The Best Things To Do In NYC This Week, From Accordions To A Midsummer Night's Steam

Love Is Short Films @ William Vale

Start your week with a delightful dose of romance at Rooftop Films' Love Is Short Films. The series delivers an expansive view of love, and includes one about a gal discovering her libido during Christian teen counseling, another featuring an enormous penis floating through space, and yet another starring a lady dressed as a rabbit. As always, the evening starts with live music, follows the films with a filmmaker Q&A, and ends with an afterparty for all.

Tuesday, July 23rd, 7 p.m. // William Vale, 111 N 12th St., Brooklyn // Tickets: $16

Accordion Picnic @ Bryant Park

Sample a range of international musical flavors at the Accordion Picnic. A dozen accordionists will be stationed throughout Bryant Park, and attendees are invited to wander from one to the next, or plop down and be serenaded by whoever comes by. Performers include traditional Irish music by Patty Furlong, Argentine tango by Maestro Tito Castro, Mexican Norteño by Nain de los M-1 Sangre de Reyes, Egyptian tunes by Nabawy, and many more. The event is part of the annual Accordions Around the World program.

Wednesday, July 24th, 5:30 p.m. // Bryant Park, Manhattan // Free

Shanghai Express: Tokyo @ The Alley Cat

Don your most glamorous duds and travel through time and space to Shanghai Express: Tokyo. The decadent evening takes place at a subterranean, speakeasy-style club and is meant to immerse attendees in 1930s Japan. There will be Japanese-inspired cocktails and small plates, live vintage multilingual jazz by Carte Blanche, and Yuriko Miyake will perform theatrical dance pieces to music recorded by geishas in the 1930s. Period or fancy attire required.

Wednesday, July 24th, 8:30 p.m. // The Alley Cat, address with purchase // Tickets: $29

A Midsummer Night's Steam @ CityWell Brooklyn

Have a sonnet with your schvitz at A Midsummer Night's Steam, an immersive evening of live poetry and music in a spa. For the third year running, boutique bathhouse CityWell Brooklyn turns Shakespearean with an all-female cast of faeries popping up all around with live performances. Guests get access to all the spa services, like saunas, soaks, and steam, plus door prizes from local businesses, snacks, and cocktails from Dirty Precious. BYO bathing suit.

Wednesday, July 24th, 6:30 p.m. // CityWell Brooklyn, 496 President St., Brooklyn // Tickets: $55

Go totally off the wall at the world's biggest bounce house, Saturday (photo courtesy of Big Bounce America)

The Big Bounce America @ Aviator Sports Center

Get ready for a superlative springing experience at The Big Bounce America, a massive collection of blow-up attractions sprawling across Floyd Bennett Field. There are three unique inflatable worlds: the Giant, a 900-foot obstacle course; Air Space, 25 feet tall and filled with planets, moon craters, and a five-person race slide; and the World's Biggest Bounce House, an 11,000-foot colossus filled with ball pits, climbing towers, and live DJs in the center soundtracking all the mayhem. There are timed sessions for all different age groups (including adult-only); the Big Bounce will be in town through August 4th.

Opens Friday, July 26th // Aviator Sports Center, Floyd Bennett Field, Brooklyn // Tickets: $16 and up

New York Poetry Festival @ Governors Island

Revel in verse at the ninth-annual New York Poetry Festival. With 250 poets on two stages, the fest unites NYC's literary community on Governors Island's Colonels Row. This year's headliners include two-time U.S. Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky, Columbia poetry professor Dorothea Lasky, Lambda Literary finalist Chen Chen, Radcliffe fellow Javier Zamora, and VIDA: Women in Literary Arts board member Lynn Melnick. There will also be a youth stage, open mics, installations, performance art, and more.

Saturday, July 27th, and Sunday, July 28th // Colonel's Row, Governors Island // Free

MoMA PopRally: Splash @ Snug Harbor Botanic Garden

While MoMA is closed this summer for renovations, they're taking their show on the road, partnering with arts groups all across the city. This weekend they're in Staten Island, co-presenting a wet and wonderful evening with the Snug Harbor Cultural Center. There will be an open bar and food from Staten Island vendors Ho’ Brah Tacos, Seppe Pizza Bar, and Egger’s Ice Cream Parlor, as well as trivia contests, a set by DJ Tom, and live music by the Gotham Easy Brass Band. The night culminates in a screening of the 1984 classic mermaid film Splash. Aquatic costumes encouraged.

Saturday, July 27th, 7 p.m. // Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden, Staten Island // Tickets: $10

Strut your stuff at the Coney Island Talent Show (photo by Robin Souma)

Coney Island Talent Show @ Coney Island Boardwalk

For the 10th year running, the annual Coney Island Talent Show is a summer spectacular honoring Coney's centuries-old performance legacy. With three age categories, kids as young as nine can compete for cash prizes and awards. The day will be hosted by sideshow magician Albert Cadabra, and judges include Burlesque on the Beach producer Bambi the Mermaid, GWAR founder Chuck Vargas, and stripper/dancer Evil Hate Monkey.

Saturday, July 27th, 4 p.m. // Coney Island Boardwalk between 10th and 12th St. // Free

Brooklyn Roots Festival @ Lefferts Historic House

Prospect Park Alliance is honoring our city's cultural diversity at the second-annual Brooklyn Roots Festival. Celebrate artistic traditions from immigrant communities across Brooklyn, including Dancing Crane Company, Diwas Gurung, and groups representing Russian, Chinese, Pakistani, and Haitian communities. There will also be workshops by tai chi group Qi Tao and Ukrainian Village Voices, plus family-oriented activities from Marvarid Uzbek Dance Group, Folk Dance Club Kaleidoscope, and more.

Sunday, July 28th, 12 p.m. // Lefferts Historic House, 452 Flatbush Ave., Brooklyn // Free

Heritage Sunday @ Hearst Plaza

Another opportunity to relish NYC's unique culture is this year's Heritage Sunday, presented by the Center for Traditional Music and Dance. See a slew of splendid ensembles, including Nuyorican bomba extraordinarios Redobles de Cultura, Staten Island's intergenerational Sri Lankan Dance Academy of New York, Brooklyn-based klezmer group Michael Winograd & the Honorable Mentshen, and Andean band Inkarayku, playing Quechua folk songs blended with modern dance music. Part of the Lincoln Center Out of Doors festival.

Sunday, July 28th, 1 p.m. // Hearst Plaza, Lincoln Center, Manhattan // Free