Highlights this week include the fourth annual Japan Parade, “Scandal” star Kerry Washington back on the big screen and free live music of all genres played on stoops, sidewalks and storefronts of Brooklyn.
There’s also a “bird bonanza” on Randall’s Island and the 32nd African Film Festival.
Music
“Open Stages”
Brooklyn Conservatory of Music — 58 7th Ave., Brooklyn (Park Slope)
Sat. May. 10, 3 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Live music will be heard all throughout the streets of Park Slope on Saturday afternoon when Brooklyn Conservatory of Music continues its tradition of free performances at 15 different stoops, schoolyards parks, and neighborhood cafes.
Honk NYC, The Opera Next Door, Cole Quest and the City Pickers, the Brooklyn Cyclones Surf Squad and Dancewave are among the lineup for the fifth annual event, which became wildly popular during the pandemic in May 2021.
“We started Open Stages during COVID, when gathering outside was a necessity, but people loved it so much that we’ve brought it back bigger and better each year,” BCM executive director Chad Cooper told The Daily News. “This year, we’re expecting more than 8,000 people, and we have more than 100 incredible musicians, including our own students and staff members, lined up to take over stoops, sidewalks and storefronts. I can’t think of no better way to celebrate the arrival of spring than by enjoying free, live music outdoors.”
This year’s festival will coincide with the kickoff of Park Slope Open Streets, which transforms the nearby Fifth Ave. thoroughfare into a car-free zone for pedestrians and cyclists. While free and open to the public, the event also serves as a fundraiser for the Conservatory’s music therapy and music education programs.
Free.
Outdoors
Fourth Annual Japan Parade
Central Park West at West 81st Street, Manhattan (Upper West Side)
Sat. May 10, 1 p.m.
Kittyphiles and Sanriocore enthusiasts will rejoice at the sight of a larger-than-life sized Hello Kitty riding down Fifth Avenue in a pink convertible for the fourth annual Japan Parade. The beloved character is just one of the many activations lined up for this year’s festivities, which celebrate the city’s Japanese-American community.
This year, Iron Chef, restauranteur and bestselling author Masaharu Morimoto will serve as the Grand Marshal and Toyota CEO Koji Sato has been name the 2025 Japan Parade Community Leader. There will also be a live appearance from the cast of “Attack on Titan: The Musical,” featuring Takuro Ohno, Ryo Matsuda, Riona Tatemichi, and Blade Attackers: Hiroaki Shimoo, Ryuma Hashido, Yukiko Matsumoto, and Takahiko Kato.
Bringing sunny weather with her, “Good Day LA” anchor Sandra Endo will emcee the event, featuring J-Pop star Sayaka Yamamoto (of NMB48 fame) as a special guest.
Running concurrently with the parade, the Japan Street Festival will held on West 72nd Street between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue, with tents offering cultural activities including calligraphy, Yukata, origami, photo opportunities and a giveaway.
Free.
Family
“Bird Bonanza”
Urban Farm — Wards Meadow Loop, Manhattan (Randall’s Island)
Sat. May 10, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
One of the Randall’s Island Park Alliance‘s favorite public programs is taking place this weekend — celebrating World Migratory Bird Day with perfect weather, too.
The annual event will feature activities such as bird tours and games suitable for all ages. Educational components include experts teaching about local birds migrating through New York City this season. There’s also a WonderSpark puppet show and a puppet-making workshop at the Urban Farm kitchen.
Free.
Film
“Shadow Force”
AMC Magic Johnson Harlem 9 —2309 Frederick Douglass Blvd, Manhattan (Harlem)
Opens May 9. Various showtimes.
Emmy Award winner Kerry Washington and French breakout star Omar Sy are hitting the big screen with this action-packed drama about estranged married assassins who are being hunted by the group they once belonged to: a clandestine team of elite special operatives tasked with doing “God’s dirty work” for the government.
Directed by Joe Carnahan, the high stakes thrill ride, which was beautifully shot in Cartagena, Colombia, also stars Jahleel Kamara, Mark Strong, recent Oscar winner Da’Vine Joy Randolph and Staten Island’s finest, Cliff “Method Man” Smith, in a surprising turn. There’s also a cameo from Harlem’s very own DJ D-Nice in a pivotal scene viewers won’t want to miss.
Tickets are $17.18, discounts available.
Celebrate
“Mothers of Max Floral Exhibit”
Chelsea Triangle — 38 Gansevoort St, Manhattan (Meatpacking District)
Sun. May 11, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Max has crafted a motherlode of an idea to celebrate Mother’s Day. The HBO-powered streaming platform tapped female-founded creative agency East Olivia and Colombian sculpture artist Federico Uribe to bring some of their beloved on-screen moms to life with an artistic installation of floral sculptures.
Characters such Mother of Dragons Daenerys Targaryen from “Game of Thrones” (Emilia Clarke), “Hacks“‘ Deborah Vance (Jean Smart), Victoria Ratliff of “The White Lotus” (Parker Posey) and “The Sopranos”‘ Carmela Soprano (Edie Falco) are featured in this festive pop up where fans can take photos and craft their own bouquets of complimentary fresh flowers and botanicals directly from the floral showcase. And there’s no strings attached or anything to purchase.
Free.
Art
“100: A Century of Collections, Community, and Creativity“
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture — 515 Malcolm X Blvd, Manhattan (Harlem)
Through June 2026. Mon – Sat. 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Commemorating its centennial, the Schomburg Center’s newest exhibit occupies all three of its galleries featuring more than one hundred objects from its vast collection, including “Aspects of Negro Life” murals created by Aaron Douglas and Pietro Calvi’s sculpture “Ira Aldridge as Othello.” There are also handwritten manuscript pages from Maya Angelou, James Baldwin and Malcolm X, and collection items from Romare Bearden, Carrie Mae Weems, James Van Der Zee and more.
“Roots” star and literacy champion LeVar Burton narrates a special audio guide of the works, which also include Augusta Savage’s Genevieve Nelson sculpture (pictured above) and materials from the Fab 5 Freddy collection, documenting hip-hop’s earliest days.
Free.
Free
“From Then to Now: Celebrating 15 Years of African Cinema”
Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center — 144 West 65th St., Manhattan (Upper West Side)
Sat. May 10. 11:30 a.m.
Afolabi Olalekan, director of the New York African Film Festival 2025‘s opening night film “Freedom Way,” will join other filmmakers — Fatou Cissé and Jean-Michel Kibushi — for a panel discussion about the “creative shifts and enduring themes presently shaping African cinema.” There will also be two free art exhibits at the site: the photo-driven “Congo RE-Vue: A Fresh Perspective by Emerging Congolese Talent,” and Bereket Adamu’s welded steel light sculpture and animated video “All Night We Waited for Morning, All Morning We Waited for Night.”
This year’s festival, which runs through May 31, feature 125 contemporary and classic films from Africa and its diaspora at esteemed venues across the city.
Free.
If you have an upcoming weekend event you’d like to submit for consideration in an upcoming roundup, please email: nycevents@nydailynews.com with the full details. Consideration does not guarantee inclusion.
