Free In-Person & Virtual Programming across Neighborhood’s Parks and Public Spaces through December
The Battery Park City Authority’s Fall 2021 Program & Event Guide details a wide range of free, in-person and virtual programs and events – including music, art, dance, comedy, movie nights, festivals, and more – taking place across Battery Park City’s 36 acres of parks and public spaces through December. The full schedule can be found online, with all events to be held in accordance with New York Forward reopening guidance.
“It’s time for some Fall fun in Battery Park City! Vaccinations pave the way for us to safely get back together in person and so we’re excited to launch our Fall Programming and Event Guide,” said BPCA President and Chief Executive Officer B.J. Jones. “This season we have returning favorites – Go Fish!, Strings-on-Hudson, Holiday Lights, and more – and new programs – like BPC Back to School and The Virtual Choir Project to name but a few – aimed at a diverse range of audiences and interests. Our treasured parks and public spaces continue to serve as respite in these challenging moments, and we invite you to join us this autumn to experience and celebrate culture, environmental responsibility, and renewal.”
“At a time when community members and local artists celebrate new ways to engage with residents, post COVID-19, as Fall arrives, Battery Park City Authority is gearing-up to welcome the Lower Manhattan Community to an array of programming and outdoor fun for residents to enjoy,” said Assemblymember Deborah J. Glick. “I hope you all can take part in these festivities and find new ways to enjoy the new season right in your own backyard.”
“Free and fun events like those in BPCA’s Fall Program and Event Guide bring us closer together as a community and they’re one of the many reasons why Lower Manhattan is such a family-friendly part of the city,” said Council Member Margaret Chin. “I encourage everyone to register for one of these outings with a friend or family member!”
“Fall is the perfect time to enjoy the local businesses, parks and robust schedule of fun-filled events of Battery Park City!” said Tammy Meltzer, Chairperson, Manhattan Community Board 1. “All of Lower Manhattan looks forward to the Battery Park City Authority’s virtual and in-person programming, which will run through the Fall and Winter seasons. See you there!”
The Fall 2021 Program & Event Guide nearly a dozen pages of illustrated program offerings, organized by monthly event highlights as well as by those of interest to seniors, adults, school-aged children, preschoolers, and more. Interested individuals can subscribe to the mailing list online at bpca.ny.gov/news/events, by phone at (212) 267-9700, or at any program or event.
Highlights of the Fall Program & Event Guide include—
SEPTEMBER
- Interventions – Mildred Howard: “In the Line of Fire” and Ned Smyth: “Moments of Matter and Life.”
In partnership with the Shirley Fiterman Art Center (SFAC) at Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC), Interventions features works by internationally-recognized artists Mildred Howard and Ned Smyth – both of whom also have works on display in Battery Park City. The exhibition is viewed from the exterior of the SFAC galleries through the large, street-front windows on Barclay Street, Park Place and West Broadway.
Exhibition runs through September 25 at SFAC (81 Barclay Street). Read more.
- Eiko Otake: Slow Turn – Saturday, September 11, 7AM & 6 PM, Belvedere Plaza
At sunrise and sunset, movement-based artist and dancer Eiko Otake will perform accompanied by clarinetist David Krakauer. Eiko & Koma were artists-in-residence in the World Trade Center North Tower throughout the year 2000. In 2002, they premiered Offering: A Ritual of Mourning on Belvedere Plaza. Eiko Otake returns to explore memories from 20 years ago.
Presented in partnership with NYU Skirball and Lower Manhattan Cultural Council. Read more.
- Public Art Tour: The Irish Hunger Memorial – Sunday, September 12, 2PM, Irish Hunger Memorial Plaza
Join internationally-renowned sculptor and public artist Brian Tolle for a tour of the Irish Hunger Memorial. The Memorial was designed to raise public awareness of the events that led to the famine of 1845-52 and to encourage efforts to address current and future hunger worldwide. Tolle will share the inspiration behind the conception, design, and construction of the memorial, as well as a moving story about how the project was cared for and protected by rescue workers immediately after the September 11th attacks.
- BPC Back to School – Friday, September 17, 4:30PM, Rockefeller Park
School’s back! Celebrate the return to school at this family community event with beats by DJ Susan Z. Anthony, chalk drawings, a picnic area, and an array of classic lawn games. Fast break to the basketball court for a New York Red Bulls freestyle soccer show. The evening ends with a screening of “The Sandlot” complete with popcorn.
– 4:30PM: Freestyle Soccer Show
– 5:30PM: Festivities
– 7:30PM: Movie
- NY Laughs: Laughter in the Park – Sunday, September 19, 2PM, Wagner Park
NY Laughs presents live stand-up comedy performances in public spaces throughout New York City. This Laughter in the Park line-up features comedian, producer, author, Emmy, WGA & Peabody winner Josh Gondelman. Laughter enriches lives and can make the world a better place, so come laugh out loud with your fellow New Yorkers at this community building comedy event.
- Interludes: Cuarteto Guataca – Thursday, September 23, 6:30PM, Belvedere Plaza
Guataca means “play by ear” in Caribbean slang, which captures the essence of this sensational quartet. NYC-based, Cuarteto Guataca plays Salsa and Són Monuno classics straight from the heart. No dance experience necessary to join in on this upbeat and irresistible Latin tradition with an important history in New York City.
- Kamau Ware & Risë Wilson: On Art, History and Public Space – Friday, September 24, 6PM, Belvedere Plaza
A conversation between multidimensional artist and historian Kamau Ware, founder of Black Gotham Experience – an immersive multimedia project that reimagines the spaces directly impacted by the African Diaspora; and Risë Wilson, artist, art and philanthropy advisor, and founder of The Laundromat Project – an organization that connects artists and communities of color to their vision of a world in which we all want to live.
Presented in conjunction with the exhibition Interventions – Mildred Howard: In the Line of Fire and Ned Smyth: Moments of Matter and Life, free and on view at through September 25 at SFAC (81 Barclay Street). Read more.
- Migration Celebration – Saturday, September 25, 2-4PM, South Cove.
Join us at the annual fall celebration of all creatures that migrate through and by Battery Park City. Participants will make their way through a variety of interactive “welcome stations” consisting of art making, nature activities, storytelling with Freestyle Repertory Theatre, plus live performances by Villalobos Bros.
– 2, 2:45 & 3:45PM: Music Performances
– 2-4PM: Welcome Stations
– 2:30, 3 & 3:30PM: Storytelling
- Art House Classics: 7 Boxes – Thursday, September 30, 7PM (Virtual Program)
In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, Paraguayan thriller “7 Boxes” (2012, Juan Carlos Maneglia & Tana Schémbori) follows the adventures of wheelbarrow courier Víctor who receives an unusual proposal: to carry boxes of unknown content through Mercado 4 in Asunción, but things get complicated along the way.
Registration required at: registration@bpca.ny.gov
OCTOBER
- Together Now: The CUNY Virtual Choir Project – Fridays, October 5-December 10, 12PM, Belvedere Plaza (No program 11/26)
Laura Reaper, mezzo soprano; Makayla McDonald, soprano; and Constantine Novotny, baritone & guitarist will present a live component of the City University of New York’s Virtual Choir Project. Singers from different college campuses and different countries recorded their performances which were later digitally joined into large choir videos, now in an exhibition at BMCC’s SFAC.
- Art House Classics: The Bird With The Crystal Plummage – Thursday, October 14, 7PM (Virtual Program)
In celebration of Italian Heritage Day, “The Bird With The Crystal Plummage” (1971, Dario Argento) features an American expatriate in Rome who witnesses an attempted murder that is connected to an ongoing killing spree in the city, and conducts his own investigation.
Registration required at: registration@bpca.ny.gov
- Go Fish! BPC’s Celebration of Life in the Hudson Estuary – Saturday, October 16, 10AM, Wagner Park
Join experienced anglers for catch-and-release fishing and learn about life in the Hudson River. Help observe and identify the fish we catch, enabling us to share valuable data with research groups who monitor the health of our local waters. Check out our interactive discovery zone for naturalists of all ages! The day will also feature an art project and a nature walk. Plus: Don’t miss a live performance by Arm-of-the-Sea, a group that combines puppetry and ecology to inspire the next generation of environmental stewards.
– 10AM-1PM: Catch-and-release fishing
– 10:45AM: Art Project
– 11AM: Family Theater Performance
– 12:15PM: Nature Walk
- Strings-On-Hudson: The Andy Statman-Jay Gandhi Connection – Thursday, October 21, 5:30PM, Belvedere Plaza
Expect a fascinating, novel dialogue among soulful strains of music when clarinet and mandolin virtuoso Andy Statman joins forces with Jay Gandhi, Ehren Hanson, and David Ellenbogen of Brooklyn Raga Massive. This unique and amazing collaboration, taps into the rich traditions of improvisation and spiritual yearning that animate Indian classical, Jewish, and American roots music.
- Campfire Stories & Songs – Saturday, October 30, 2PM, Teardrop Park
Cozy up to a campfire for stories and singalongs with family and friends featuring award-winning NYC singer/songwriter Suzi Shelton. Munch on a yummy snack, and take part in a fun art project!
NOVEMBER
- Art House Classics: Smoke Signals – Thursday, November 4, 7PM (Virtual Program)
In honor of Native American Heritage Month, BPCA presents “Smoke Signals” (1998, Chris Eyre), the first feature film written, directed, and produced by Native Americans. It is a story of two childhood acquaintances who become friends on a trip from their reservation in Idaho to Colorado.
Registration required at: registration@bpca.ny.gov
- Holiday Food Drive – November 4-December 31 (Virtual Program)
BPCA is hosting an online food drive to help feed more than 1.5 million fellow New Yorkers facing hunger this year. Your online donation allows for fresh produce and non-perishables to be delivered directly to City Harvest and distributed to community food programs.
For information on how to donate, visit: bpca.ny.gov
- BPC Gift Drop-Off – November 29-December 2, 9AM-4PM, 75 Battery Place
When parents cannot provide Christmas gifts for their children, Stockings With Care collects, organizes and delivers gifts to families, so no child is left out. You may drop off unwrapped gifts to our collection box located in the lobby or at the Holiday Lights celebration on December 5.
DECEMBER
- Holiday Lights – Thursday, December 5, 6PM, South Cove
The annual Battery Park City tradition! Kick-off the season at the Holiday Lights celebration with your BPC community and enjoy special guest appearances by Harlem Sing Choir, PS/IS 276 Advanced Chorus, and you-know-who!
BPC BLOOD DRIVES CONTINUE
Battery Park City residents, partners, and friends have donated nearly 700 “Gifts of Life” across a series of BPC Blood Drives hosted in conjunction with New York Blood Center since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The need for blood remains acute and you can help replenish dwindling supplies in the tristate area. The whole process takes less than an hour and one donation can save multiple lives.
Join us at a BPC Blood Drive by signing up at nybloodcenter.org.
- BPC Fall Blood Drive – Wednesday, October 6, 12-6PM, 6 River Terrace
- BPC Holiday Blood Drive – Wednesday, December 8, 12-6PM, 6 River Terrace
“We are grateful to Battery Park City and its residents for stepping up for their fellow New Yorkers by donating blood at this critical time,” said Michele Lariviere, Director of Donor Recruitment at New York Blood Center. “We predict a difficult fall as the pandemic continues to cause a drop in blood drives and donations. Donating blood saves lives and we encourage everyone to make an appointment.”
These highlighted events are in addition to BPCA’s weekly recurring programs for all ages, including art, fitness, sports, gardening, and more.
Back to Blog Homepage
