Have a lucky, action-packed weekend in Bay Ridge — beginning on Friday the 13th!
Start the weekend by wandering to Third Avenue for the first Summer Stroll of the season. Starting at 6 pm on Friday, you can mosey along the car-free avenue from 68th to 80th streets, where music, dance performances, face painting, and games will take place until 10 pm. Plus, you can grab an al fresco dinner at many of the avenue’s eateries, so you can nosh and people-watch at the same time.
If you are willing to ditch the Summer Stroll early, then go on safari to the Narrows Botanical Gardens (Shore Road at 71st Street) to join Simba, Timon and Pumbaa on their problem-free odyssey, at a free screening of the Disney musical “The Lion King,” beginning around 8:45 pm.
There is another option, if you want to hear some upbeat tunes without leaving Third Avenue — just stroll inside the Brooklyn Firefly (7003 Third Ave. between Ovington Avenue and 72nd Street), where jazz vocalist Cristina Gatti will belt out hits from Beyonce and Sam Smith during a free, two-hour set starting at 8 pm.
On Saturday night, march to the Greenhouse Café (7717 Third Ave. between 77th and 78th streets) and brace yourself for a British invasion: rock band London Fogg will play classic hits from the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and the Buckinghams at a free show beginning at 10 pm.
And on Thursday, get ready for the weekend with a free art show at the Owl’s Head (479 74th St. between Fifth and Fourth avenues). Artist Carl James Ferrero will show off his paintings, which incorporate surreptitious photos of Goldman Sachs businessmen into abstract landscapes, at a reception that lasts from 7 pm until midnight. The wine bar will donate part of the proceeds from purchases of both the art and the wine to the Gay Men’s Health Crisis and other queer causes.
