The Lost Circus—If a dress-code described as Tim Burton, Mad Max, dark cabaret, and steampunk Victorian piques your interest, then you'll love this event. The Lost Circus will showcase Brooklyn band Copal and a laundry list of dark circus performances like contortionists, aerial dancers, and gypsy fortune tellers. AMBodyArt will be on hand to do body art, too. If you want to explore your dark side, The Lost Circus will help.
Saturday, July 31, 11:30p.m.-4a.m. Littlefield NYC, 622 Degraw Street, (between 3rd and 4th avenues); Brooklyn. Tickets are $15 if you RSVP on their website or $20 at the door.
St. Vincent, tUnE-yArDs, and Basia Bulat at SummerStage—Three female songwriters will be taking the Summer Stage this weekend, all with their own unique sounds. St. Vincent is the stage name of multi-intstramentalist Annie Clark, tUneE-yArDs is Merrill Garbus' R&B, and pop endeavor and the soulful Basia Bulat rounds out the group. Never heard of these lovely ladies? The concert's free, so check it out and maybe you'll discover a new favorite.
Sunday, August 1, 3p.m. Central Park Mainstage at Rumsey Playfield
Bomb Magazine Summer Bash—Celebrate summer with an artsy get-together featuring the musical sounds of Gunn Truscinski, Noveller, and LA BIG VIC. An art supergroup will also be...performing (?), displaying their work (??), who knows...Bomb isn't at liberty to disclose the names. Whether it was their intention or not, the secrecy makes us want to go even more just so see who's there.
Sunday August 1, 8p.m. Glasslands Gallery, 289 Kent Ave, (at South 2nd Street); Williamsburg. Admission is $10 and 21+ and includes a free issue of Bomb.
Free Music Fridays—Every Friday, the American Folk art Museum opens its doors for the public to peruse the exhibits for free. To sweeten the deal even more, host Matt Jones finds live music to perform in the atrium for guests. Grab a snack at the café and settle in for a free, fun evening. Tonight's musicians are James Dalton, John Schmitt, and Eleanor Dubinsky.
Friday July 30, 5:30-7:30p.m. 45 West 53rd Street (between 5th and 6th avenues); 212-265-1040
Badminton—Miss the days of grade-school recess? RECESS New York aims to inspire creativity through sports. This weekend, they're hitting the field on Governor's Island for a rousing game of badminton. Even if you don't want to play, take a ferry out to enjoy music, food, drinks and bikes.
Saturday July 31, 12p-5p.m. Colonel's Row, Governors Island (212-673-4314); the ferry is free and there is no charge for admission.
Lego My Ego—This exhibition from artist Arielle Falk called "Sunglasses For the Face," a show that examines the interaction between subject and object, is trippy in a good way. The glasses, meant to obscure the face of the viewer, protects your soul from external gazes and inward ideas of self. Plus, free booze!
Friday July 30, 7-9p.m. LZ Project Space, 164 Suffolk St. (between Stanton and Houston streets); 212-627-3276
Last day at Opening Ceremony sale-—Come pick through the left overs on the last day of Opening Ceremony's deals on clothing, shoes and accessories from Alexander Wang, Patrik Ervell, Chloë Sevigny, and more at up to 70 percent off. Sometimes the best stuff is hiding under the piles of even more stuff.
Saturday July 31, 12-7p.m. 35 Howard St. (between Broadway and Lafayette Street); 212-219-2688
World Cup Redux—This mini version of the World Cup pits teams from the city's different ethnic communities against one another tournament style. Saturday's quarterfinals will feature Jamaica versus Ireland and Poland versus Argentina. The winners will play in a championship match on Sunday.
Saturday July 31, 1p.m. Jamaica v. Ireland and 4p.m. Poland v. Argentina. Sunday August 1 Championship at 4p.m. Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Queens.