Smart Things to Do in NYC This Weekend (6/19-6/21)

For this weekend's talks and lectures in NYC, we're looking forward to celebrations around Juneteenth, an early morning call time for solstice concerts, and two nights of radio plays at The Tank.

FRIDAY, JUNE 19

The Late Night Radio Fest

Throw back to the days of radio plays at The Tank this Friday and Saturday. As part of The Tank’s PrideFest 2026, The Late Night Radio Fest kicks off Friday with a night of suspense and The Strange Case of Nick M.; Saturday offers divine comedy as Vincent Price goes on a Dantesque journey with a lookalike spirit guide in Price in Purgatory. Poet and playwright Drew Pisarra authored both shows, which will streamline your senses (they're strictly audio, eye masks provided).

Juneteenth Storytelling Celebration

Mark Juneteenth at Flushing Town Hall with an evening of storytelling and song led by actress and singer April Armstrong.

SATURDAY, JUNE 20

Summer Solstice Celebration

Greet the first light of summer with a unique musical experience inside the world’s largest cathedral. As the sun rises, the stained-glass windows of St. John the Divine will fill gradually with light. Artist in Residence Paul Winter and the Paul Winter Consort return to celebrate the longest day of the year with a performance that begins at 4:30am.

America at 250

For an ecclesiastical take on America 250, Grace Church Brooklyn Heights considers "the Unfinished Moral Project" with The Rev. Dr. Gary Dorrien and Trying to Save America: The Black Social Gospel, Then and Now.

SUNDAY, JUNE 21

Biophony Solstice Sunrise

Courtesy of solstice performers Metropolis Ensemble.

The Brooklyn Botanic Garden bookends both sides of the year's longest day at a Summer Solstice Celebration. Come at 5:15am for a luminous sunrise performance; the day ends with a moodier, electronic take.

The Battle of Harlem Heights

The Battle of Harlem Heights, September 16, 1776.

Experience the first American victory of the Revolution at an Untapped Cities excursion to the Battle of Harlem Heights: Revolutionary War Walking Tour.


See our complete list of talks and lectures here.

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