ComedyFri Oct 23 & Sat Oct 24, 8:30pm
ASSSSCAT at UCB
UCB's signature all-star improv show. The cast changes every night, the level does not.
UCB Theatre, 14th St · East Village
This week
Oct 19 to Oct 25NightlifeFri Oct 23, 8pm
The Slipper Room Show
Burlesque and variety at an Orchard Street institution since 1999, with Wilfredo and Lydia Vengeance in a rotating Friday lineup. Shows at 8:30, 9:45, and 11.
The Slipper Room, 167 Orchard St · Lower East SideArtOpens Oct 22, through Spring 2027
Charles Burchfield: Elemental
Ten Burchfield watercolors from the Whitney's own collection, 1916 to 1960, tracing his lifelong obsession with the force of nature. They are light-sensitive and rarely shown together, so it is a small, quiet show worth a weekday visit.
Whitney Museum · Meatpacking · (pay-what-you-wish Fridays)ArtThru Feb 27
Brancusi: The Artist and His Studio
Brancusi's rarely lent sculptures come to New York for the first time in decades, shown with his films, photographs, and hand-carved furniture. Seen through his Paris studio, the show is about how he worked, not just what he made.
MoMA · Midtown · (pay-what-you-wish at MoMA)ArtThru Mar 14, 2027
Taryn Simon at the Guggenheim
Taryn Simon's first major museum survey in NYC. Fills the entire rotunda with photography, video, and sculpture.
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum · Upper East SideArtThru Oct 24
Emma Mcintyre: This Body Holds / Swamp Stuff
New York debut of the young New Zealand painter. Lush, abstract, bodily paintings.
David Zwirner, 52 Walker St · Tribeca · freeDragSat Oct 24, 6pm
Bosco: The Black Parade Drag + Burlesque Show
Bosco celebrates 20 years of My Chemical Romance's The Black Parade with an all-star drag and burlesque lineup. Dress black, or don't, just get there early.
Saint Vitus · GreenpointNightlifeSun Oct 25, 10am-5pm
Grand Bazaar NYC: Spooky Spectacular Bazaar
NYC's biggest weekly market goes spooky for Halloween weekend, with vintage, antiques, and local makers. Free to get in and right by Central Park.
Grand Bazaar NYC, W 76th St & Columbus Ave · Upper West Side · FreeTheaterThru Nov 1
Frigid New York's Annual Days of the Dead Festival
Two weeks of independent theater and performance about death, the afterlife, and Halloween. The lineup skews spooky and the tickets stay low enough to try more than one show.
Under St. Marks Theatre · East Village · 7-25 sliding scaleFilmThru Oct 25
38th Annual NewFest LGBTQ+ Film Festival
New York's biggest LGBTQ+ film festival, screening in venues across the city. The closing weekend is the easy way to catch more than one.
Various locations · Manhattan And Brooklyn · 17+ArtThu Oct 22, 7pm
MoMA PS1 School Nite
A new after-hours series that opens the galleries for rising electronic acts, starting with Isabella Lovestory, b0yg1rl, and Ali Rq. First edition, and the presale price beats the door.
MoMA PS1 · Long Island City · 15 adv, 20 doorFilmThu Oct 22, 7pm
Free Outdoor Movie: Sinners (2025)
A free outdoor screening of Ryan Coogler's Sinners. Bring a blanket and a jacket and get there early for a spot.
McCarren Park · Williamsburg · FreeMusicThu Oct 22, 7pm
Beck (Ride Lonesome Tour)
Beck brings the Ride Lonesome tour to a newly restored Brooklyn landmark, with Ioanna Gika along. The room just reopened and this is one of the first big shows in it.
Brooklyn Paramount · Downtown BrooklynDragThu Oct 22, 9pm
Guillermo del Homo: Pan's Labyrinth 20th Anniversary Drag Tribute
A drag tribute to Guillermo del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth for its 20th anniversary. Costumes encouraged, fantasy creatures guaranteed.
C'mon Everybody · Bed-Stuy · 13.39DragWed Oct 21, 10:30pm
Monster High Mash: A Monster High Drag Party
Cheetah Quila hosts an all-Monster High drag party. Get your ghouls together and dress like your favorite character.
C'mon Everybody · Bed-Stuy · 13.39MusicWed Oct 21, 8pm & 10:30pm
Robert Glasper X Questlove + Bilal
Robert Glasper, Questlove, and Bilal share one stage for a night, sets at 8 and 10:30. Bilal's voice over those two rhythm sections is the draw.
Blue Note · West VillageFoodOpen now
Chinaloa
New Mexican-Asian fusion from chef Jaime Sanchez, dumplings and bao finished with salsa macha. Open late, closed Mondays.
185 Grand St · WilliamsburgFoodOpen now
Lilli and Loo
A Chinese restaurant where the whole menu is gluten-free, more than 15 years into doing it. Open daily till 9:30 with lunch specials on weekdays and room for a mixed-diet group.
198 9th Ave · ChelseaFoodOpen now
Odo East Village
Chef Hiroki Odo's new kaiseki izakaya, kaiseki precision with the warmth of a neighborhood pub. The menu is fully gluten-free and built around rice; book a table on Resy.
536 E 5th St · East VillageFilm, check bam · org for showtimes
You Can See Everything
Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim follow Elizabeth Holmes through the 34 days before she reports to prison. It runs 175 minutes and plays like a thriller, so give it an evening.
BAM · Fort GreeneComedy, thru at least Nov 1
Rachel Kaly: Hospital Hour
Rachel Kaly's one-woman show about more than 300 hospital visits, after sold-out runs in London and Edinburgh. Go with someone who likes it dark; the laughs and the sad parts land in the same hour.
The Culture Club · ChelseaFoodOpen now
Malavita Dinner Service
Italian sandwich shop that transforms into an osteria at night. The Greenpoint local's new dinner option.
614 Manhattan Ave · GreenpointArtOct 4, 2026
Krasner and Pollock: Past Continuous
First major New York presentation devoted to either artist in more than 20 years. Over 120 works, tracing the full arc of their intertwined careers.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art · Upper East SideNightlifeNew: opened Aug 28
Limousine
New cocktail bar from the team behind Five Leaves and Goldie's. Sleek black banquettes, private karaoke room, small bites til midnight.
632 Manhattan Ave · GreenpointFoodOpen now
El Pinguino
Narrow Spanish seafood bar by the waterfront built around martinis, sherry, raw bar, and conservas.
25 Greenpoint Ave · GreenpointArtThru Jan 10, 2027
The Lost World: The Art of Minnie Evans
A reexamination of a visionary self-taught artist. Radiant drawings and collages of flowers, birds, angels, and faces inspired by dreams and spiritual revelation. Dense, colorful, transportive.
Whitney Museum of American Art · Meatpacking · freeFoodOpen now
Sam's
Red-sauce Italian American institution since 1930, reopened by former Long Island Bar alum Georgia Fulton. Same pizza oven.
238 Court St · Cobble HillTheaterThru Nov 8
Elf Lyons: The Woman on the Edge
NY debut of a theatrical comedy from one of the 50 funniest comedians of the 21st century. A bonkers show about love and a broken engagement blending stand-up, opera, character work, and bouncy castles.
SoHo Playhouse · SohoOtherNew: opened Aug 26
Behind the Booth
Secret wine bar and cafe hidden behind an old-timey photo booth. "Ice cream you wouldn't have ordered anywhere else."
Behind the Booth · Lower East SideShoppingOpen now
Alter
Greenpoint's best curated shop. Covetable, well-designed, actually buyable.
Alter · GreenpointNightlifeOpen now
Julius'
Historic queer bar, one of New York's oldest. A martini here is a rite of passage.
Julius' · West VillageFoodOpen now
Submarino Mariscos
Mexican coastal seafood: aguachile, ceviche, tostadas. Big flavors, patio out back.
Submarino Mariscos · GreenpointFoodNew: opened Aug 30 · Fri-Sun lunch, then burger nights
Kirbee's BBQ
Legit Texas barbecue from two award-winning Lone Star pitmasters. Brisket, green spaghetti, dollar lone stars.
Kirbee's BBQ · Greenpoint