The 5 coolest things in NYC this weekend

Rooftop party, last Manhattan Summer Streets, art exhibition and more.

Author

Gunnar Holm
August 11, 2026

In partnership with

Hey there!

Here’s the 5 coolest things happening this weekend:

  • MoMA PS1 Warm Up

  • CJ Hendry's "Pastel"

  • Everyday People at The Rooftop at Pier 17

  • SOUL ROLL: All-Night Roller Skate

  • Summer Streets — Last Manhattan Date

Let’s go ⬇️

MoMA PS1 Warm Up

FRIDAY

There are museum visits, and then there's dancing to post-rave hardcore techno in a museum courtyard while the sun goes down over Long Island City.

MoMA PS1's legendary Warm Up series is back this Friday, turning the museum's courtyard into a dancefloor with DJ sets and live performances from electronic music innovators from NYC and around the world — think jungle-house, Detroit machine funk, and experimental electro. It's the rare party where the venue is as much of a flex as the lineup.

Go for the music, stay because you accidentally became friends with someone in a mesh top.

Dive Into CJ Hendry's "Pastel" — Closing Weekend

THROUGH SUNDAY

If you've ever wanted to throw yourself headfirst into a giant pile of pastel beads without having to clean any of it up, this is your last chance.

Artist CJ Hendry teamed up with Salon 94 Design (3 E. 89th St.) for Pastel, a technicolor playground that's basically an adult ball pit with an art-world pedigree. It closes Sunday, August 16, so consider this your final boarding call.

Smart starts here.

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Everyday People at The Rooftop at Pier 17

SATURDAY

The roving day party that never misses lands on Pier 17's rooftop this Saturday at 3pm — Afrobeats, amapiano, and hip-hop with the Brooklyn Bridge as your backdrop.

Everyday People is one of the best day parties in the country, and the people-watching alone is worth the ticket. Expect immaculate outfits, zero bad vibes, and the very civilized experience of dancing all afternoon and still being done by sunset.

Daytime rave, evening dinner res. Balance.

SOUL ROLL: All-Night Roller Skate

FRIDAY

Xanadu Presents is throwing SOUL ROLL this Friday — an all-night roller skating party with Stef Nava & Luv plus special surprise guests.

Picture it: soul and disco, wheels on your feet, and the specific joy of being slightly bad at something with a hundred strangers until the early hours. This is the kind of night you'll be insufferably smug about having done.

Skates on, phone away.

Summer Streets — Last Manhattan Date

SATURDAY

Every August, NYC does something magical: it kicks the cars out. This Saturday is the last Manhattan edition of Summer Streets, with more than 20 miles of streets closed to traffic and opened to pedestrians and cyclists.

Along the route: free bike rentals, fitness classes, live entertainment, and pop-ups. Pro tip — the route is blissfully quiet at 7am before the crowds and heat build, so set the alarm, grab a bacon-egg-and-cheese, and bike down an empty Park Avenue like the city belongs to you.

Because for one morning, it kind of does.