Best Things To Do This Weekend In NY: October 14 & 15
Lots of annual events take place, once again, this weekend, including a celebration of pickles on the Lower East Side, a ginormous multi-day extravaganza of all kinds of eats and drinks and a jazz festival. Read on for details, and have fun!
New York City Wine and Food Festival
New York, NY
(646) 213-5400
nycwff.org
The New York City Wine and Food Festival, one of the largest such festivals in the U.S., is a must-do for foodies, lovers of #foodporn and cooks of all kinds. It's celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. Among the more than 80 scheduled events are the Blue Moon Burger Bash, hosted by Rachel Ray and featuring Pat LaFrieda meats; Pie vs. Cake, presented by Duff Goldman; and an intimate dinner prepared by Wolfgang Puck and Daniel Boulud. Plenty of cooking demos, talks, and family-friendly fun too. Thursday, October 12, through Sunday, October 15, see schedule for details and ticket info.
BRIC Jazz Festival
647 Fulton St.
Brooklyn, NY 11217
(718) 683-5600
www.bricartsmedia.org
The third annual BRIC Jazz Festival is bigger and better than before. This year, you can attend lectures and workshops, watch movies, and go see dance performances. Perhaps the festival's most outstanding feature, however, is its three-day concert marathon, featuring as it does lots of performances taking place simultaneously across the Brooklyn venue. It's a feast for your ears! We're also pretty excited about the Jazz & Justice panel, which promises to inspire lively debate about what music can (and cannot) do. Saturday, October 14 through Saturday, October 21, see schedule for details and ticket info.
Open House New York
New York, NY
www.ohny.org/weekend/event-guide
For one weekend in October, the city's infrastructure throws open its doors and welcomes visitors to see, firsthand, how exactly the city runs. In past years, we've toured recycling plants, salt sheds, tugboats, beautifully designed residences and the old Pennsylvania Station post office. As part of its 15th annual weekend, you can roam around the Brooklyn Navy Yard, the Evergreen Cemetery, the Hindu Temple Society of North America, and much, much more. See you there! Saturday, October 14, and Sunday, October 15, see schedule for details, advanced reservations sometimes required.
Harvest Fest
Queens Botanical Garden
43-50 Main Street
Flushing, NY 11355
(718) 886-3800
https://queensbotanical.org/harvestfest
The annual Harvest Fest at the Queens Botanical Garden lets you source the perfect gourd, just in time for Halloween in a few weeks. In addition, you and the wee ones in your life can attend magic shows and puppet shows, groove to live music, attend pumpkin carving and henna demos, learn about beekeeping and tea drinking, discover the fine art of composting, get your face painted, make friends in the petting zoo, take farm and foraging tours and wander around the beautiful grounds themselves. Sunday, October 15, 11 am to 5 pm, see schedule for details, $12, tickets required.
Lower East Side Pickle Day
Orchard Street between East Houston and Delancey Street
New York, NY 10002
(212) 226-9010
pickleday.nyc
This annual celebration of the pickle includes a pickle relay race, a brine dunk tank (yes, really), live music, and, of course, tons and tons of pickles. It's also an opportunity to consider the complex history of the neighborhood, particularly as a haven for immigrants from many countries. Some 20 vendors will be on hand, offering everything from meatballs to rice balls to ice cream. You can even enter your very own half-sour in the home pickling contest. "It's kind of a big dill," says the website. Indeed it is! Sunday, October 15, 12 to 5 pm, free.