By TimesLedger Staff
If shaking your groove thing under the stars sounds like a great way to spend a Friday evening, you’re in luck. Head over to Hunters Point South Waterfront Park in Long Island City (near the Vernon Boulevard-Jackson Avenue stop on the 7 train) for Lincoln Center Local’s Silent Disco.
For those of you not familiar with the concept, at a Silent Disco, each dancer puts on his or her own pair of wireless headphones and moves to one of several different sets of music being spun by DJs. Things will get underway with a Silent Family Dance Party from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. At 7 p.m., professional dance instructor John Festa will give a lesson in the dance style known as West Coast Swing. The Silent Disco starts at 7:40 p.m. and runs until 10 p.m. Admission is free on a first-come, first-served basis. Bring a credit card or an ID to borrow headphones for the evening. Please leave your baggage at home; bags are not permitted on the dance floor. For more information, go to www.linco
Saturday, it’s Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day at the US Open. This tennis and entertainment event brings chart-topping performers, celebrities and some of the best tennis players in the game together to celebrate the life and values of tennis legend and humanitarian Arthur Ashe. Activities go from 9:30 a.m to 3 p.m. The day starts with a festival on the grounds of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center that features face painting, storytelling, juggling workshops and many other activities. Then there’s a ticketed stadium show and concert inside Arthur Ashe Stadium. The festival is free, and tickets for the stadium show run from $10 to $25. For more information, call (718) 760-6200 or go to www.arthu
Sunday, the sounds of music will fill the Queens Botanical Garden. ¡Retumba!, a multi-ethnic, all-female music and dance ensemble which interweaves traditional rhythms and beautiful ancient melodies with its own interpretation of the music and dance of Africa, Europe, the Americas and the Caribbean, will be performing from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the QBG, located at 43-50 Main St. in Flushing. Admission to the garden is $6 for adults, $4 for seniors (age 62+) and students with ID, $2 for kids ages 4-12 and free for children under 3 and members of the garden. For more information, call (718) 886-3800 or go to www.queen
