Events in May Have to Do With Flowers, Festivals, Art and Biking – Times Square Chronicles

In May Billy Joel in concert, Ninth Avenue Food Festival, Fleet Week, Memorial Day, Mother’s Day, Washington Square Outdoor Art Exhibit, Five Boro Bike Tour and so much more.

All Month long into June the Museum of Arts and Design, Thursdays from 4–6 pm in the Flower Craft gallery will showcase works of six botanical artists. Free art-making and discussion workshop will take place and a Flower Power Pass may be purchased online and will offer discounted admission to the Museum for $45 (a $108 value) during the run of the exhibition. Two newly installed beehives are also on the Museum roof.

At the Starrett-Lehigh Building, 601 West 26th Street, between Eleventh and Twelfth Avenues in Chelsea is a Basquiat exhibit, organized and curated by Basquiat’s family (with famed architect David Adjaye and design firm Pentagram), with more than 200 rarely seen works.

Over 250 events throughout the City, including seminars, exhibitions, installations, trade shows and talks. Design disciplines include architecture, digital & technology, DIY & craft, engineering, fashion, furniture, graphic design, industrial & manufacturing, landscape design, lighting, product design, television, film & media, urban design and more. Featured events include Frieze New York, ICFF, Bklyn Designs, WantedDesign and Collective Design. Visit nycxdesign.com to learn more.

PEN World Voices Festival has more than 30 events throughout Greenwich Village. Highlights this year include Ukrainian writer and PEN Ukraine President Andrey Kurkov, who will deliver the keynote Arthur Miller Lecture; an opening night event featuring 2021 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate Abdulrazak Gurnah. For more visit pen.org/festival

The Botanical Garden located in Brooklyn celebrates the cherry blossoms and all things flowers. See more than 200 blossoming trees. Purchase tickets online in advance.

The Whitney Biennial 2022 (April 6 – September 5, 2022)

The MLB is on in May!

4/30 and 5/1: Fare Forward a new two-day music festival at Wollman Rink at Central Park from 2pm to 10pm featuring a variety of artists such as Guy Laliberte, Weather Station, Carlita, Acid Pauli, Dill and The Illustrious Blacks. A full-sensory exhibition and food prepared by chefs from the city’s culinary scene.

5/1 Five Boro Bike Tour (by TD Bank) 32,000 cyclists spinning 42 miles through all five NYC boroughs, ending in Staten Island, where a fun outdoor Festival awaits. See bike demos, a mountain bike stunt show, food, product samples, massage and more while donating to a good cause.

5/1: The annual Mayday Festival of Resistance at Maria Hernandez Park, featuring a free outdoor concert, party, and community celebration held in honor of International Workers Day. Expect Cita Rodriguez (salsa), Milagro Verde (chicha amazónica), DJ Bembona (tropical bass), Junior Mint, RodStarz of Rebel Diaz (emcee) and Combo Chimbita (tropical psychedelic bomba cumbia), resource tables from an array of community organizations and art-making activities for kids. Cultural workers and grassroots groups will inform residents about their rights as tenants, immigrants, and workers. Speakers will highlight recent wins by workers on the frontlines and other ongoing labor struggles across NYC. It’s a day of music, art, and joyful resistance, where neighbors come together to build solidarity, mutual aid and people power.

5/3, 4, 10, 11 and 12: Free Dance Parties on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings starting in May. Folks can cut a rug and learn new styles led by experts starting at 6pm, when instructors walk you through how to swing, tango, salsa or bachata. An hour later, a live band plays the appropriate tunes so you can show off your new steps under the stars. This year’s line-up includes salsa from Avenida B Salsa Dura (on May 3), swing dance from The Antoinette Montague Experience (May 4), a Cinco de Mayo Party with Mariachi Real De Mexico and singer Jose Adán Perez (May 5), flamenco and rumba with Nélida Tirado (May 10), a continent-spanning African Fusion Night with Sekou and Friends (May 11), and an evening featuring music of the Americas from Colombia, Peru, and Venezuela with La Mar (May 12).

5/4: Free Summer Movies, The Rooftop Film Club on top of the Skylawn Embassy Suites show films in lofty heights on several days during may.

• The Great Gatsby (May 4, 2022).
• When Harry Met Salley (May 5, 2022)
• Coming to America (May 5, 2022)
• You’ve Got Mail (May 6, 2022)
• Goodfellas (May 6, 2022)
• Spider-Man: No Way Home (May 7, 2022)
• Moonstruck (May 7, 2022)
• Do the right thing (May 7, 2022)
• Big (May 8, 2022)
• Breakfast at Tiffany’s (May 8, 2022)

5/7: Project 91 is hosting Spring Fest with a star-studded lineup featuring Jai Wolf, Audien, SNBRN, Frank Walker, MADDS, and much more. This all-ages event will take place at The Lefrak Center at Lakeside located in Prospect Park.

5/11: The Fashion Institute of Technology and Macy’s are hosting a runway show featuring looks created by a select group of 2022 graduates of FIT’s Fashion Design BFA program, spanning five concentrations—knitwear, sportswear, intimate apparel, special occasion, and childrenswear. The runway show will feature all the designs and will be judged by a panel of esteemed designers. The Future of Fashion will take place at FIT on the outdoor breezeway located on West 27th Street, between Seventh and Eighth avenues. Admission is by invitation only, with a livestream available to the public here.

5/12 -15: Swamp in the City Cajun Creole Musical Festival Multiple Locations in Red Hook, Brooklyn and on Governors Island. This festival celebrates the vibrant musical, cultural and culinary traditions unique to Southwest Louisiana. Featuring world-class Louisiana dancehall bands, Cajun/Creole food, jam sessions, cooking demonstrations, dance lessons, musical workshops.

5/14: Billy Joel in concert at Madison Square Gardens

5/21: Taste of Tribeca Taste Bouley, Bubby’s, Chanterelle, Tribeca Grill and more. Cook offs included the Lamb Meatball Masters Challenge and Tang’s Natural Dumpling Challenge. General tickets allow for 6 tastes from some of New York’s finest chefs. $40 advance, $45 day of. Info: www.tasteoftribeca.com

5/25 -31: Fleet Week thousands of Sailors, Marines and Coast Guardsmen from U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard ships come to NYC nearly every year since 1984. This is the city’s celebration of the sea services and provides an opportunity to see the latest capabilities of today’s Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard Team.

5/26: The Who in concert at Madison Square Gardens

5/27-30: Memorial Day Weekend offers a ton of choices for enjoying NYC and paying tribute to those who fought in our US Armed Forces. Free Museum Admission for Military Members, Fleet Week, FREE outdoor movies, Art Exhibits and much more!

5/ 27 – August 26 (select Friday Nights)

The Intrepid Museum’s summer movie series returns this summer! Watch a movie on Intrepid’s flight deck, featuring classic films and celebrating their 40th anniversary! Enjoy FREE sea, air & space themed movies under the stars all summer long on the Flight Deck! The flight decks opens at 7pm, film begins at sunset. Bring your lawn chairs, picnic baskets and blankets. Guests are encouraged to bring their own food, snacks and non-alcoholic beverages.

• Friday, May 27: An Officer and a Gentleman
• Friday, June 24: E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial
• Friday, July 29: Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
• Friday, August 26: Blade Runner

5/28-30 and June 4-5; 12pm – 6pm Washington Square Outdoor Art Exhibit – FREE artwork displayed by original artists. Paintings, sculpture, eco-friendly art and lots of other unique pieces to see or purchase, More Info: www.wsoae.org