If you’re good at multitasking even when you’re out to have fun, then you’ll want to pay a visit to the Warm Up series of dance parties. These popular events let you surround yourself with music, dance, art, beer, and lots and lots of other good looking people, and do it all at once.
Celebrating their tenth anniversary this year, the Warm Ups are held at PS 1 Contemporary Art Center, a museum housed inside what was once a massive public school on 22-25 Jackson Ave in the Queens neighborhood of Long Island City.
Every Saturday afternoon, through 6 September, the museum’s courtyard gets taken over by various bands and DJs, ranging from the obscure to the just about to be discovered to the fanatically followed. The look of the party changes every year—this time the theme is PF 1 (Public Farm 1), a salute to urban gardening that’s powered by solar energy, uses ascending tubes of recycled cardboard to hold edible fruits and vegetables, and even finds space for a small flock of chickens. (The hamburgers, hot dogs, and free-flowing beer, however, are not part of the sustainable agriculture on display, and perhaps for the chickens’ sake that’s just as well.)
The Warm Ups usually turn out to be as hot as their name, and waiting in line for refreshment can take forever. Take care to slap on lots of sunscreen, stay as hydrated as possible, and don’t forget to get inside and see some of the art! Of the current exhibits, a definite highlight are the three works by Olafur Eliasson—they’re a great complement to the five waterfalls of his now flowing in the East River.
By the way, the art doesn’t end once you leave PS 1. Head across the street to 5Pointz, a large warehouse that’s a pilgrimage site for fans of graffiti. “Aerosol artists” who get permission from those in charge there are allowed to put up works on this factory’s exterior, and you’re likely to see at least a few of them touching up a piece when you stop by—current painting hours are noon to 7 on weekends. It all makes a great NYC photo op.