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Few people other than avid fans of Lanford Wilson's play appreciate the “Fifth of July” as anything other the day after a holiday. This year, though, there is no reason to mope around that day and eat leftover hotdogs.
Governor’s Island offers a dayl of activities Saturday culminating in a performance by the New York Philharmonic. Bramwell Tovey will conduct The Star-Spangled Banner and 1812 Overture, as well as works by Rossini and Rimsky-Korsakov. The concert will begin at 6:30 p.m. and is scheduled to conclude by 8 p.m.
You can bring your bike (if you board the ferry before 3:30 p.m.) to tour the island and drop in on other events. Grammy-winning folk-pop singer and songwriter Janis Ian performs at 1:30 p.m. The National Park Service will lead tours of the Historic District leaving from Fort Jay at 25 minutes past the hour. The island also offers art exhibitions, including “Emergence” by Figment. This interactive, three-dimensional display features contributions from more than 30 artists and art collectives working in a range of media.
Governor’s Island opens at 10 a.m. Ferries will run every half hour from the Battery Maritime Building in Lower Manhattan between 10 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., and every 15 minutes between 3:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Ferries will run back to Manhattan only beginning at 7p.m.
Governors Island will be open every Friday, Saturday and Sunday until Oct. 12. It offers a number of performances, lectures and other special events throughout the summer.
For more information, visit Governors Island.
- Island Holiday
- Live from Queens, It's Tuesday Night
- The Flatiron District
- Along the High Line
- Artistic Avenue
- Celebrating Science
- Brooklyn Bridge Birthday Bash
- Catholics in New York
- Gowanus Transformations
- Manhattan Meander
- Tribeca Film Festival
- Earth Day
- Minarets of Manhattan
- New York Plague
- The Worker's Riviera
- A Pioneering Photographer
- Artist and Transit Worker
- The Man Behind 'Shrek'
- Transforming Bed-Stuy
- Votes for Women
- Art from Today’s Battlegrounds
- The Year of the Rat
- Super Days
- A Museum for Bulls and Bears
- Honoring Martin Luther King
- Jewish Film Festival
- Culturefest
- Ringing in the News
- Sweet Structures
- New York Noon
July 4, 2008
Travis 4th of July Parade
This 98th annual Independence Day parade will be held rain or shine. The ceremony will begin at noon from the reviewing stand which is located in front of P.S. 26 at 4108 Victory Boulevard. Complimentary snow cones, cotton candy and popcorn will be distributed to all children from t 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the P.S. 26 schoolyard.
For more information, visit Travis Parade.
Showplace Entertainment Center, 141 East Service Road, off Rte 440, Staten Island
12:00PM - 3:30PM
Cost: free
Posted By: Gotham Gazette
Roosevelt Island's Fireworks Festival
The Roosevelt Island 4th of July Fireworks Festival at Southpoint Park offers a great view of the annual fireworks display in the East River. Jugglers, stilt walkers, face-painters and a live concert, featuring Jazz Collective, Citizens of Contrary Knowledge, Victor Quezada y su banda and the Therapy Band, will provide entertainment prior to the fireworks. Food and beverages will be available for purchase .
Pre-show entertainment will begin at 2 p.m, and gates to the venue open at 5pm.
Chairs will be provided for all ticket-holders. Large coolers, over-sized bags and backpacks are not permitted on site, and all bags are subject to search.
Tickets may be purchased online at here or in person at the Tramway Plaza located at 59th St and 2nd Ave.
Southpoint Park, Roosevelt Island
2:00PM -
Cost: $20
Posted By: Gotham Gazette
July 5, 2008
Plants in the Green City: Talk by Steve Clemants
The CUNY Institute for Sustainable Cities presents the annual Governors Island Science, Art Exhibition and Lecture Series: Sustainable CUNY | Sustainable NYC. This summer's program will view sustainability in the city from all lenses, drawing lectures from the public, private and research sectors.
For more information, contact Carina Molnar at 212 650-3456 or cmolnar@hunter.cuny.edu. For information go to Sustainable Cities.
Governors Island
12:30PM -
Cost: Free
Posted By: Gotham Gazette
Janis Ianon Governors Island
Folk-pop singer/songwriter Janis Ian will off this year’s Folks on the Island: A Folk Music Festival on Governors Island. A Grammy-award winning performer, Ian hit it big in 1975 with her single “At Seventeen,” a bittersweet commentary on adolescent cruelty and teenage angst. Her music continues to reflect and transcend the challenges of our times.
The free concert series take place every Saturday from July 5 to Aug. 2 at 1:30 pm. Ferry service to Governors Island are free to the public.
For travel directions and more information, visit Folks on the Island.
Colonel's Row, Governors Island
1:30PM -
Cost: Free
Posted By: Gotham Gazette
New York Philharmonic Concert on Governors Island
The New York Philharmonic, with conductor Bramwell Tony, will present a concert on Governors Island. It will include works by Rossini, Rimsky-Korsakov and Tchaikovsky.
The concert caps off a day of events on the island, including a performance by folk-pop singer and songwritier Janis Ian at 1:30 p.m.; “In Site,” an exhibition, marking a 70 year celebration for the Sculptors Guild; and “Emergence” by Figment, an interactive, three-dimensional living exhibit, featuring contributions from more than 30 artists/art collectives in a range of media.
Parade Grounds on Governor's Island
6:30PM - 8:00PM
Cost: Free
Posted By: Gotham Gazette
July 6, 2008
Free Historic Flatiron Walking Tour
The Flatiron/23rd Street Partnership is sponsoring free weekly walking tours of the historic Flatiron district. Our guides lead you a 90-minute journey through this vibrant neighborhood viewing notable landmarks, including the New York Life Insurance building, the MetLife tower, the Appellate Courthouse and the famous Flatiron Building.
Tours meet at 11 a.m. every Sunday through December 2008. For more information, please call 212741-2323, or visit Discover Flatiron. No reservations necessary.
Soutwest corner of Madison Square Park, at 23rd Street and Broadway in front of the William Seward statue
11:00AM - 12:30PM
Cost: Free
Posted By: Gotham Gazette
July 8, 2008
Cinderella Samba Puppet Theater
In this unique twist on the classic story performed by the Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre puppeteers, Cinderella and her Prince now find themselves in a samba contest at Brazil's Carnival Ball. A free puppet-making workshop will follow the show.
Columbus Park, Mulberry & Park streets, Manhattan
10:30AM - 11:30AM
Cost: Free
Posted By: Gotham Gazette
Self-Defense for Women and Transpeople
The Center for Anti-Violence Education is offering a five-week class for adult women and transpeople of all abilities. Students learn verbal and physical self-defense techniques, and participate in activities and discussions relating to violence prevention, safety, and conflict de-escalation. Free childcare for all students, upon request.
The class runs until Aug. 5.
Park Slope United Methodist Church, 493 8th Street, Brooklyn
6:30PM - 8:30PM
Cost: sliding scale based on income/ free for survivors
Posted By: Gotham Gazette
Free Summer Concerts at Gantry Plaza State Park
This installment of “Live at the Gantries”, Queens' newest free summer performance series, will feature Min Xiao-Fen of Blue Pipa. She is known for her exploration of traditional and modern music from all cultures. Famed for her virtuosity and fluid style on the pipa, she has recorded and performed with Björk.
Visit, Live at the Gantries for additional information.
Gantry Plaza State Park in LIC between 49th and 50th Avenue
7:00PM - 8:15PM
Cost: Free
Posted By: Gotham Gazette
July 9, 2008
Rainforest Connection
Kids are invited to join super hero Captain Cocoa on an adventure to save the rainforest and discover that everyone can change the world. This performance is recommended for children ages 4 to 10.
Mt. Hope Playground, Orchard Beach, E. 177th Street and Walton Ave.
10:30AM - 11:30AM
Cost: Free
Posted By: Gotham Gazette
Getting into Publishing
Hear from the new kids on the publishing block how their dreams became reality. The panel of novelists who made the leap into the publishing world will offer tips and tell stories from their experiences.
David Ebershoff, editor-at-Large at Random House and authorof "Pasadena: A Novel" will be the host. The panel will also feature novelists: Toby Barlow ("Sharp Teeth"), Charles Bock ("Beautiful Children: A Novel"), Stefan Merrill Block ("The Story of Forgetting: A Novel"), Ceridwen Dovey ("Blood Kin: A Novel"); and Sophie Gee ("The Scandal of the Season: A Novel").
Bryant Park Reading Room
12:30PM - 1:45PM
Cost: Free
Posted By: Gotham Gazette
July 10, 2008
Botanical Exhibit: Urban Greenhouse
Rockefeller Center will transform its world-famous plaza into a jungle of lush greenery filled with thousands of stevia plants housed in a sleek 20 foot by 40 foot urban greenhouse.
The stevia plant is celebrated in South America for its sweet leaves. Botanical experts demonstrate how a natural, no-calorie sweetener can be derived from the leaf. Participants will learn how stevia leaves are harvested and dried, and then steeped in fresh water, a process similar to making tea.
The greenhouse is open July 10 and July 11 from 7:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Botanical demonstrations and interactive exhibitions will take place from 11:00 a.m. 3:00 p.m. both days.
Rockefeller Center Plaza
7:30AM - 6:00PM
Cost: Free
Posted By: Gotham Gazette
Carnival of the World / Carnaval del Mundo
This amazing dancing marionette escapade will capture the eyes and imagination of both adults and children. It is presented by one of America’s leading puppet troupes, Dan Butterworth Marionettes.
Morningside Park, 123rd Street & Morningside Avenue
10:30AM - 11:30AM
Cost: Free
Posted By: Gotham Gazette
Behind the Book: Sarah Schulman and Rivka Galchen
KGB Bar's Behind the Book hosts another evening of free readings. Sarah Schulman, author of "The Child," and Rivka Galchen, author of "Atmospheric Disturbances,") read excerpts from their most recent work.
KGB Bar, 85 East Fourth Street (between Second and Third Avenues)
7:00PM - 9:00PM
Cost: free
Posted By: Gotham Gazette
July 11, 2008
First Fridays! - Harlem on My Mind
The Ray Abrams Big Swing Band, a powerful 17-piece group continuing the tradition of swing music created by the legendary bands of Count Basie and Duke Ellington, performs at Bronx Museum First Fridays! program. The event will also feature the great young dancers of Hoofer’s House.
Bronx Museum of the Arts, 1040 Grand Concourse
6:00PM - 10:00PM
Cost: Free
Posted By: Gotham Gazette

