Things to do This Weekend in NYC & Boros
Republicans' New Value System & Scroll Down to see Each Boro's Headline Events & Things to Do: Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, the Bronx and Staten Island
July 18, 2025 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYC Things To Do Events / Gotham Buzz NYC.
Sunrise 5.39 am. Sunset 8.24 pm. Daylight Savings Time. We're getting 14 hours & 45 minutes of daylight or twenty one minutes less of sunlight than we were getting the weekend of the Summer Solstice, on June 20, 2025. The Summer Solstice is the longest day of this year, providing 15 hours and 6 minutes of sunlight in NYC.
The photo above or at right was taken in Bryant Park in Midtown Manhattan on a warm summer day.
NYC Specific Weather - This can be very Different vs TV News Area Weather. No rain on Friday or Saturday and only a 30% chance of 1/10th inch of rain on Sunday. The temperature highs will be in the low to mid 80's on Friday and Saturday, rising to the low 90's on Sunday. The temperature lows will be in the low 70's on Friday and Saturday, rising to the high 70's on Sunday. The winds will range from 5 - 10 mph on all three days. The humidity will range from 40% - 60% on Friday and Saturday, jumping to 90% on Sunday morning before falling back to 50% by the end of the day.
Saturday Very Early AM Edition @ 3.45 am. Done, but that said, it's always a work in progress.
Things To Do This Weekend & Next Week in NYC
NYC Beaches and Public Outdoor Swim Pools are Open for the Summer.
The Epstein Files & the Republican Party's New System of Values
News Analysis & Opinion. There was a time when Republicans used to claim they were the party of 'Family Values'. They took umbrage at some of the amorality espoused on network TV, berated single mothers, women who opted for abortions, government officials' sex scandals, dishonesty and pornography. They said they were the party of responsibility, kindness and love. But today, it seems that Republicans have done a 180 on almost everything they once stood for, including fiscal conservatism.
Recently Republicans looked the other way, as their party for the fourth time in the past 45 years, passed a tax cut for the wealthiest people on the planet. And funded it by putting their children, grandchildren and unborn heirs on the hook to pay it. Is giving rich people government money the nation doesn't have responsible? Is dumping huge amounts of debt on your children and their children [and beyond] responsible?
As you can see by reading the graphic above or at right, one of the alleged mobsters who used to visit Trump's casino in New Jersey wouldn't let Trump near his daughter because he likely knew the kind of person Trump was.
As for kindness and supporting families, we need to ask whether they think that pulling food assistance and healthcare support from poor families, to partially fund the cost of the uber rich tax cut, is going to help families stay together, or uplift them? Or step on them and keep them from having a chance at "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness"?
And then there's the Epstein files. Jeffrey Epstein described Donald Trump as one of his "best friends" for decades. Epstein's townhouse, where some of the alleged under age girls parties were held, is only a stone's throw from Trump Tower. Trump was photographed and video recorded numerous different times with his longtime associate Jeffrey Epstein at all kinds of parties [see photos]. Epstein bought a mansion in the Mara Lago neighborhood, where Epstein allegedly threw under age girls pool parties that Donald Trump has been rumored to have attended.
Is it really such a stretch to think that Donald Trump, owner of the Miss America pageant, who apparently felt entitled to walk into the contestants' dressing rooms unannounced, wouldn't cross the line to have sex with underage girls? Trump was also sued numerous times regarding various improprieties with varying outcomes. Keep in mind that Donald Trump is a master manipulator of our legal system, among other things.
Why Truth Matters. How to Reconcile Conflicting MAGA Voters' Beliefs: Debunking Fox News' / Trump Deep State Conspiracy Theories and Exposing the Donald's Depravity.
The cover up has already begun. They're just not doing a very good job. But chaos, lies and deceptions are their collective specialties, so we're in for a real propaganda / mass manipulation show.
Is it such a stretch to believe that Trump, who was found by a court of law, to have sexually abused, if not raped, a woman to have engaged in such behavior? Is it such a stretch to believe that a man whose casinos were found to have illegally laundered money, would cross this line too? Is it a stretch to believe that a man, who a mafioso told to stay away from his daughter or the mafioso would do something with the Donald's 'family jewels', would not cross this line of decency? A man who is alleged to have cheated on multiple wives, alleged to have watched as hookers peed on his bed in Russia, would not cross such a line?
Do MAGA Republicans honestly believe there is any moral or ethicial line that Donald Trump wouldn't cross, because of his personal integrity, morality or values? Do MAGA Republican voters want their Senators and Congressmen to keep closing their eyes and looking away - like Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Vice President J.D. Vance did - as Trump signed the B.B. Bill [neither was present for the photo op]. The entire Republican Party seems to be doing this while all sorts of indecent things are going on right in front of their eyes. The entire Republican Party is allowing Trump to undermine the decency and moral authority this country once had, as a nation, that acted in accordance with Judeo Christian values.
In the photo above or at right Donald Trump is seen with Jeffrey Epstein and what looks to be a very, very young girl. Both men appear to be pawing her.
Network News Reporting Failures Coming to a TV Near You - Watch for Network TV Reporting Bias including: 1) Not Leading their Newscasts with all the Sensationalism a Story Such as this Normally gets like the P. Diddy Trial [Will they Bury it in the middle or end of the Newscast?], 2) Minimizing the Time Allocated to this Story [again v. P. Diddy] & 3) Doing the 'Talk Around' which is where they Distract Viewers from Trump's Alleged Indecency, by 'Talking About' Everything Else in the Case to Distract Viewers from the Moral & Ethical Depravity of a Grown Man Sexually Abusing Under Age Girls
You are likely to hear as little as possible about the Epstein files on TV News, because Trump doesn't want the billionaire controlled TV networks to inform you about such matters. But it's exploding on the web, which is where the real news is circulated. So, even though Trump is a master at manipulating TV News - in part because there are so few competent, seasoned, hard-news journalists still working in network TV News - he's not going to be able to control the web.
As you watch this drama unfold - keep in the back of your mind how much coverage TV News gave to the P. Diddy trial. Also keep in mind that the P. Diddy trial didn't involve possible murder [Epstein died suddenly in jail] or underage sex or powerful billionaire(s) allegedly having sex with minors [the perpetrators might be classified as sexual predators, pedophiles and / or rapists] or the president or an alleged coverup. So by contrast, P. Diddy was a minor league scandal, versus the Epstein files, which has all the potential to be the Superbowl of scandals. And usually there's nothing TV networks won't do for scandalous ratings, so they're going to have to make a hard choice if they opt to ignore the Epstein files story. But these are not your parents' or grandparents' TV News organizations, as they are now owned by very different people, staffed with different people, and these people have different values, skills and priorities, than their predecessors did.
Billionaires now own all four major TV News networks. And they don't just own a few stations [the limit used to be five], they now collectively own double to triple the number of stations they used to own, providing them with more control over how Americans see the world, by controlling what Americans see of the people, places and events in the world. The billionaires appear increasingly to use their TV and radio outlets and networks - from which about half of the nation regularly gets all or some of their news - to manipulate voters' perceptions on issues, political candidates and government officials; as if their networks' TV News was their very own PR / Marketing / Lobbying divisions.
The American people need to accelerate migrating their news consumption habits from TV and radio news shows, onto the web. On the web they can still get real news - not the celebrity distractions / celebrity advertorials they get on Network TV News. The web is currently at parity with TV as a leading source of news, as about half of Americans now regularly go to the web to inform themselves. The web percentages need to keep growing - but more quickly - if we're going to survive as a democratic republic. People who rely solely on network TV News - almost regardless of how much of it they watch - are no longer fully informed.
As you can see by the graphic above or at right, nearly three minutes of prison video of Epstein in his cell is missing, which it is believed coincided with when they say "he hanged himself [?]". And this is the funny part - the Trump Administration now claims Epstein hung himself because of the 'non-existent Epstein files'. There are those who believe that Jeffrey Epstein was murdered while in prison, here in NYC, which was once Trump's hometown, in fact throughout most of his life - but no longer. It's worth pointing out that it would take a psychopath - not just a sociopath - to do something as nefarious as murdering someone in jail, making it look like suicide and either stopping the video or deleting it. This means that the person responsible for this possible murder, is not bound by any moral or ethicial limits. None.
Here are a Few Additional Relevant Sources for Further Understanding of Donald J. Trump & the Epstein Files
TV News Coverage is Likely to be Spotty [vis-a-vis comparable scandals], because in Spite of the High Ratings Potential of this Story, it Probably doesn't Fit with the Billionaires' Propaganda for Profit Purposes - as much as does Cozying up to President Trump
- ALLEGED MOBSTER TO TRUMP - LEAVE MY DAUGHTER ALONE OR ELSE
- https://www.cityandstateny.com/politics/2019/09/trumps-mob-connections/176871/
- DETAILS OF ALLEGED TRUMP EXPLOITS ON EPSTEIN'S LOLITA EXPRESS INCLUDE TRUMP'S 1ST SEXUAL ENCOUNTER WITH MELANIA
- https://docs.house.gov/meetings/JU/JU08/20250227/117951/HHRG-119-JU08-20250227-SD006-U6.pdf
- LEARN A BIT OF TRUMP HISTORY - THE MOBSTERS & DON
- https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/05/donald-trump-2016-mob-organized-crime-213910/
- TRUMP & EPSTEIN BEST / TERRIFIC FRIENDS - TRUMP REPORTEDLY CALLED EPSTEIN A 'TERRIFIC GUY'
- https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-epstein-friendship-timeline-history-2019-7
Things To Do This Weekend & Next Week in Manhattan
SHENYC Festival in the Village, 9th Annual Go Africa Festival in West Harlem, Randalls Island Waterfront Fest, St. Catherine of Genoa Festival on hiatus, SummerStage & Blue Note Jazz Festival
Tuesday thru Sunday, July 15 - 27, 2025 at various times - SHENYC Festival - at Lynn F. Angelson Theater - at 136 East 13th Street between 3rd & 4th Avenues in the Village of Manhattan NYC [home of the Classic Stage Company]. This festival showcases women / gender marginalized writers, composers and directors. There are eight different plays selected from about 300 submissions. Paid summer theater in the East Village in Manhattan NYC. For details and $35 tickets, copy & paste - https://shenycarts.org
Saturday, July 19, 2025 from 10 am to 6 pm - 9th Annual Go Africa Carnival - Along West 116th Street between Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard [7th Avenue] and Frederick Douglass Boulevard [8th Avenue]. The epicenter is at 216 West 216th Street. There will be three stages showcasing African and Caribbean culture including music, food, art and shopping. Street fairs in Washington Heights & Harlem For details copy & paste - https://goafricacarnival.org or FB - https://www.facebook.com/GoAfricaCarnival/
Saturday, July 19, 2025 from 12 noon to 3 pm - Randalls Island Waterfront Festival - in the East River Picnic Area on Randalls Island. Generally for families and kids with games, cooking demos, face painting, arts and crafts. Not a street fair. Organized by the Randalls Island Park Alliance - https://randallsisland.org
St. Catherine of Genoa Festival going on hiatus for this year. They expect to return in 2026.
OLD NOTE DATE _ UPDATE COMING SHORTLY _ July 2024 - SummerStage in Central Park & Boros - For details see - https://cityparksfoundation.org.
OLD NOTE DATE _ UPDATE COMING SHORTLY _ June 2024 - the Blue Note Jazz Festival - The Blue Note always has something going. For details see - https://www.facebook.com/BlueNoteNYC
Also a number of upcoming street festivals - see link below.
Public Theater at Delacorte Theater. Gramercy Theater concerts - info coming but in the meantime - https://www.thegramercytheatre.com/shows
MCAL _ MEMBER CALENDAR EVENTS - Use this link for new member sign up and posting - Manhattan Buzz New Member Sign Up. Click this link Manhattan Member Events Calendar to view free posts made by arts, cultural and community groups.
Things To Do This Weekend & Next Week in Queens NYC
Peruvian Day Parade, Annual Festival Independencia Orgullo Colombiano, FIOC, Queens Boro Dance Fest & Next week St Irene Chrysovalantou Church Festival, Colombian Day Parade & Summer Streets Return
Jackson Heights / Corona _ Sunday, July 20, 2025 from 12 noon to 3 pm - Peruvian Day Parade - along 37th Avenue marching from 69th to 89th Streets. Queens parades and street fairs in Jackson Heights / Corona.
Sunday, July 20, 2025 from 1.30 to 9 pm - Annual Festival Independencia Orgullo Colombiano, FIOC - at the NY Hall of Science at 47-01 111th Street in Flushing / Corona. The festival includes live music and dance performances. Tickets cost $13. Last year children under 12 and seniors were free, but this year we couldn't find anyone to confirm whether that policy continues this year. For details and tickets, copy & paste - INSTA https://www.instagram.com/festivalcolombianofioc/ OR | https://www.festivalcolombianofioc.com
Sunday, July 20, 202 from 10 am to 6 pm - Myrtle Avenue Business Improvement District BID & Glendale Kiwanis Street Fair - use street fairs link below for details.
NEXT WEEK _ Thursday - Sunday, July 24 - July 27, 2025 from 5 pm to 11 pm - St Irene Chrysovalantou Church Festival - This Astoria street fair is along 23rd Avenue from 36th Street to the Amtrak trestle. Traditional Greek food, music, and folk dances every night, as well as rides for the kids and a marketplace. The feast day celebration starts with a mass on Wednesday at 7 pm inside and continues with various religious services through the end of the feast on Sunday. For details see - https://www.stirene.org
Saturday, June 7 - September 13, 2025 at various times & locations - Queens Boro Dance Festival. The performances are weekly all summer long in numerous locations across the borough. Free. For details see - https://queensborodancefestival.org
Next week the Colombian Day Parade & Summer Streets return.
The photo above or at right was taken on a rainy summer day in Jackson Heights Queens.
See It Big at MoMI / Summer Concerts a LAHM
MCAL _ MEMBER CALENDAR EVENTS - Use this link for new member sign up and posting - Queens Buzz New Member Sign Up. Click this link Queens Member Events Calendar to view free posts made by arts, cultural and community groups. This month includes
Tuesdays & Thursdays in July & August beginning at 9.15 am and 11 am both days - Nature for Young Kids - at Alley Pond Environmental Center. For Adult with child ages 2 - 3 years old. See MCal link above for details and tickets which run $88 for adult / child for four weeks in July & $66 for three weeks in August.
Things To Do This Weekend & Next Week in Brooklyn NYC
BRIC Concerts at Brower & Prospect Parks, The Giglio Festival & Capo Parade, Coney Isle Friday Night Fireworks
Williamsburg _ Wednesday thru Sunday, July 9 - 20, 2025 - Times vary but oftentimes begin in the afternoon & run into the night - The Annual Our Lady of Mount Carmel Feast / The Giglio Festival. This tradition began in 1887 and continues at Havemeyer at North 9th Street in Williamsburg. A DAILY Italian festival with food, music, dance, entertainment and kiddie rides, as well as the cultural hoisting of the Giglio. Organized by Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church. For daily event details copy & paste - https://www.olmcfeast.com. For daily event details copy & paste www.olmcfeast.com. Williamsburg Street Fairs / St Festivals in Brooklyn.
The photo above or at right was taken from the Kosciuszko Bridge, looking west toward Manhattan. The Kosciuszko Bridge connects Greenpoint / East Williamsburg Brooklyn and Sunnyside / Maspeth Queens.
Friday, July 18, 2025 - Benefit Concert: Men I Trust | strongboi - at 141 Prospect Park West at the Lena Horne Bandshell. Tickets run $95 - $177. For details and tickets see - https://www.prospectpark.org/visit-the-park/things-to-do/celebrate-brooklyn/
Saturday, July 19, 2025 - BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! - at Brower Park at Park Place between Brooklyn Avenue and Kingston. Free. For details see - https://bricartsmedia.org/event/bric-celebrate-brooklyn-at-brower-park-2025/
Sunday, July 20, 202 from 10 am to 6 pm - Myrtle Avenue Business Improvement District BID & Glendale Kiwanis Street Fair - use street fairs link below for details.
Fridays, June 20 - September 5, 2025 _ Weekly _ The Coney Island Weekly Friday Night Fireworks - at Steeple Chase Tower off the Boardwalk near Luna Park [see fireworks link that follows for details]. Including July 4th. For details, copy & paste - https://www.allianceforconeyisland.org
Two Plays - Polonsky & Billie Holiday Theater.
CLICK to see Brooklyn 4th of July fireworks 2025 best viewing locations & Coney Island July 4th fireworks 2025 BK NYC
MCAL _ MEMBER CALENDAR EVENTS. Use this link for new member sign up and posting - Brooklyn BLVD New Member Sign Up. Click this link Brooklyn MCAL - Member Events Calendar to view free posts made by arts, cultural and community groups.
Things To Do This Weekend & Next Week in the Bronx NYC
LGBTQ Pride Festival & Health Fair, Randalls Island Waterfront Festival & Next Week Bronx Dominican Day Parade & Bronx Night Market
Saturday, July 19, 2025 from 11 am to 7 pm - Bronx 14th Annual LGBTQ Pride Festival & Health Fair - At the Crotona Park Amphitheatre in Crotona Park at 1700 Crotona Avenue at 559 Claremont Parkway. Live entertainment and LGBTQ related health & other booths. Street fairs near Mt Eden in the Mount Hope neighborhood of the Central Bronx & Montefiore one of organizers. FREE. For details and to rsvp, copy & paste - https://www.facebook.com/BronxPrideFestivalAndHealthFair/
The photo above or at right was taken in Bronx Little Italy along Arthur Avenue. Bronx Little Italy is still populated with authentic Italian small businesses and restaurants.
Saturday, July 19, 2025 from 12 noon to 3 pm - Randalls Island Waterfront Festival - in the East River Picnic Area on Randalls Island. Generally for families and kids with games, cooking demos, face painting, arts and crafts. Not a street fair. Organized by the Randalls Island Park Alliance - https://randallsisland.org
NEXT WEEK _ Sunday, July 27, 2025 beginning at 11 am - Bronx Dominican Parade aka Gran Parada Dominicana Del Bronx - Along the Grand Concourse from 167th to 176th Streets. The main performance stage is at 176th Street on the Grand Concourse where there will be speeches and performances from 11 am to 5 pm. The parade starts at 1.40 pm and the parade / festival ends by 5 pm. Yonkers Dominicans also march in the Manhattan parade. For more details see - INSTAGRAM - https://www.instagram.com/granparadadominicanadelbronx/?hl=en or FB - https://www.facebook.com/granparadadomincanabx and their WS has been dropped - https://granparadadominicanadelbronx.org [not to be confused with the Manhattan Dominican Parade in August] In Spanish / En Espanol - https://granparadadelbronx.com/site/
- Also see our page dedicated to the Bronx Dominican Parade which contains a bit of history of the Dominican Republic and some of the characters portrayed in the Bronx Dominican Parade.
MCAL _ MEMBER CALENDAR EVENTS. Use this link for new member sign up and posting - Bronx Buzz New Member Sign Up. Click this link Bronx MCAL Member Events Calendar to view free posts made by arts, cultural and community groups.
Things To Do This Weekend & Next Week on Staten Island NYC
SprinklerFest & Cottage Row Curiosities at Snug Harbor & Final Weekend of 122nd Annual Our Lady of Mount Carmel Festival at Rosebank
Friday, July 18, 2025 from 12 noon to 4 pm - Sprinklerfest in the South Meadow of Snug Harbor at 1000 Richmond Terrace. Not a street fair, but there will be 30 sprinklers on the Snug Harbor Lawn for the kids to run through and cool down. NOT a Staten Island street fair / festival at Snug Harbor in the Randall Manor neighborhood of Staten Island. Free. For details see - https://snug-harbor.org/
Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays & Tuesday, July 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 19 & 20, 2025 beginning at 7.30 pm each evening - 122nd Annual Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. At the Society of Our Lady of Mount Carmel at 243 Virginia Avenue in Rosebank on Staten Island. Every night there's entertainment and food, and likely, as in the past, shopping and rides. Free admission, but no food or drink allowed to be brought in from the outside. The feast day of the event is Wednesday, July 16, when there's an 11 am mass at the Church of St. Joseph and Mary Immaculate. For details, copy & paste - https://www.facebook.com/mountcarmelgrottorosebank/
The photo above or at right was taken from Casa Belvedere which is located in the Silver Lake neighborhood near Grymes Hill on Staten Island. In the distance is the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge.
Saturday, July 19, 2025 from 12 noon to 5 pm - Cottage Row Curiosities at Snug Harbor Cultural Center - See street fairs for details.
MCAL _ MEMBER EVENTS CALENDAR. Use this link for new member sign up and posting - Staten Buzz New Member Sign Up. Click this link Staten Island Events - Member Events to view free posts made by arts, cultural and community groups. This month includes TBD.
Have a nice weekend.
July 11, 2025 / 
Sunday, July 13, 2025 from 12 noon - 5 pm - Bastille Day Festival - Along Madison Avenue from 59th Street to 63rd Street and along 60th Street between between 5th and Madison Avenues - 
Williamsburg _ Wednesday thru Sunday, July 9 - 20, 2025 - Times vary but oftentimes begin in the afternoon & run into the night - The Annual Our Lady of Mount Carmel Feast / The Giglio Festival. This tradition began in 1887 and continues at Havemeyer at North 9th Street in Williamsburg. A DAILY Italian festival with food, music, dance, entertainment and kiddie rides, as well as the cultural hoisting of the Giglio. Organized by Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church. For daily event details copy & paste - https://www.olmcfeast.com. For daily event details copy & paste www.olmcfeast.com. Williamsburg Street Fairs / St Festivals in Brooklyn.
Saturday, July 12, 2025 from 12 noon to 8 pm - 1 Bronx Festival / HUB 3rd Avenue Summer Festival [formerly an LGBTQ Festival] - use the street fair link below for details.
July 4, 2025 / 
Update July 1, 2025 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYC Politics Media & Government / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC.
Updated May 3, 2025 vs 5.1.25 / 
Friday, Saturday & Sunday, May 2, 3 & 4, 2025 at various times but generally from 10 am to 5 pm - Janes Walk Weekend - at 200 locations in all five boroughs. Various art, culture, history and architectural tours throughout all five boros of NYC. Free. They describe the event as follows, " ... MAS staff organize a fleet of volunteer walk leaders, to create 200+ FREE, in-person, virtual, and on-demand walks with over 10,000 participants ... During Jane’s Walk NYC weekend, the simple act of exploring the city is enhanced with personal observations, local history, and civic engagement."... Organized by the Municipal Art Society. Not a street fair so much as a streets tour. For details including a map of locations, copy & paste - https://www.mas.org/janes-walk-nyc-2025/
The photo above or at right was taken a couple of weeks ago in the Elizabeth Street Garden in the NoHo neighborhood of Manhattan. They are trying to get the city to preserve the area as a permanent community green space, and to build the proposed 'affordable housing' elsewhere. The city has been threatening to close the garden any day now, but given it's an election year, Adams may wait until after he loses it. We'll have an update of Eric Adams' latest shenanigans later today or over the weekend.
The City of Yes for Housing Opportunities bill passed yesterday afternoon / evening in the City Council Chambers at City Hall. The City of Yes or NYC Municipal Legislative Bill - L.U. 181 & Res 689 - App. N 240290 ZRY (City of Yes Zoning for Housing Opportunity) amendment of the Zoning Resolution of the City of New York, modifying multiple Sections to expand opportunities for housing within all zoning districts, Citywide. *
October 23, 2024 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYC Real Estate & Business / Gotham Buzz NYC.
October 22, 2024 / Government & Politics / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC.
by America's 44 previous presidents in the prior 225 years of the nation's existence.
August 27, 2024 / 
Weather. There's a 60% probability of about a third inch of rain beginning sometime between 3 and 6 pm Sunday. The rest of the weekend should be clear. The temperature highs will be around 80 and the lows in the mid 60's all weekend. Humidity will range from 50% - 60% all weekend, except Sunday night when it rises to near 80% due to the rain. The winds will vary throughout the weekend from about 15 mph Friday, to 5 mph Saturday and 10 mph Sunday. All in all, not a bad weather weekend.