Summertime in New York City is magical — every open-air space becomes an outlet for creativity and amusement. Nighttime events shift to daytime parties, and from May to September the city, with its endless possibilities for entertainment, becomes exponentially more vibrant. From DJs spinning house music on a rooftop bar to soundtracked sunset views of the Hudson River, the opportunities not only to enjoy but also to enrich yourself are limited solely by your imagination … and twilight.
SELECT SUMMER FRIDAYS
Fashionable and friendly is the vibe at the Select Summer Friday day party. Every Friday at 3 p.m., an eclectic group of artists, fashionistas, creatives and those just escaping the 9-to-5 grind gather on the Le Bain rooftop at the Standard High Line Hotel to celebrate the summer, good music and good company. Hop on the communal couches and take in the 360-degree view of the Manhattan skyline and the Hudson River. With deep house grooves and signature cucumber-limonade cocktails, you won’t stay strangers with the person sitting next to you for long. “At day parties people have their guard down, and it’s easier to meet new friends,” says Gavin Stephenson, co-founder of ebb + flow, a New York-based music collective that manages electronic music artists. Entry is free, but at the discretion of the doormen.
"PEOPLE LIVE IN TINY APARTMENTS OR WITH A MILLION ROOMMATES. ANY CHANCES PEOPLE CAN GET OUTSIDE THEY GO NUTS."
TIKI DISCO
“Tiki is LIT,” my cousin whispers in my ear as we dance to soulful grooves on a sun-drenched Brooklyn rooftop with the East River and isle of Manhattan as our backdrop. Tiki Disco is an outdoor party with highly danceable music — you’ll hear house, funk, soul and even a bit of new wave — in two locations. Every other Sunday at the Well in Brooklyn, Tiki Disco takes place in the expansive, industrial patio splashed with colorful street art. And once per month on Saturdays, the disco hits the enchanted forest on the Roof at Output. Partying outdoors is something Andy Pry, Tiki Disco co-founder, understands well: “People live in tiny apartments or with a million roommates. Any chances people can get outside they go nuts.”
MUSEUM OF MODERN ART (MOMA) PS1 WARM UP
MoMA PS1 Warm Up — designed to warm visitors up for their evening plans, according to Taja Cheek, a curatorial assistant at the museum — combines three things that New Yorkers love: art, music and day parties. Now in its 20th season, it’s a vanguard for experimental art and innovative music. Some headliners this season include rapper ASAP Ferg and DJ Total Freedom, but look out for up-and-comers like techno artist Umfang. This year’s outdoor art installation, Lumen by Jenny Sabin, is an exhibit made from 1 million yards of photoluminescent and solar-active yarns that absorb, collect and deliver light.
SUMMERSTAGE
New York City’s biggest free arts festival is also the grandest day party of them all — “it makes people appreciate New York and what we have here,” says Stephenson. During the summer months, SummerStage puts on events and performances in parks throughout the city’s five boroughs. Coming up for its concert series: rapper Jadakiss, the Charlie Parker Jazz Festival and alt-rockers They Might Be Giants, who are headlining a family day concert. There will be partying in the parks with DJs like hip-hop icon Kid Capri and house legend Danny Krivit. The cast of A Bronx Tale is also set to perform the hit show.
