Festival Sunday before Labor Day: the free Caribbean jam at Smorgasburg Prospect Park (11–6) and The Rolling Library’s free book fair on the 31st Ave Open Street lead the day, Ralph Ellison jazz and a Bargemusic world premiere both hit at 2, the NYC Unicycle Festival wraps its 34th Ave open-streets finale at 5, Met Opera HD screens El Último Sueño de Frida y Diego at 8 with the Astoria Players’ Midsummer finale at 6 and School of Rock at 9 — then Monday is the West Indian Day Parade.
Live Music
- Jazz in the Park at Ralph Ellison — TODAY 2–5pm, Ralph Ellison Plaza (Harlem): Berta Indeed presents “Let the Music Play,” free community jazz in Harlem.
- Bargemusic — Labor Day “Here & Now” Weekend: World Premiere by David Shohl — TODAY 2pm, Brooklyn Bridge Park Boathouse (Pier 5): free chamber music — pianist Marc Peloquin plays Shohl’s new work with river views.
- Islands in the Park: A Caribbean Jam at Smorgasburg — TODAY 11am–6pm, Breeze Hill, Prospect Park: Smorgasburg × I Am CaribBeing’s free Caribbean party — DJs, live steel pan, all-ages crafts and chef Scotley Innis’s jerk chicken alongside Wah Gwaan and Tosh’s Patties.
Festivals & Culture
- Met Opera Summer HD Festival — still on through Mon 9/7, Josie Robertson Plaza, Lincoln Center: TONIGHT 8pm it’s Gabriela Lena Frank’s El Último Sueño de Frida y Diego, then the La Bohème finale Mon — free, ~2,500 first-come seats a night.
- FREE BOOKS on the 31st Ave Open Street — TODAY, 31st Ave Open Street, Astoria: The Rolling Library’s book fair — hundreds of free books to take home (picture books + adult fiction), plus a reusable-bag collection for the Astoria Food Pantry; the open street’s Sunday programming (People’s Pop-Up Cafe, MTG Cube Draft) runs from 12:30.
- West Indian Day Parade / Carnival — TOMORROW Mon 9/7 (Labor Day), 11am, Eastern Parkway from Utica Ave to Grand Army Plaza: steel-pan and calypso bands in elaborate costumes and homestyle island food along the route — free, one of the biggest Caribbean celebrations in North America.
Theater & Comedy
- Astoria Players — A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Final Night — TONIGHT 6pm, North Lawn under the Hellgate Bridge: free Shakespeare — the neighborhood troupe’s second weekend closes tonight.
Film & Screenings
- L Train Movie Club: School of Rock — TONIGHT 9pm, Talon Bar: free screening of School of Rock.
All gathered items - what was cut and why (6)
- Block Party Today! - EVENT_PAST: Astoria block party, 37th St/23rd Ave–Ditmars — “today” post from Sat 9/5, ran yesterday (r/Astoria)
- NYPD ramps up security for West Indian Day parade as past shootings remain unsolved - NEWS/CRIME: shootings coverage, not an event; the parade itself kept as tomorrow reminder (r/nyc)
- Film Screening & Discussion: Bob Avakian for the Liberation of Black People and the Emancipation of All Humanity | Revolution Books - EVENT_PAST: ran Sat 9/5 (also POLITICS, 4th run) (r/Harlem)
- Horror fan? There’s a new horror comedy show coming to Williamsburg next week! - UNVERIFIABLE: Die Laughing: Basket Case, Tue 9/8 — no venue named, 4th run (r/Williamsburg)
- Free Dance Performance 9/13 - DEDUP: Evening of Queens Dance, Sun 9/13 Athens Square — real with full details for the first time, but 7 days out; near-certain keep next weekend (r/Astoria)
- African American Day Parade: Sunday, September 20th 2026 - STALE: 14 days out, empty body; watch mid-month (r/Harlem)
11 events auto-dropped by the timing filter (past dates) - logged in the Obsidian raw dump.