ARTS
Kira Lee: “Cartoons and Characters”
Adult film star-turned-artist Kira Lee (aka Dani Daniels) returns to gallery 212 Arts with her newest exhibition, “Cartoons and Characters — A Small Canvas Show.” Each piece is one square foot in size and portrays well-known animated subjects from the contemporary, like “Adventure Time,” to classics like “Looney Tunes.” Each is done using Kira Lee’s signature style of lyrical pointillism, the pictures formed from each subject’s catchphrases. The opening night event is Thursday, 6-9 p.m. June 22-July 6, 212 Arts, 240 E. Fourth St., Free, 212arts.com
PARTY
Kick off Pride weekend with an all-out party by a group of people who really know how to party — journalists (just trust us). Join Time Out New York at Arena on Thursday: Admission covers your Bud Light and Tito’s open bar, plus light bites so you’re not a hot mess (it’s only the start of the weekend, after all). Performers include Emergency Tiara, Elizabeth James and Ruby Roo. It’s also a benefit for the Ali Forney Center for homeless LGBTQ youths, so bring cash for the raffle. June 22, 7-9:30 p.m., Arena, 135 W. 41 St., $20-$26, timeout.com
DRINKS
After a hit debut last year, the Summer Winestock returns to the Stone House on Staten Island. With your ticket, you’ll enjoy unlimited wine and cheese throughout the night at the site of the scenic property on Clove Lakes. You can also sip champagne-inspired cocktails, learn all about wine at Sip & Learn sessions, pose for pics in a 1970s-inspired photobooth and enjoy both live music and a DJ. Proceeds benefit the Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital of New York. June 22, 6-10 p.m., The Stone House, 1150 Clove Road, Staten Island, $59, thestonehousesi.com
ARTS
We’ve got a serious 1 percent problem in our country right now, but it’s not a new problem. In the days of opulent ocean liners, rich and poor passengers experienced dramatically different journeys from Europe to the States. The South Street Seaport Museum’s new exhibit, “Millions: Migrants and Millionaires Aboard Great Liners, 1900-1914” depicts the jarring contrast of how Americans cruised just 100 years ago. June 22-Jan. 7, 2018, South Street Seaport Museum, 12 Fulton St., $12, southstreetseaportmuseum.org
ARTS
“Up Close: Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel”
The Oculus at the Westfield World Trade Center is a work of art itself. Inside, there are artworks sprinkled throughout. But this weekend, the first official art exhibit is opening, and it’s a doozy: Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel. OK, they didn’t exactly drag the masterpiece out of Vatican City, but “Up Close” has painstakingly recreated the famous ceiling, through 34 frescoes, in near-exact detail, so you can take a much closer look you’d even get in Italy — right here in Downtown NYC. June 23-July 23, 10 a.m.-9 p.m., The Oculus, 33-69 Vesey St., $20, westfield.com
COMEDY
How well do jokes translate? Who’s funnier, Americans or the French? Form your own opinions on the closing night of the French Comedy Festival, which runs June 21-24 at the French Institute Alliance Francaise. Broadway Comedy Night is the only show in the series that’s all in English. It’s hosted by Sugar Sammy and features stand-up comedians you may know from late-night talk shows and Comedy Central, including Christelle Chollet, Jeff Greenspan and Guillermo Guiz. June 24, 9:30 p.m., FIAF Florence Gould Hall, 55 E. 59th St., $25-$30, frenchcomedyfestival.org
DINNER PARTY
This glamorous dinner party for a good cause won’t leave you eating instant ramen for the rest of the month. Celebrate the 150th anniversary of Prospect Park at this all-white DIY dinner party under the stars: You bring the food, wine, silverware and all your fabulous friends and tableware, they’ll bring the DJ, lawn games, tables and chairs. Proceeds support the park’s maintenance and programs. June 24, 5 p.m., $40, must be 21+, 95 Prospect Park W.
PARTY
This night devoted to all the races that make up the LGBT rainbow goes down Saturday at Brooklyn Bowl. Hit your other spots first, then head to Williamsburg for a late-night club scene laying out the welcome mat for this often marginalized intersectionality (and, of course, all open-minded allies who want to celebrate along). It’s an evening devoted to hip-hop, presented by Cake and Ante Up PDX, hosted by The Last Artful, Dodgr. The dance floor stays lit with DJ Automaton and Ronin Roc. June 24, 11:30 p.m., Brooklyn Bowl, 61 Wythe Ave., Brooklyn, $10-$15, brooklynbowl.com
FESTIVAL
It sounds like something you’d overhear in a cafe in Brooklyn: Anything can be art. But the Backlot Arts Festival, presented by KAD this weekend, opens the conversation with a diverse range of hands-on workshops — offering the community the chance to craft everything from pottery and media to books and cocktails — plus performances and exhibitions. There’s also live music, walking tours, movie screenings and a closing party. All 30 events over two days are free. June 24-25, 34-12 36th St., Queens, free, kaufmanartsdistrict.org
FOOD
Famous Food Festival: Taste the World
Over 100 vendors gather weekly at the Grand Bazaar on the Upper West Side — but this week, the marketplace gets even grander as it transforms into the Famous Food Festival. The theme is “Taste the World,” so over 40 food vendors will offer internationally influenced cuisines, including Twisted Potato, Hanna’s Meatballs, Sam’s Fried Ice Cream, Wowfulls, Burger Envy, Toum and Glazed & Confused. You can feel good about indulging, since the event benefits public schools. June 25, 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m., Grand Bazaar, 100 W. 77th St., Free, famousfoodfestival.com
DANCE
It may have “swing” in the name, but you can get down with salsa, disco, ballroom and even boogaloo at Midsummer Night Swing, an open-air dance party at Damrosch Park. This year adds Texas two-step to the mix with Dale and Ray’s Texas Dance Hall Tour on July 15. There’s also a night dedicated to Louis Armstrong on what would have been his 100th birthday, July 4. It’s free to listen to the music or visit the beer garden and food trucks without a ticket to the dance floor. June 27-July 15, Damrosch Park, 60 Lincoln Center Plaza, Free-$100, midsummernightswing.org
