday, June 25 | 190 Bowery | Free
“After Hours at 190 Bowery is our summer event series bringing together people, brands, and ideas worth showing up for. Join us as we team up with New York Games for a night of friendly competition and good vibes. Bring your favorite strategy or just your enthusiasm—we'll supply the rest! Admission includes one complimentary drink and light snacks.”
🍄🟫 Foraging Workshop with “Wildman” Steve Brill
Saturday, June 27 | Prospect Park | $25
“Find the edible treasures hiding in plain sight at Prospect Park as you learn to identify and gather edible and medicinal plants, mushrooms, and berries. This guided foraging walk is led by an expert and offers a fresh way to explore the park while building your knowledge of wild foods.”
☀️ Cyanotype (Sun Printing) Workshop
Sunday, June 28 | Recess Grove (327 Grand St) | $49
“Discover the magic of cyanotype and create stunning prints using the sun! In this beginner-friendly workshop, students will learn how to coat cyanotype paper and make prints using the power of the sun as a source of exposure. The cyanotype process uses a chemical mixture that creates characteristically blue-and-white images when exposed to UV light and washed in water. perfect for anyone looking for a new creative outlet, this class offers a unique way to experiment with art, science, and nature. All materials will be provided, but participants are welcome to bring any textured objects they wish to experiment with printing. (e.g. lace, textured glass, leaves, flowers, film negatives)”
✏️ No Small Talk Presents: Live Journaling Club
Sunday, June 28 | Sunset Park | Free
“Bring your favorite pen and something to write on; we’ll bring the prompts and creative inspiration. This evening is inspired by Suleika Jaouad’s explorations of the art of journaling to connect with ourselves and one another.”
🍿 Vale Cinema Series: Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Monday, June 29 | William Vale (111 N 12th St) |
“Vale Cinema Series returns for Summer 2026 — six nights of cult favorites, camp classics, and iconic films screened poolside under the stars at the Sephora Summer Club in Brooklyn, complete with popcorn, specialty cocktails, and light bites. Doors open at 7:00pm & films begin at 8:00pm on each screening date!”
🚫 Dave Portnoy in Conversation with Erika Ayers Badan: Cancel Me If You Can
Monday, June 29 | 92Y (1395 Lexington Ave) | $60
“Dave Portnoy didn’t set out to be a political lightning rod — but love him or hate him, he’s here to stay. Join the Barstool Sports founder for the unfiltered story of how he created a media empire. Dave Portnoy built Barstool Sports by trusting his instincts — and refusing to soften his voice. Now, in his new memoir Cancel Me If You Can, he tells the story behind the persona: the risks, missteps, reinventions, and stubborn persistence that carried him from handing out a scrappy Boston sports paper to leading a sprawling digital brand. What does it mean to build an audience by being unapologetically yourself? How do you navigate success when it arrives alongside scrutiny — and often, backlash? Hear Portnoy in a candid conversation about ambition, controversy, and the evolving rules of media and public life.”
👩💻 The Luddite Conference on Participatory Futures
Tuesday, June 30 | The New School (63 5th Ave) | Free
“With companies like OpenAI taking Pentagon contracts and Elon Musk using government resources to scrape Americans’ data, it’s hard to feel that there are any tangible ways to resist the techno-fascist backslide. To regain a sense of social agency, we are convening a participatory conference inspired by the Luddite movement. We will tackle questions such as: What is the relationship between Silicon Valley and the Pentagon? What are the social and political consequences of new AI technologies? And what can we do in response? Please join us for a day of learning how Big Tech brought us to this existentially threatening moment, and how we can reclaim personal and collective agency for a participatory future.”
🪞 THE BLACK MIRROR EXPERIENCE
Now through September 6 | The Shed (545 West 30th St) | $60+
“Join us for an immersive adventure that puts you at the center of the Black Mirror universe. Inspired by the Emmy-winning anthology series, THE BLACK MIRROR EXPERIENCE™ fuses physical environments and interactive virtual reality to plunge visitors into an entirely new story rooted in the series’s signature thought-provoking style. In this hour-long journey, groups of up to six participants become the protagonists of an original Black Mirror narrative. Together, they navigate a storyline that dissects the accelerating, unpredictable relationship between artificial intelligence, innovation, and modern society. The groundbreaking format moves beyond passive location-based VR, letting participants actively steer how the story unfolds around them.”
Who’s down?!
xx Anna