free things to do in New York City
Free events for Thursday, 05/05/16
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Free Events, Free Things to Do in New York City!  Read More
51 free events take place on Thursday, May 5 in New York City.
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51 free things to do in New York City (NYC) on Thursday, May 5, 2016

All events are free unless otherwise noted.

Editor's Picks

free events nyc Revolutionaries: The Late Works of Beethoven and Ginastera
free events nyc Playwright Eric Weinberger discusses his book Tea For Three - Lady Bird, Pat and Betty
free events nyc Enso String Quartet performs works by Sibelius, Beethoven
free events nyc Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale: A College Production
More Editor's Picks for 05/05/16
        

Conference | Gay American History at 40


This conference marks the fortieth anniversary of Jonathan Ned Katz's Gay American History: Lesbians and Gay Men in the USA (1976) and will highlight the ways in which theories, categories, research methods and priorities have been constructed, challenged, and reconstructed over the last forty years of historical research on sexuality and gender.
   Lower Manhattan, New York, NY
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8:00 am
Free

City Walk | Brooklyn Bridge, Brooklyn Heights and Dumbo Tour


This is a 3-hour tour that begins with a walk over the Brooklyn Bridge, an icon of New York City for over 125 years, with spectacular views of Manhattan and Brooklyn. The tour then moves on to a stroll of Brooklyn Heights, America’s and New York City’s first suburb. The tour then explores the neighborhood DUMBO before ending at the Fulton Ferry landing. This tour takes place every day at 10am.
   Lower Manhattan,
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10:00 am
Free...

Workshop | Photoshop for Beginners


Learn how to enhance photos using the number 1 photo editing software in the world; Adobe Photoshop. In this class you learn the features of Photoshop and learn about layers and use them to manipulate images to your desire. Class is conducted on Macintosh computers.
   Midtown,
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10:30 am
Free

Park Walk | Northern Park Welcome Tour


See the Park’s northernmost highlights on this walk from Conservatory Garden along the Harlem Meer and past the North Woods. Route easy to negotiate, a few stairs. 45 minutes.
   East Harlem,
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11:00 am
free, no reservation required

Other | The Migratory Bird Treaty Centennial


NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver will join Chief of Populations for Migratory Birds, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Scott Johnston, Commissioner of the National Parks of New York Harbor, National Park Service Joshua Laird, and Director of Science and Conservation at NYC Audubon Susan Elbin to celebrate the Centennial of the Central Park Migratory Bird Treaty. Bird walks will be offered by Urban Park Rangers and National Parks Service Rangers. The event serves to recognize New York City’s wildlife habitat management and conservation efforts across the five boroughs. This centennial celebration will bring together federal and local partners in avian conservation, protection and education.
   Central Park,
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11:00 am
free, no reservation required

Concert | Bach at Noon


The keyboard works of Bach offered in 30-minute meditations by Patrick Allen, organist and master of choristers, and Phillip Lamb, organ scholar. Bach at Noon concerts takes place Tuesdays through Fridays, from September 15, 2015 to May 26, 2016.
   Lower Manhattan,
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12:30 pm
free, no reservation required

Concert | Brandee Younger, Genre-Defying Harpist


Experience the harp like never before! Versatile, genre-defying harpist Brandee Younger curates this lunchtime series, which explores how the harp is used in the 21st century. From classical to folk to jazz to singer-songwriter, experience the contemporary facets of this ancient instrument. This event takes place Thursdays between April 21 and May 12.
   Midtown East, New York, NY
12:30 pm
free, no reservation required

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. Tour times: 1:00pm, 2:00pm. This tour takes place Mondays through Fridays, except bank holidays.
   Lower Manhattan,
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1:00 pm
Free

Classical Music | Revolutionaries: The Late Works of Beethoven and Ginastera


Program: Alberto Ginastera String Quartet No. 2, Op. 26 (1958, Rev. 1968) Ludwig van Beethoven String Quartet No 14 in C-sharp minor, Op. 131 Described by Strad magazine as "thrilling," and praised by the Washington Post for its "glorious sonorities," the Enso String Quartet presents works by Ginastera and Beethoven.
   Lower Manhattan, New York, NY
1:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Concert | 'Made In America': An Evolution from Indigenous Tribal Music to American-Born Musical Idioms


Exploring American music from its genesis - indigenous tribal music - moving forward into the time of European colonization, the ensemble showcases early American traditions, delving into sacred and secular monophony, Shaker hymns and spirituals, and polyphonic music by composers such as William Billings and Justin Morgan. Performers:  The Broken Consort: Maggie Finnegan: voice Julie Bosworth: voice Emily Lau: voice Brian Kay: lute, oud, percussion, voice Niccolo Seligmann: vielle, viola da gamba, other bowed string Christopher Preston Thompson: voice, historic harp Peter Walker: voice, bagpipes, percussion
   Midtown East, New York, NY
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1:15 pm
Free...

Film | Barry Sonnenfeld's Oscar Winner Men in Black (1997): ET Police


Stars: Tommy Lee Jones, Will Smith, Linda Fiorentino. A police officer joins a secret organization that polices and monitors extra terrestrial interactions on planet Earth. 98 min.
   Lower Manhattan, New York, NY
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2:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Film | Ray Enright and Busby Berkeley's Dames (1934): That Broadway Filth


Stars: Joan Blondell, Dick Powell, Ruby Keeler. Multi-millionaire Ezra Ounce wants to start a campaign against 'filthy' forms of entertainment - like Broadway shows. But Jimmy, a relative, is producing a show starring Ezra's niece Barbara. 91 min.
   Carnegie Hill, New York, NY
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2:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Conference | The Cover-Up: Contributions to a Political Iconography


This conference brings together art historians and scholars of political science and law to recognize the pioneering art historian Martin Warnke’s achievement and mark out new paths in the hermeneutics of art and image. The rubric “cover-up,” a prompt for the participants, alludes to the basic operations of sleuthing and unmasking that drive any study of the politics of the image. Takes place May 5-6.
   Lower Manhattan, New York, NY
2:00 pm
Free

Opening Reception | Exhibition: Mel Ramos: The Lost Paintings of 1962 - A Look Back at Pop!


Mel Ramos (born July 24, 1935) is an American figurative painter, specializing most often in paintings of female nudes, whose work incorporates elements of realist and abstract art. Born in Sacramento, California, to a first generation Portuguese-Azorean immigrant family, he gained his popularity as part of the Pop Art movement of the 1960s. Ramos is "best known for his paintings of superheroes and voluptuous female nudes emerging from cornstalks or Chiquita bananas, popping up from candy wrappers or lounging in martini glasses." He is also a retired university art professor.
   Midtown, New York, NY
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5:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Author Reading | Playwright Eric Weinberger discusses his book Tea For Three - Lady Bird, Pat and Betty


Welcome playwright Eric H. Weinberger, director and dramaturg Byam Stevens, and Elaine Bromka for a discussion, reading and signing of his newly published play.
   Midtown, New York, NY
5:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Birdwatching | Spring Birding Tour


Go birding! Discover the surprising diversity of birds that call the park home during migratory season with guided tours. The location is a hotspot for avian visitors and birders alike. Past sightings include warblers, tanagers, vireos, thrushes, and even a Chuck-will's-widow.
   Midtown,
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5:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Talk | Caroline Evans, Fashion Historian


A public talk given by Professor Caroline Evans, Research Leader in the Fashion Programme at Central Saint Martins, where she convenes the Fashion History and Theory Research Group.
   Lower Manhattan, New York, NY
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5:30 pm
free, no reservation required

Opening Reception | 2 Art Shows: Louisa Matthíasdóttir / Hildur Ásgeirsdóttir Jónsson


Louisa Matthíasdóttir: Icelandic Landscapes - An exhibition of large and medium-sized landscapes of Iceland from the 1980s through the early 1990s. Hildur Ásgeirsdóttir Jónsson: Woven Works - An exhibition of hand dyed woven silk works inspired from the artist native homeland of Iceland.
   Midtown, New York, NY
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6:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Opening Reception | I Can Because You Do: MFA Fine Arts Thesis Exhition


Parsons School of Design MFA Fine Arts program presents the 2016 MFA Thesis Exhibition.
   Lower East Side, New York, NY
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6:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Author Reading | Cheryl Della Pietra, Hunter S. Thompson's former assistant, reads from her book Gonzo Girl


In 1992, Cheryl Della Pietra spent several months as the editorial assistant to Hunter S. Thompson, the literary figure who popularized gonzo journalism. Her primary job—after partying all day and night with him—was to get Thompson in front of his typewriter by 2:00 a.m. to work on his ill-fated novel.
   Midtown, New York, NY
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6:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Film | Documentary: Peter Miller and Pamela Roberts' Robert Shaw: Man of Many Voices (2016)


A documentary based on the life, legacy and music of Robert Shaw, considered internationally as the icon of choral music. 60 min.
   Lincoln Square,
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6:00 pm
Free

Film | Jeff Oppenheim’s Real Fake: The Art, Life and Crimes of Elmyr de Hory (2015)


A documentary about the life, art and crimes of the greatest and most prolific art forger of our time.
   Lower Manhattan, New York, NY
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6:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Author Reading | Licia Granello discusses her book Italian Tastes from A to Z: Tradition and Culture


Licia Granello wrote about one hundred culinary jewels, all made in Italy, as well as thirty stories about great food artisans. Setting aside the gastro-economic performances of the Italian food industry, what really make a difference are those masterpieces of genius and knowledge offered by farmers, dairymen, winemakers and pastry chefs: good people, enchanted by an enormous passion for their work, aware of the fact that producing food also means determining the health of other people and of the planet itself (as Michelle Obama knows quite well).
   Lower Manhattan, New York, NY
6:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Opening Reception | Paintings: Luc Tuymans' Le Mépris


Widely credited with having contributed to the revival of painting in the 1990s, Tuymans continues to assert its relevance by addressing a diverse range of topics. Quiet, restrained, and at times unsettling, his works engage equally with questions of history and its representation as with quotidian subject matter cast in unfamiliar and eerie light.
   Midtown, New York, NY
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6:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Performance | Performance Art: Sound Experiments by Artist-Musician Brian Chippendale


Chippendale will use Marie Lorenz’s flow pool as a tool for new sound experiments. Chippendale’s emblematic drumming, painting, and comics deploy a carefully orchestrated chaos. The density and energy of his visual artwork plays out across mediums, becoming a synergistic maelstrom in his solo musical act, Black Pus, and his formative noise rock duo, Lightning Bolt. In the flow pool, Chippendale will use handmade submersible drums and experiment with looped sound recorded under water.
   Lower Manhattan, New York, NY
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6:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Opening Reception | Sculptures: Jordan Wolfson


Wolfson has become known for his thought-provoking works in a wide range of media, including video, sculpture, installation, photography, and performance. Pulling intuitively from the world of advertising, the Internet, and the technology industry, he produces ambitious and enigmatic narratives that frequently revolve around a series of invented, animated characters.
   Midtown, New York, NY
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6:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Author Reading | Wendy Suzuki read from her book Healthy Brain, Happy Life


Dr. Wendy A. Suzuki is a Professor of Neural Science and Psychology in the Center for Neural Science where her work has been recognized with numerous grants and awards including the prestigious Troland Research Award from the National Academy of Sciences.
   Lower Manhattan, New York, NY
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6:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Discussion | What Is the Impact of #HASHTAG POLITICS on the 2016 Presidential Campaign?


Featuring: - ​Alan Rosenblatt, Senior Vice President of Digital Strategy for turner4D ​- Valerie Streit, Digital Content and Audience Development Strategist for Google ​- Megan Liberman, Editor in Chief at Yahoo News Called the "first social media election," the 2016 presidential campaign is unfolding in real time, through the use of hashtags and other new forms of political communication. This discussion with expert guests from top social media platforms and organizations uses the 2016 campaign as a lens to look at how social media is transforming contemporary politics and culture.
   Midtown, New York, NY
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6:00 pm
Free

Slide Lecture | Stephon Alexander discusses his book The Jazz of Physics: The Secret Link Between Music and the Structure of the Universe


This illustrated lecture highlights the various ways that music, in particular, jazz improvisation is linked with modern physics and cosmology.
   Midtown,
6:30 pm
free, no reservation required

Author Reading | 2 authors discuss The Greatful Dead


A discussion with authors Michael Benson and David Browne on their Grateful Dead books, Why The Grateful Dead Matter and So Many Roads: The Life and Times of the Grateful Dead.
   Upper West Side, New York, NY
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7:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Concert | Concert-Drama: Hours of Freedom: The Story of the Terezín Composer


The New York premiere of Murry Sidlin’s new concert-drama. Showcasing music by fifteen composers imprisoned in Terezín during the WWII, the performance combines video, music, and narrative to highlight works that portray the agony and suffering of camp life and the inspiration and revelation that comes through music.
   Upper East Side, New York, NY
7:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Author Reading | Dinitia Smith reads from her book The Honeymoon


Dinitia Smith's spellbinding novel recounts George Eliot's honeymoon in Venice following her marriage to a handsome younger man. Mary Ann Evans -- later known as George Eliot -- was a country girl, and educated herself in order to secure a livelihood. In an era when female novelists were objects of wonder, she became the most famous writer of her day.
   Upper West Side,
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7:00 pm
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Author Reading | Erin McHugh reads from her book Political Suicide: Missteps, Peccadilloes, Bad Calls, Backroom Hijinx, Sordid Pasts, Rotten Breaks, and Just Plain Dumb Mistakes in the Annals of American Politics


In the midst of the circus that is our current presidential campaign season, what better time to reminisce over the epic foils, fumbles, scandals and blunders that led to the downfalls of politicians' own doing.
   Upper East Side, New York NY
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7:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Jazz | Gregory Porter performs from his CD Take Me to the Alley


An artist whose music is at once timeless yet utterly of its time, Gregory Porter solidifies his standing as his generation’s most soulful jazz singer-songwriter with the release of the much-anticipated follow-up to his million-selling Grammy-winning 2013 Blue Note debut Liquid Spirit.
   Midtown, New York, NY
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7:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Author Reading | Hal Bock discusses his book The Last Chicago Cubs Dynasty


The last time the Chicago Cubs played in the World Series, World War II had just ended. The last time they won a World Series, World War I had not yet begun. But from 1906-1910 the Cubs not only played in the World Series four of the five years, they won two World Championships, as well.
   Lower Manhattan, New York, NY
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7:00 pm
Free

Reading | Irish American Writers and Artists Salon


Welcome Irish-American writers, actors, filmmakers, musicians and artists of every (and no) religion. As well as celebrating the achievements of Irish-American writers and artists, past and present, IAW+A's purpose is to highlight, energize and encourage Irish Americans working in the arts. IAW+A is committed both to bringing together the Irish American creative community in new self-awareness and to being a force for inter-ethnic and interracial solidarity, understanding and active cooperation.
   Upper West Side, New York, NY
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7:00 pm
No cover...

Author Reading | Janet Todd reads from her book A Man of Genius


A Man of Genius portrays a psychological journey from safety into obsession and secrecy. It mirrors a physical passage from flamboyant Regency England through a Europe conquered by Napoleon. Ann, a successful writer of cheap Gothic novels, becomes obsessed with Robert James, regarded by many, including himself, as a genius, with his ideas, his talk, and his band of male followers.
   Upper Manhattan, New York, NY
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7:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Author Reading | Marianne Vitale discusses her book Train Wreck


Vitale‘s wry look at the infancy of the American railroad. Vitale reproduces black-and-white archival photographs of train wreckage in an incongruous merger of content and container. Each of the waterproof, pliable plastic pages of this book-object features a different locomotive carcass or caboose skeleton for the reader to re-contort at their leisure.
   Midtown, New York, NY
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7:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Discussion | On Virtual Reality and Digitized Experience


This panel will address the history and future of virtual reality applications within arts, culture, and industry. Media Studies Professor and Curator Christiane Paul, Digital Museum of Digital Art Co-Founder Alfredo Salazar-Caro, and VR Designer Tyler Hopf will discuss how virtual reality has changed since it gained public attention in the late 1980s and 1990s, and the different ways it will be (or already is) incorporated into society.
   Lower Manhattan, New York, NY
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7:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Poetry Reading | Poets in Conversation: Brenda Shaughnessy


Brendan Shaughnessy is the author of Interior with Sudden Joy (1999), Human Dark with Sugar (2008), winner of the James Laughlin Award from the Academy of American Poets, Our Andromeda (2012), and So Much Synth (2016).
   Lower Manhattan, New York, NY
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7:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Jazz | Student Recital: Jazz Orchestra Ensemble


The big band of the swing and bop eras has provided the foundation for today’s larger jazz ensembles and studio recording groups. Jazz Orchestra is a top-level ensemble that often performs at jazz clubs in New York City. The ensemble often performs student arrangements and compositions.
   Lower Manhattan, New York, NY
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7:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Discussion | The Village of Le Chambon-sur-Lignon: Righteous Among the Nations


Witnesses and historian will discuss how The Righteous of Le Chambon-sur-Lignon and the surrounding villages lived and rewrote history through civil resistance and rescue. Survivors Hanne and Max Liebmann, Nelly T. Hewett, Renée K. Silver, historian Patrick Cabanel, journalist Peter Grose, and translator Paul Kutner will be there to tell this story of WWII.
   Upper East Side, New York, NY
7:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Reading | Translation Night: New Works by Students


An evening of new translations by the students of the French Department M.A. program in Literary Translation. Readers: Talia Behrend-Wilcox, Aimee Ashcroft, Hannah Leffingwell, Laurel Hogan, Cecilia Ramsey. Hosted by Alyson Waters and Emmanuelle Ertel.
   Lower Manhattan, New York, NY
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7:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Screening | Animated Spirits: European Animated Short Film Festival


The festival brings some of the most exciting, recent animation from Europe to New York City. Artists from 12 European Union countries 'illustrate' the spirit of experimentation.
   Midtown East, New York, NY
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7:30 pm
Free

Concert | Enso String Quartet performs works by Sibelius, Beethoven


Program: Beethoven: String Quartet in E-flat major (“Harp”) Sibelius: String Quartet in D minor (“Voces intimae”) “Smoldering power—half honey, half molten lava—and beautifully integrated playing.” —Washington Post
   Lincoln Square,
7:30 pm
free, no reservation required

Master Class | Piano Master Class: Gila Goldstein


Pianist Gila Goldstein, known as a versatile musician, has captivated audiences around the world with her unique artistry and soulful interpretations. Goldstein has performed as a solo artist and a collaborative pianist throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, Asia, Europe and Israel. Her most notable performances included the Israel Symphony Orchestra Rishon LeZion, Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra, Orquesta Da Camera in Mexico City and the Lincoln Symphony in Nebraska.
   East Village, New York, NY
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7:45 pm
free, no reservation required

Workshop | Intro Class: Breaking the Chains of Family Patterns - Reclaiming Life Force and Love


The Family Constellation system is a unique, highly sophisticated approach to psychological healing that allows us to gain deep, visceral insights into the dynamics of our families and ancestral communities and equips us with powerful tools we can use to break free of the limiting patterns we have unconsciously absorbed from those milieus. With Suzi Tucker.
   Midtown, New York, NY
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8:00 pm
Free

Play | Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale: A College Production


A moment of jealousy and an act of anger lead to a lifetime of regret for Leontes, the King of Sicily, who convinces himself that his pregnant wife is carrying his best friend’s child. As sixteen long years pass, fate is ready to restore happiness to his world, proving nothing is truly lost - certainly not love - if only we know where to seek it.
   Lower Manhattan, New York, NY
8:00 pm
Free tickets required...

Comedy Club | The Bomb Shelter Comedy Show


Local Favorites Matt Azark, Jeff Cerulli and Erik Bransteen invite some of their favorites comedians to perform on this weekly showcase. Lineups include comedians from Comedy Central, Late Night & MTV. The show includes two free pizzas so come early. Takes place every Thursday.
   Hell's Kitchen, New York, NY
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8:00 pm
No cover...

Jazz | Student Recital: Music of Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers Ensemble


Music of Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers Ensemble will perform in an authentic style devoted to Blakey’s work.
   Lower Manhattan, New York, NY
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9:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Comedy Club | The Revision Comedy Show


Revision Comedy is a free monthly comedy show the first Thursday of every month. The comics you can see are regularly featured on Comedy Central, Conan, Jimmy Fallon and more. Entering its third year, it was one of the staples of the comedy scene here in New York City. Stay after the show for music and dancing.
   Alphabet City, New York, NY
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9:00 pm
free, no reservation required
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