NYC NOW - One Last Summer Hurrah: Your August Guide to Dance Parties, Outdoor Movies and More in NYC

Episode Date: July 31, 2026

Summer’s not over yet... if you haven’t gotten to the beach, there’s still time! WNYC arts and culture editor Matthew Schnipper joins us with a guide of all there is to do this August in New York City: from dance parties at Moma PS1, outdoor screenings of Jurassic Park and The Warriors, to where you can find the best banana pudding in NYC. Photo: Edith Young for Gothamist -Got any questions, comments or story ideas? Send us a message at [e-mail] Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

From WNYC, this is NYC Now. I'm Junae Pierre. Goodbye July and hello August. On today's episode, it's our biweekly check-in with WNYC's Arts and Culture Desk. And this week, we're recommending concerts across New York City, some nightclubs that we miss, and who's got the best banana pudding in the Five Burrows? I have thoughts. You might have thoughts, too.

but before that, here are a few local headlines we've got our eyes on. New York City health officials say the source of the deadly Legionnaires disease outbreak on the Upper East Side has been eliminated, which means those who live in or visit the area are no longer at risk of catching the disease. The news comes a day after officials say a seventh person died in the outbreak, which was first identified on July 2nd. No new cases have been reported in more than two weeks. However, five people remain in the hospital. More than a thousand migrant children across New York State faced the loss of legal help from immigration lawyers,

a federal contract that funds the assistance expired Friday. The program serves 24,000 unaccompanied minors across the U.S. Sierra Craft is the executive director of the immigrant children advocate's relief effort based in New York. It's just an overall project to railroad kids and not, you know, grant them due process at their dessert. The Trump administration says it offered an opportunity to extend the contract, but the parties couldn't agree on terms. Immigrant advocates say the program's loss means many of the children will be making court appearances on their own. It's been three weeks since a pair of columns buckled and halted work on an office-to-residential conversion project developed by Metro Loft in Midtown, Manhattan. The structural failure from the developer triggered a blitz of safety inspection sweeps by the

city's Department of Buildings. WNYC received building records for 21 office conversion projects that were handled by Metroloft, and we found that the Department of Buildings has only inspected 15 of them. According to records, one of the buildings that haven't been inspected yet is a 29-story high-rise at 20 Broad Street. Nick Bueno was visiting family in that building, and and wonders why inspectors left them out. I'm assuming that they hopefully did something different between those and this one, but I would hope that they at least take a look into it. A few floors up in the same building, Sam Minetti says he feels safe

and trusts the way the buildings run. I haven't noticed anything negative in terms of, you know, structure or safety. They keep it in good order, quick to fix things. A spokesperson for the buildings department would not say why inspectors visited some Metroloff sites and not others. The department says its investigation is ongoing. Brooklyn's son, filmmaker, and everybody's uncle, Spike Lee, is teaming up with the New York Liberty and Brooklyn Nets owner Clara Wu-Sai to put on a new festival called Playback, the Brooklyn Watch Party. The two-day festival will celebrate local culture from November 6th to 7th at the Brooklyn

Academy of Music. It'll include film screenings, artist conversations, food pop-ups and a free street fair. Organizers will announce more talent in the coming months. Look out for tickets to go on sale in September. We got to take a quick break, but we'll return with our bi-weekly arts and culture check-in. Stay close. Welcome back.

It's time for our bi-weekly check-in with the Arts and Culture Desk here at WNYC and Gothamist. Joining me to go through it all is editor of that desk, Matthew Schnipper. Welcome to the show, Matt. Hey, Jane. What's happening? Oh, man. I asked you first. I'm good.

Yeah, I'm good. What's going on? I feel like I'm wrapping up the summer. People are like, don't rush me a little bit. But I'm like, I'm a little ready for routine a little bit. Oh, no. I wouldn't say all of that. But, I mean, one more month of summer.

I'm hoping that I'd make the most of it. I haven't been to the beach yet, which sucks. You will. You can make it. Okay. I feel confident. You can do it. All right.

Well, this month has gone by super fast. You have some concerts. that we should check out this month? Yeah, you know, what I wanted to recommend to people in general is the next couple of weeks is PS1 warm-up is happening. What is that? So at the PS1 Museum, which is part of MoMA

in Long Island City, Queens, in the evenings, they have a weekend evenings, they have huge dance parties. So when you walk into the museum, you basically walk into this huge kind of gravel courtyard, enormous space, and they have an installation, and then you walk up a bunch of steps to get the museum. And at the top of those steps,

they have a live setup for a band, or a DJ set up, and then people are just milling about. And there's thousands of thousands of people can fit into this space. It's a long-running party. They've had different curators over the years. Sometimes it's been a whole outside crew. For a while, it was just one guy. I'm not actually sure who was putting it together right now, but they've got great taste.

So there is a guy named Carlos Sue Frant, who's going to be playing there soon, and he's been described often as, like, the DJ's DJ. He's great. He is playing, and then a woman named Kia, who is an R.B. and she's definitely a little bit, a very textural singer, I would say. She's going to be forming out there. And this is like kind of the best way to spend dusk, I would say,

is going out to these parties. There's always people who are just hardcore dancers. You can go into the museum when this is happening, kind of wander around, come back outside, have a drink, either get up in the mix or it's so big that you can still kind of go somewhere else and have a conversation. So those are happening through the month,

and I think you should go and check those out if you can. I think I should. I need to grab my dance and choose and get my butt over there. Those are really fun. So I've been thinking about like, okay, I really actually need to get to warm up soon. So I'm pretty excited about that. Okay. What else is happening?

I just got tickets. This is a little ways away. I think I mentioned earlier that the club St. Vitus is reopening. So St. Vitus is a long-running metal club. And it closed down after a lot of complaints from neighbors. It was in Greenpoint. And they've been roving around doing different shows, promoting them at different venues, but they have finally announced that they have a permanent space.

There was a club called Brooklyn Made in kind of East Williamsburg, and they're taking over that space. So they just announced some of their first shows. One of them, I have to say, respect to the like 35, 40-year-old metal band I'millation. You're still doing it? Sold out. Oh. So I missed my emulation tickets. I did get tickets.

I am excited to see Wiccafays Springs Eternal. if there are two, three, four people out there listening or Wiccafeas fans, you'll know what I'm talking about. I only know because someone asked me and I said no. Yeah. I still don't know. His name is Wiccafei's, his name's Adam. It's just a guy.

But he is going to be playing there at the New Space in September. So I just got tickets. He's doing a 10-year anniversary of his album Secret Boy, which is exciting to nerds. I had no idea he was out all this stuff. Exactly. You're like, he's been out of 10 years? Who knew?

But like he's going to be playing. I'm actually really curious. I loved going to St. Vitis. This was a really good. It's a club that knew exactly what it was doing, you know? And knew its crowd. Yes. And so I'm kind of curious to see if they can recreate that.

So I'm looking forward to when they open up. I think, I believe the first shows in August, they may be early September. But those just got announced. And I was excited that they were already sold out. Okay. So that was cool. Yeah. You know, speaking of announcements this week, it was announced that comedian John Mulaney is going to

have nine shows in January? It's funny. It's like this, it's like a Maitreska doll. Like he starts at a tiny little venue and that's a little bigger and a little bigger and a little bigger. And ends at MSG. And MSG, like, yeah. So he's going to be doing all these shows all day in a row. I think it's nine days in a row in the city.

I think the first one is a comedy seller, which is a really small club. Yeah, very small. And it'd be interesting to see how it might change in style from such a tiny venue to, you know, to MSG eventually. Yeah. But, you know, there's nine dates in the city. I feel like there will be tickets if you want to go. I've never seen him perform. I like all of his specials, so I was thinking about going.

I love his extremely bizarre Netflix show. I didn't see the Netflix show, but, you know, I only know him from SNL. Oh, yeah. No, he did a couple Broadway shows. God. I just think about one of his stand-up specials he talked about selling, like buying a Rolex, because he couldn't get access to his own money because I think he'd had his financial advisors lock him down so he wouldn't get money and buy drugs.

What a problem to have. Yeah, so he bought a Rolex so that he could immediately sell it for cash, you know, at half value and then buy drop. It was just like, you know, very sad. I also know that you have some recommendations for movies that we should check out. It's a good month for movies, actually. You know, and I think August can be a little doldrums. I don't know. Every month we do a listing of kind of just different stuff you can see.

The writer Emma Stefanski, she writes a list of stuff. And we always go back and forth and it's fun. And this month, usually we'll be like, okay, you can have one old movie that's happening. This month, the movies for the repertory screenings that are happening, you can both go see Jurassic Park outside and Brooklyn Bridge Park on August 6th. Nice. Or you can go see the Warriors at Metrograth on August 8th or the 14th. You've seen either of those? I've seen Jurassic Park.

I have not seen the Warriors. You've never seen The Warriors. A classic New York City movie. It's another one I have to see. It's a good movie. And this movie is about basically a gang called The Warriors. They've been kind of falsely accused of some violence, and they need to beat their way back to Coney Island. It's a great movie.

I love the idea of going out and seeing it in the park at the water. I think sounds that'll be really fun. With the sounds of New York City in the background. The other thing that I am excited to see, I've not seen, is a movie called Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Measma. I haven't seen that one either. Yeah. Which is a movie from Jane Schoenbron. And this, I think, their biggest budget movie, and this is Jillian Anderson.

and Hannah Heinbinder. And it seems like a sort of meta tale of someone doing a remake of a camp murder movie and they go back to talk to the original actress who was in this movie, Allah like Friday the 13th, and they find out they're living. She's still living at the camp

that was the set for the film and strange things have been happening. It sounds both like very fun. A cool, strange movie. Yeah. And you know, and same director, who did, I saw the TV glow, which was amazing. So I'm stoked. I'm stoked to see their next movie and just I'll see what happens. A lot of cool shows, a lot of cool movies to check out in the month of August.

I'm looking forward to it all. I think it will be a good month. You know, I always can tell how empty the city is based on how many parking spots are in my neighborhood. And lately I've noticed there has been a lot of available parking. So I was like, I guess the city started to empty out. There is plenty if you want to look for it happening in the city. As we say goodbye to July, man, I just also want to say that I've really enjoyed the coverage from your desk as you all celebrated the concepts that were created in New York and New Jersey while everyone else is celebrating the concepts of America as the country celebrates its 250th birthday. But, you know, one of the stories that your desk did highlight. Manhattan's Webster Hall, which I didn't know this, but was the first modern nightclub in the nation. Yeah, it opened, I think, was that 140 years ago, something like that.

You know, yeah, I didn't know that this was the first nightclub, and it's been operating the same location this entire time. They brought together this kind of cabaret, live music, dancing idea, all things that existed, you know, it's not the first place that people could go out and hang out and drink. Sure. It was not the first place people could go out and see music performed, but it brought all of that kind of mixture that going to the – going to the club became. And this was the first place that started. I thought that was a really cool piece of information. Yeah. And it does make sense that going to a club started in New York.

I mean, it tracks, right? But the fact that it's in the same space, unheard of New York City. A lot of different owners. But, yeah, I mean, it's a good club. It's consistent. You've been to Webster Hall? Yes. Okay.

Yeah. And that's the thing, too. I had no idea. You had no idea. Yeah, it's kind of nice to be like, oh, this place I've been going to is a part of history. Yeah. Yeah. You know, it made me think about an episode we did maybe a couple months ago on the nightclub danceeteria.

Oh, yeah. And I just wondered, like, do you have any clubs that you miss? Yeah, when we were doing the story, I started thinking about places in New York that, you know, that didn't make it. Forget 140 years, but like, you know, that didn't make it 10 or 20, you know, whatever else. And I was thinking about it. this club that I really loved that was in the West Village called Love. And you would have loved this place. It was in a basement next to, and I kind of think it was next to a barber shop near where that Barnes and Nobles used to be. I forget what street it was on. But you would go down

to, you know, it had a mid-sized dance floor. The thing that this club had was this strange, kind of fuzzy, fraggle rock kind of multi-floor room that you could just kind of hang out in a nook. It was so weird. And it was just kind of set there as it's like, oh, here's the little day glow carpeted mushroom room. Okay. I do remember going there once. I was doing a story. And so I was going to be traveling after this.

I was reporting a story. I was going with, oh, my gosh. I was going there with Jamie XX who was DJing. And I had my backpack of clothes because I was going to travel with them for a couple days. And they took my vitamins away because they were like no pills in here. Oh, they thought it was a drug. So I don't know. Like I was like, it's funny.

They're like, no. So I mean, I'm guessing some people were on drugs at this club at some point. But I loved going there. You know, one of the clubs that I think was really fun to stay out till all night. And then Grace Papaya was right, like, right by there. Oh, yes. Or not wake up. You could go out and like, you know, get yourself something.

I remember seeing DJ Harvey there just staying out all night and just having the best time. I miss that place. I feel like I would still be there quite a lot if it existed now. Sounds like a good time. It sounds like I probably would have got an invite there, too. You would have enjoyed, you would have really liked love. Yeah. I love love.

Damn, R.A.P. Love. I was thinking about, did you ever make it to Santos Party House? No. Santos Party House partly owned by Andrew W.K. Oh, cool. It was on Lafayette in, I guess technically in Tribeca. Was it Tribeca back then? Yeah, yeah, yeah.

This wasn't, you know, a great club that had so much strange and amazing programming. I saw Aesap Rocky's first show ever there. which was really fun, you know, but they used to have DJs. It seemed like it was really going to be a fat, like a part of the fabric of the city. It was. I was there all the time. You know, you think about places like Webster Hall. It's cool. It still exists. You know, obviously I never went to Dancetariat.

Yeah. And then you go, oh, well, I went to the places that are the modern versions of those places, you know. Like I did participate in some version of history, you know. Love is the kind of place I feel like that is almost just so eternal and legendary. Their booking was always so great. Amazing house music all the time. That place isn't coming back in the city. Love just seemed like this was a unique thing.

Listen, I wonder, you know, sometimes you go out and you may have a drink or five and you need something to eat afterwards, right? And I just want to segue to food a bit because Robert Sitsima, a guy who gets paid to eat and write about it. Great job. He put together a list of some of the best newer places to eat in Greenpoint. And you guys put that out. I got to be honest, I don't spend a lot of time in Greenpoint unless I'm thrifting, a lot of good sidewalk thrifting out there. But go through this list for us.

Yeah, I mean, I love this list. You know, he really tried to focus on newer places to eat in Greenpoint, acknowledging, hey, historically it is a Polish neighborhood, acknowledging a couple of the great Polish spots to go to. But he said, you know, obviously gentrification has happened in this. neighborhood for the last 20, 30, 40 years. It's changed immensely, but, like, it continues to. So he just wanted to see what's in looking like these days.

So it's a nice piece. Go check this out on Gothamist. But he talked about a place called Cafe Ote, which specialized. I had to ask him something called hamburgs. He was like, this is a traditional Japanese idea of a hamburger. I was like, is this a thing? When I saw it, I was like, yes. When I saw it, I was like, typeo.

Right, that's what I thought. He was like, is this a thing. He's like, it is a thing. And he talked about this sort of being a hamburger, you get on a plate with a bunch of stuff kind of all around it. He said like soldiers at salute, which I thought was a nice way of thinking about eating him. He talked about a place called Border Town. Obviously, you know, a Tex-Mex place, he just said is an, you know, an excellent Tex-Mex place. But it said it did have hints of Polish food in it.

Whoa, fusion. Yeah, I think which is interesting. But I also like that concept of like Border Town in as like a kind of neighborhood way of looking at it. And if it's like what kind of borders for, you know, pop. within the neighborhood exists. Yeah. So I liked that idea that, you know, they were acknowledging a bit of who they were and coming in maybe to a place that was one kind of neighborhood and it's changing.

Right. And then he also said that there is just a great Seshwan place. He said there are a couple good Setschwan places in Williamsburg nearby, but he said a place called Forces and Joyful. It's a real just kind of neighborhood Chinese place, but he said has excellent Seshwan food and urge people to check out. It's a little far for takeout for me from where I live. I've never lived in Greenpoint.

I always liked going to the neighborhood close to the water. Yeah. But I worked there for a year. I enjoyed that very much, so I never got to enjoy this place myself. But it's not so far on a G-train ride from where I'm at, so I thought I might go take a walk around the neighborhood soon. When the G is running. It's running pretty regularly right now.

Well, I guess it depends. Do you disagree? Are you a local to the G-I? I'm not a G-er. I have waited longer than one should for that train. You know, I can take the G or the C in the mornings depending. And, you know, I was complaining to my wife. I made the wrong choice with the C.

This was a mistake. Yeah, well, again, you can check out the list of restaurants on our new site. Got the Miss. Robert Seatima will never steer you wrong. And, you know, when you do make it out to eat, it's always good to finish off that meal with a little dessert. Yes. Reporting a story right now. One of my reporters pitched me on searching for the best banana pudding in New York.

And I was like, is that in your beat really? You know, and then it's like, that sounds kind of fun. Let's go do it. Banana pudding is culture. Yeah. Oh, okay. She came back with six banana puddings, and we sat there with two, three of my colleagues and just set up in the kitchen, the cafe and doled out a lot of banana pudding.

And, you know, I would say volume-wise, I probably ate like a little more than an individual serving, not that much for a hungry boy like myself. It's research, though. But going through actually all of the different puddings, you're aware of how it's like taking another bite, another bite, another bite. And I was like, am I this, am I this gross? I mean, the answer is yes, obviously. But it's one thing to just sort of eat it by yourself kind of like, you know, on the couch, just kind of doing it mindlessly. When you're really being a conscious eater, which I am not, it's way sadder.

Like this was a sad, but, you know, and then also, look, if someone showed. up and said, hey, here's a thing of banana pudding. I'd be like, great, thank you. I would eat it and be delighted. When someone says, here's six banana puddings, try them and compare them. And you can, because I never thought I had taste. I thought, like, it's sort of taken some of the delight away from me, man. Oh, man. This is why I'm not a food critic, because all I'm saying, basically, thinking has ruined pleasure. Were all of these places in Manhattan? No, some Brooklyn, some Manhattan. And then I think Hannah, who's working on the story, is going to get a couple more. I think she was going to go to Crown Heights and one. Weemsburg, I believe. She needs to go to bedstye, because that's where New York City's best banana pudding is. Which one? Where's bought? Doc's cake shop on Bainbridge.

We've got to let her know. Let her know. But I'm telling you right here right now on NYC now that the best banana pudding in New York City, and they're not paying me. In fact, I pay them. Doc's cake shop. You know, I feel like spiritually the food of the segment, I should say, since we've been doing it, has been the tuna melt. Absolutely.

And I feel like we may now have, we have, the tide has turned, tuna has been taken out, and now we're banana pudding fit. Well, the dish has to have two words in the name. Banana pudding. Banana pudding. Tuna melt. Tuna melts. Who's next? Banana pudding.

What's happening with the banana pudding in New York City? I am curious to hear from our audience, Matt. If you have a recommendation or a favorite spot that you get your banana pudding, hit us up at NYC Now. at WNYC.org. I certainly would love to hear from you. Matt would definitely love to hear from you. And our colleague Hannah Frischberg, she's waiting. Yeah, if you have something that I should be eating,

that I will love and then will later make me feel gross, let us know. That's WNYC's Arts and Culture editor Matthew Schnipper. Thanks a lot, Matt. Thanks, Renee. And for more on the Arts and Culture Desk, visit our new site Gothamist. There's a whole bunch going on.

I'm Jene Pierre. You're listening to NYC now. See you next time.