The Public Theater is hosting a free pop-up festival at the Queens Night Market this weekend.
Head to the Queens Night Market at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 3, to experience performances by Brooklyn-based music artists Gentleman Brawlers and BYRNE. The Gentlemen Brawlers collective is known for their Afrofunk and indie dance music, while solo artist BYRNE blends pop, alternative and folk to produce feel-good music. The festivities will conclude with a screening of “Much Ado About Nothing,” a romantic comedy movie based on the Shakespearian play. Those interested in attending can RSVP here.
Founded by Joe Papp over six decades ago, The Public is one of the country’s first nonprofit theaters. The Public is committed to bringing theatre to all communities through programming such as Free Shakespeare in the Park, a mobile theatre unit and other arts and cultural initiatives.
The Public is currently represented on Broadway by the Tony Award-winning musicals “Hamilton” by Lin-Manuel Miranda, “Suffs” by Shaina Taub and “Hell’s Kitchen” by Alicia Keys and Kristoffer Diaz. The Public has received 64 Tony Awards, 194 Obie Awards, 62 Drama Desk Awards, 61 Lortel Awards, 36 Outer Critic Circle Awards, 13 New York Drama Critics’ Circle Awards, 65 AUDELCO Awards, six Antonyo Awards and six Pulitzer Prizes.
The Queens Night Market is New York City’s premier open-air night market, featuring up to 100 vendors selling merchandise, art and food. The marketplace features small-scale cultural performances, celebrating the cultural diversity of the “World’s Borough.”
The unique food experience was founded by John Wang in 2015. Since then, the Queens Night Market has welcomed approximately 3 million visitors, helped launch over 400 brand new businesses in New York and represented over 95 countries through its vendors. In 2023, the event averaged approximately 20,000 attendees each Saturday night. The annual market is open every Saturday evening from April to October.
