News From The Queens Tourism Council
Queens celebrates the country’s birthday, July 4, with carnival rides and fireworks. On the same day, the borough also celebrates famous former resident Louis Armstrong’s entry into the world with live music and food.
Other options include an annual bicycle tour, plenty of outdoor movies in parks, magic, a street fair and a special crafts table.
Here’s the rundown.
– Thursday through Sunday, July 3-6, Independence Day Carnival Explosion, 5 p.m. to midnight. This second annual, four-day carnival features more than 15 rides, games, food and live entertainment. Fireworks on July 5 at 9 p.m. Free. Padavan-Preller Field, 236-02 Hillside Ave., Bellerose, www.ovcnyc.org.
– Friday, July 4, Satchmo’s Birthday Celebration, 2 p.m. Music by Emily Asher’s Garden Party as part of Hot Jazz/Cool Garden Summer Concert Series. Complimentary sample of red beans and rice and sweet tea. $18. Louis Armstrong House Museum, 34-56 107th St., Corona, www.louisarmstronghouse.org.
– Friday and Saturday, July 4-5, Magic and Circus Show, 2 and 4 p.m. Non-stop excitement and entertainment with Zabo the Clown, whose skills include juggling, unicycling, and prop balancing, on July 4, and Champu The Magician, whose energetic and interactive style is sure to engage guests in a magical and hilarious experience, on July 5. Free. Carousel at Forest Park, Forest Park Drive off Woodhaven Boulevard, Woodhaven, www.nycgovparks.org.
– Friday, July 4, Free First Friday, 5 to 8 p.m. On the first Friday of every month, admission is free and public tours led in English and Japanese are available at 2 p.m. Also featured are extended evening hours with special programming, including Center of Attention (an extended conversation around a single work of art), and a cash bar with wine and beer. July’s film selection is Tadao Ando: From Emptiness to Infinity (German with subtitles), a documentary on renowned architect Tadao Ando, the Japanese Master of Minimalism. The Noguchi Museum, 9-01 33rd Rd., LIC, www.noguchi.org.
– Saturday and Sunday, July 5-6, See It Big! Science Fiction (Part II), times vary. The Museum of the Moving Image presents six 70mm screenings of Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 science-fiction masterpiece 2001: A Space Odyssey over two consecutive weekends. Dates and times follow: July 5, 3 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.; July 6, 3 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. $12. Museum of the Moving Image, 36-01 35th Ave., Astoria, www.movingimage.us.
– Saturday, July 5, Summer on the Green, 5 to 9:30 p.m. Two concerts, children’s entertainment and fireworks kick off a season of events. Free. The Shops at Atlas Park, 80-00 Cooper Ave., Glendale, www.shopatlaspark.com.
– Saturday and Sunday, July 5-6 Make It: Sew Cool Hand Sewing, 1:30 and 3:30 p.m. Learn how to measure and cut fabric, sew a few different hand stitches, and attach buttons, straps and other trimmings. Workshops are recommended for ages 6 and older and cost $5 per adult/child pair ($3 for members). New York Hall of Science, 47-01 111th St., Corona, www.nysci.org.
– Sunday, July 6, The 7th Annual Tour de Queens Presented by Jamis, registration 8 a.m., tour departs at 9:30 a.m. Take a roughly 20-mile bicycle ride through Northeastern Queens with a police escort. $20. Starting and ending in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, in the plaza between the Unisphere and the Queens Museum, www.tourdequeens.org.
– Sunday, July 6, Community Day, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Free admission and a variety of programs, including open studio, a public tour, and a special conversation focusing on a single work of art. Free. Noguchi Museum, 9-01 33rd Rd., LIC, www.noguchi.org.
– Sunday, July 6, Queens Botanical Garden Craft Table, 2 to 4 p.m. (while supplies last). Make stars and stripes vegetable print picnic napkins with fruit and vegetable stamps. Free. The Shops at Skyview Center, Level D, 40-24 College Point Blvd., Flushing, www.queensbotanical.org.
– Sunday, July 6, Friends of Community Board 1 Street Fair, noon to 6 p.m. Free. 30th Avenue between 29th and Steinway streets, www.centralastoria.org.
– Wednesday, July 9, The Wizard of Oz, 7 p.m. As part of its Movies in the Park series, the NYC Parks Department shows the 1939 movie classic The Wizard of Oz. Free. 111th Street Lawn area between carousel and Playground for All Children, Flushing Meadows Corona Park, www.nycgovparks.org.
– Wednesday, July 9, La Pirogue, 7 p.m., with pre-film performance. An outdoor screening of an absorbing drama of 30 men and one woman who set out on a seven-day voyage from the coast of Senegal to Spain in a pirogue, a boat resembling a dinghy. The passengers hail from different ethnic and religious backgrounds, but share a common desire to build a better future in Europe. Free. Socrates Sculpture Park, 32-01 Vernon Blvd., LIC, www.socratessculpturepark.org.
The “It’s In Queens” column is produced by the Queens Tourism Council with the hope that readers will enjoy the borough’s many attractions. More info available online at www.itsinqueens.com.
