Things To Do In River Edge

This week’s list includes a book release party for a YouTube star, a street festival with ballerinas, and a 1990s French film that blends sci-fi with film noir. And as always, check Groupon for more great things to do in New York City. St. Vincent Prospect Park | Saturday, August 9, 7:30 p.m. With guitar-rock anthems like “Cheerleader” and “Digital Witness” to her name, there’s no question that Annie Clark can shred. But on tour to support her self-titled fourth album, the woman known as St. Vincent has taken her performances to the next level, with bold costumes and onstage theatrics that recall Prince at his 1980s peak. Thrall to her goddess-like power at the last of summer’s free Celebrate Brooklyn! concerts at the Prospect Park Bandshell. Brooklyn songwriter and composer Ellis Ludwig-Leone, aka San Fermin, opens. (9th Street and Prospect Park West; doors at 6:30 p.m.; free) Check out our guide to cheap eats near Prospect Park. Dance Theatre of Harlem Street Festival Harlem | Saturday, August 9, noon to 7 p.m. Students from DTH’s intensive summer programs pirouette across the stage during this seven-hour celebration of the arts, performing alongside special guests such as bluesman Keith “The Captain” Gamble and Repstyles, a Philadelphia b-boy crew. Street vendors hawk food, clothing, books, and jewelry between acts. (West 152nd Street between Amsterdam and Nicholas Avenues; free) Midnight Murakami Greenpoint | Monday, August 11, 10:30 p.m. Like hopeful kids staying up for Santa, fans of Japanese author Haruki Murakami gather at WORD this Monday to await the midnight arrival of his latest novel, Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage. Donuts and wine are provided, as is entertainment: participants who sign up in advance can read their favorite excerpts from his previous novels to the anticipation-jangled crowd. A $25.95 preorder of the book is required to attend. (126 Franklin St.; 10:30 p.m.; free with book purchase) My Drunk Kitchen Launch Party SoHo | Wednesday, August 13, 7 p.m. YouTube sensation Hannah Hart will make an IRL appearance at Housing Works Bookstore Cafe this Wednesday to celebrate the publication of her new “cookbook,” My Drunk Kitchen: A Guide to Eating, Drinking, and Going with Your Gut. In her My Drunk Kitchen videos, Hart gulps glasses of wine before ad-libbing her way through recipes, often digressing into topics from turning 30 to bitcoin between sautés and shiraz spills. It’s not clear what cooking, if any, will occur at the launch party, but at the very least, guests will have the opportunity to skim the book’s illustrated pages for more of Hart’s laugh-out-loud-funny anecdotes. (126 Crosby St.; free) Level Five Fort Greene | Friday, August 15–Thursday, August 21 In this intense and visually arresting film from French director Chris Marker, a woman relives the loss of her lover while programming a video game about World War II’s Battle of Okinawa. A blend of sci-fi and film-noir aesthetics pervades the film’s examination of the nature of trauma both personal and historical. Never before screened in North America, the 1997 film kicks off BAMcinématek’s month-long retrospective of Marker’s work, which includes the dreamlike classics La Jetée (1962) and Sans Soleil (1983). (Brooklyn Academy of Music, 30 Lafayette Ave.; $9–$14; tickets available soon)

This week’s agenda includes a poet-led rock band, a 40-mile bike ride, indie-pop handclaps, and frothy pints of craft beer. If that’s not enough to keep you busy, you can always check Groupon for more great things to do in New York City. New York City Poetry Festival Governors Island | Saturday, July 26, and Sunday, July 27, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. If you’ve ever dreamed of seeing a Pulitzer Prize–winning poet front a rock group, here’s your chance. The fourth annual NYC Poetry Festival brings Paul Muldoon’s folk-and-roots band Wayside Shrines to Governors Island to headline a weekend that will include readings from more than 250 poets, including Mark Doty, Joyelle McSweeney, and Matthea Harvey. In-between sets, browse indie crafts and booksellers’ wares, fuel up with snacks from food vendors including Morris Grilled Cheese and Mud Coffee, or quaff pints in a beer garden sponsored by Brooklyn Brewery. (free; register here) The Epic Ride Greenpoint | Sunday, July 27, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Cyclists zip along 40 miles of picturesque waterfront during this Brooklyn Greenway Initiative–sponsored ride, which loosely follows the path of the proposed Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway. Starting in Greenpoint, riders pedal their way along the Queens shoreline to Rockaway Beach, where they can celebrate their feat with a dip in the ocean or a beachside after-party with food vendors. ($30 BGI members, $40 general admission; register here) Ingrid Michaelson Central Park | Wednesday, July 30, at 6 p.m. This spring, singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson’s “Girls Chase Boys” became her highest-charting single in eight years, buoyed in part by a Robert Palmer–esque music video full of made-up male models. But Michaelson's back catalog is full of even more sweet, upbeat pop. This Wednesday at Central Park Summerstage, the concert crowd can look forward to clapping along with her 2006 hit “The Way I Am” or whipping out their best air ukulele during the chilled-out ballad “Be Ok.” (at Central Park SummerStage; $30, $25 in advance; buy tickets here) Good Beer SoHo | Thursday, July 31 Sponsored by Edible Manhattan, the sixth annual Good Beer festival lets suds aficionados celebrate the end of July Good Beer Month in style. Guests match pints from craft brewers such as Brewery Ommegang, Oskar Blues Brewery, and KelSo Beer with bites from the likes of Luke’s Lobster, Brooklyn Cured, and Roni-Sue’s Chocolates. (at 82Mercer, 82 Mercer St.; $65 general admission; buy tickets here) Finding Fela West Village | Friday, August 1 Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti may have a hit Broadway musical to his name, but there’s always more to his life story than can fit onstage. Academy Award–winner Alex Gibney’s documentary Finding Fela, which opens at the IFC Center this weekend, attempts to fill in the gaps left by FELA! by delving deep into Kuti’s legacy as a performer and political activist. The result may feel a little like program notes for the musical (whose scenes feature prominently in the film), but for fans of Kuti, it’s still worth a look. (323 Sixth Ave.; $14 adults, $10 children and seniors, $9 IFC members; tickets not yet available) Photo of Ingrid Michaelson by Shervin Lainez.

Don’t let the Fourth of July hog all the attention. From an Avengers-themed costume party to a dream-pop concert at MoMA, there’s plenty to do this week beyond cookouts and fireworks. If you still need help filling your schedule, check Groupon for more great things to do in New York City. Drunk Shakespeare Hell’s Kitchen | Monday, June 30, at 8 p.m. Sure, this limited-run show has multiple performances throughout the week. However, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more highbrow(ish) excuse to get tipsy on a Monday night. Upstairs at Quinn’s Bar & Grill, an actor downs a minimum of five shots of whiskey before attempting to perform a Shakespeare play from memory. Botched lines, mangled soliloquies, and other antics ensue as the troupe blends the poetry of the Bard with the spontaneity of improv comedy. (356 W. 44th St.; $29) Downward Doll Yoga at Karma Kids West Village | Wednesday, July 2, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Child-centric yoga studio Karma Kids kicks off its Wednesday summer event series with a yoga lesson for kids aged 3–6 and their favorite stuffed animals and dolls. Each toy gets its own mini yoga mat to practice poses alongside its pint-size owner. If this session fills up, no worries—Karma Kids has pirate, shark, and fairy-princess themed yoga yet to come. (104 W. 14th St.; $30) MoMA Nights with Au Revoir Simone Midtown | Thursday, July 3, at 6:30 p.m. The austere white walls of MoMA’s sculpture garden will reverberate with the dream-pop of Brooklyn trio Au Revoir Simone this Thursday in the latest outing in the MoMA Nights series. Snacks and drinks will be available for purchase, including local gelato and sorbetto from the Garden Bar. Get there before doors open at 5:30 p.m. to wander the museum’s summer exhibitions. (11 W. 53rd St.; free with $14–$25 museum admission) Nathan’s Famous Hot-Dog Eating Contest Coney Island | Friday, July 4, starting at 11 a.m. Fireworks, shmireworks. Every red-blooded American knows that the real way to celebrate our nation’s birth is to watch an adult man (or woman) scarf down dozens of hot dogs in a matter of mere seconds. Stop by to see Kobayashi’s archnemesis Joey Chestnut and Sonya “The Black Widow” Thomas defend their 2013 men’s and women’s titles. (1310 Surf Ave.; free) Midtown Comics Fan Party and The Avengers Screening South Street Seaport | Saturday, July 5, starting at 4 p.m.; movie screening at 8 p.m. Can’t make it to Comic Con this year? No worries—this Pier/Party event will be crawling with cosplayers. Costumed fans enjoy drink specials and compete for prizes provided by South Street Seaport and Midtown Comics. Stop by to participate or people-watch before The Avengers brings heroes like Thor, Captain America, and Iron Man to life on the big screen. (11 Fulton St.; free) Photo of 2006 Nathan's Famous Hot-Dog Eating Contest sourced from Wikipedia under a Creative Commons License. Downward Doll photo courtesy of Karma Kids.