Once the cherry blossoms have reached full bloom, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden celebrates with the annual Cherry Blossom Festival or Sakura Matsuri, which is a weekend long festival of traditional and contemporary Japenese culture. Enjoy taiko drumming, tea ceremonies, J-pop, samurai sword fighting, cosplay fashion show, traditional kimonos, and more!
The festival takes place on Saturday and Sunday, April 30 and May 1. Tickets cost $25 per adult and children under 12 are free.
For something free and fun this weekend check out the Dance Parade and Dance Festival. The parade starts at 1pm at 21st and Broadway and heads down to Tompkins Square Park. Watch several styles of dance as the parade heads down to the park including ballet, break dancing, waltz, salsa, tango and more. After the parade concludes around 3pm have fun at the party in the park. There will be 5 stages: a performance stage, a family friendly stage, a teaching stage, and a free dance area. All of this costs absolutely nothing! Have fun!
Go to an all-out cultural festival and sporting event this weekend at the Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival at Meadows Lake in Flushing Meadows Park. Watch hundreds of teams race in the lake, enjoy food, music, folk art, dance, and more. Entry is free and the event takes place on Saturday and Sunday from 9am-5pm. Enjoy!
Celebrate the Year of the Monkey during the Chinese New Year festival in Chinatown this weekend. The parade takes place on Sunday at 1pm. During the parade (and before and after) there will be lots of performances, food vendors, and more to check out. Have fun!
Valentine’s Day is right around the corner so it’s time to start making plans. Dinner is always great, but what about trying something new, like tango lessons! On February 13 and 14 Argentine tango workshops are being offered at the Triangulo Studio. The cost in advance is $110 per couple or $125 at the door and includes tango lessons, champagne, roses, and chocolate covered strawberries all in a romantic setting. So get your dancing shoes on and try something new for Valentine’s Day!
