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Where to Enjoy Summer Fun in Brooklyn and Downtown Manhattan

Who needs a beach or country house when there are so many enticing offerings in Downtown Manhattan and Brooklyn? Lots of opportunities abound for outdoor concerts, dancing the night away, achieving zen at rooftop yoga, playing mini-golf, or catching an independent movie screening on either side of the Brooklyn Bridge. Those who still yearn for poolside playdates can retreat to the pool or unwind on one of the chic daybeds at Brooklyn’s Williamsburg Hotel.

Moore Brothers Wine Company

Brooklyn’s indoor-outdoor backyard party in Sunset Park is hosting an array of fun happenings all summer long. The schedule includes outdoor concerts, outdoor jazz picnics, brunches, distillery tasting rooms, salsa dancing, and beyond. There’s plenty of room for everyone at this 6 million-square-foot mixed-use waterfront complex. Beyond the sprawling outdoor space, there’s a range of indoor spaces, which include an arcade, mini-golf, and food hall.

Summer happenings include Jazz + Picnics, which will be held every second Saturday from June through September in Courtyard 3/4. Enjoy live jazz while sipping wine from Moore Brothers Wine Company (220 36thSt, #2-A, Brooklyn, (718) 736-2516, ext. 200, industrycity.com/new-moore-brothers-wine-company). In June, Sahadi’s (34 35thSt., Brooklyn, 718-788-7500, sahadis.com) will offer delectable cheese plates and picnic baskets with lite bites. 

In partnership with Willie Villegas of Salsa en la Calle, Salsa Sundays will be held in Courtyard 1/2 from 12 pm-6pm. Live entertainment and a dance instructor will kick off the events, with additional concerts held on July 7, July 21, August 4, August 18, September 8, and September 22.

Industry City

Family fun abounds at The Rock & Roll Playhouse—an outdoor, kid-centric concert series, which enables families to inspire children’s creativity through music. Showcasing historic classic rock, The Playhouse offers music education and creative exploration. Families can view the lineup here220 36thSt, #2-A, Brooklyn, 718-736-2516, ext. 200, industrycity.com 

Rooftop Films, Downtown Manhattan and Brooklyn

Well Groomed

Well Groomed in Fort Greene Park is just one of many summer offerings.

Back for the fifth year, Rooftop Films offers its courtyard screenings of new independent films all summer long throughout different venues in Manhattan and Brooklyn.

The Rooftop + Pool at The Williamsburg Hotel, Brooklyn

Williamsburg Hotel

Back for its second season, The Rooftop + Pool at The Williamsburg Hotel is an elegant urban oasis with stylish cabanas and daybeds set around an azure pool. Dive in—the pool is open to non-hotel guests. Day passes are available for $65 per person (the pool is open when weather permits). On the menu are light poolside snacks and creative cocktails that are offered through a full-service bar. 

New seasonal programming includesRooftop Yoga, which kicks off on May 28. Keep that body beach ready by attending morning yoga classes held in collaboration with the neighborhood’s Syncstudio. Classes will be held Monday through Friday from 7am to 8am, and Saturday and Sunday from 8am-9am. Mats are provided; guests can contact reserve@thewilliamsburghotel.comto secure a spot. Meditation classes will also be available soon.

Those who yearn for a hip, happening music scene can enjoy the “Ilegal Mezcal Music Series,” which will host a live reggae band and cocktails every Wednesday evening from 7 pm to 11pm. “Ilegal Mezcal Music Series” will run through the end of summer. 

The Williamsburg Hotel announces extended weekend hours at its cocktail lounge and nightclub (Wednesday and Thursday from 6pm to 2am; Friday, 6pm to 4am; Saturday, 2pm to 4am; Sunday, 2pm~) and rotating deejays.  Other announcements include a weekly jazz night, held every Thursday in the hotel lobby from 7:30pto 10:30pm. 96 Wythe Ave., Brooklyn, 718-362-8100, thewilliamsburghotel.com 

R17, South Street Seaport, Manhattan

Pier 17

Credit: Keeyahtay Lewis on behalf of The Howard Hughes Corporation.

Downtown New York City is home to R17—a chic restaurant space and cocktail bar located atop The Rooftop at Pier 17. On May 23, R17 unveils its expansive outdoor patio and rooftop cocktail lounge, which boasts North and South patios, and panoramic views of the Brooklyn Bridge, East River, and twinkling Lower Manhattan skyline. A refreshed food and beverage menu features an array of small specialty plates.  

The Rooftop at Pier 17 Summer Concerts

Billie Eilish

Billie Eilish is among many big stars playing this summer.

The Manhattan waterfront is also an ideal backdrop for The Rooftop at Pier 17 2019 Summer Concert Series. The music-centric series runs through October. 

For more information and tickets, click here, or visit r17nyc.com

About the Author

Regina Molaro is a freelancer writer whose work spans from luxury to fashion, art, lifestyle, and beauty. Her work has appeared in Modern Luxury Hawai‘i, as well as Bespoke Magazine and In Season—the in-house magazines at the St. Regis and Mandarin Oriental New York.

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