Holidays & Festivals Archives
Martin Hayes - St. Patrick's Day
Forget the cloying confection of Celtic Woman or the puréed folk balladry of the High Kings, two Irish imports calculated to appease the pledge-drive hunger of U.S. public television stations. If you're seeking something genuinely special in your Irish musical diet this St. Patrick's Day, look no further than the fiddling of Martin Hayes.
. . .
"For me, the genius of Irish traditional music is in the music. It endures in appeal because of melodic structure, which can be very powerful and even hypnotic."
. . .
"I think a big problem in Irish music today is a disconnect with its dance origins," he said. "If I play a reel slowly, I'm still playing it with the syncopation of set dancing in Clare. Those set-dancer rhythms echo in my head. When I play gently and reflectively, it's not about eliminating the dance. It's about reducing its ratio to the melody."
"Fearlessness and Fidelity Mark This Irish Fiddler's Art," by Earle Hitchner, The Wall Street Journal, March 13, 2008
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
More
- Martin Hayes web site
- - Profile on Ceolas
- - Profile on GlobalVillageIdiot
- Album Details for Meet Paddy Canny. All-Ireland Champion: Violin - from IrishTune.info
- Tulla Ceili Band - from Set Dancing News
Relatives ... St. Patrick's Day
Relatives
2nd uncle is my late cousin Herbert Chew's father ... Angeline's father is my 5th uncle ... I saw him in Ipoh ... he was recuperating in the hospital from surgery ... luckily, he has a very good Indonesian maid to watch over him 24 hours ... Grace's father is my 9th uncle-in-law ... he is 91 years old ... frail in physical health but very alert in mental health ... he was able to carry-on a good conversation with me in English .... very remearkable, I assumed he was happy to see me again after 40 years ... Grace's mother was my mother's 9th sister (9th Auntie) ...
The Traditional Chinese Family & Lineage - David K. Jordan, Professor Emeritus of Anthropology, UCSD
Erin-go-bragh
very wet and snowy day for the Irish ...
St. Patrick - The Catholic Encyclopedia at New Advent
Cathedral of Saint Patrick, on Fifth Avenue between 50th and 51st Streets
St. Patrick's Day in New York City - Newyorkology
2007 New York City Saint Patrick's Day Parade
Saint Patrick's Day - Wikipedia
St. Patrick's Day is so huge in New York City that it takes a whole month to celebrate it, so March is St. Patrick's month in New York. Keep checking this space to help you plan your St. Patrick's Day (& month) activities... - slainte, Murph
The Ultimate St. Patrick's Month Listings - March 2007 - MurphGuide
XM Green - Irish music this weekend on XM 200 (free online trial)
Happy Chinese New Year - Gung Hay Fat Choy!
The Chinese Year of the Pig / Boar starts February 18, 2007, and will be kicked off at 11 am with the Firecracker Ceremony at Chatham Square. The Lunar New Year Fireworks Spectacular, presented by the Chinatown Partnership, will start at 7:00 pm in Columbus Park in Chinatown (Mulberry Street between Worth and Bayard Streets).
Photo courtesy of Explore Chinatown
The 8th Annual Chinatown Lunar New Year Parade and Festival, presented by the Better Chinatown Society, will take place on Sunday, February 25, 2007, starting at 1:00 pm. It will run from Mott and Hester Sreets, down Mott Street to East Broadway, then travel along Allen and Grand Street, and finish at Chrystie and Canal Streets. (pdf map here) Calendar here.
More
- Explore Chinatown
- Better Chinatown Society (English) - Chinese
- Museum of Chinese in the Americas (MoCA)
- "Ring in the Year of the Pig with Chinatown Festivities," The Tribeca Trib, February 2, 2007
- Lunar New Year (Chinese New Year) Celebrations in Flushing - from About.com
- Chinatown Online
3rd Annual Tiger Beer Singapore Chili Crab Festival
The 3rd Annual Singapore Chili Crab Festival, Sunday, August 6th, 2006, DUMBO (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass), Brooklyn, 66 Water Street (between Dock and Main Streets), 12 - 6pm. (rain or shine) ... a sensational experience for all ages in DUMBO's summery outdoors ...
From Tiger Beer:
We will once again take over the Brooklyn waterfront and give it the vibrancy and excitement of a massive Singaporean Street fair.In addition to chili crabs, other authentic Asian delectables will be available. Entertainment will include live band performances, souvenir vendors, children's street entertainment, massage therapy, traditional lion dancers, pedicab rides and kickboxers from Gleason’s Gym.
The admission is FREE to all with charges for food and beverages from 12 noon to 6 pm, outside Water Street Restaurant & Lounge at 66 Water Street (between Dock and Main Streets).
The location is accessible by the A & C trains to High Street; the F train to York Street; and the #2 train to Clark Street. By car, festival goers should take Old Fulton Street to Front Street to Main and Water streets.
Water Taxi service will be available to festival attendees. The service will be available from South Street Seaport to Fulton Landing from 12 Noon to 6 pm.
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Subway interactive map | schedules | HopStop: A train to High Street, F train to York Street, 1 or 2 train to Clark Street
28th Annual Free Museum Mile - FREE
Mark your calendar for Tuesday, June 13, 2006, from 5:45 - 9:00 pm - the 28th Annual Museum Mile Festival ... FREE
all the museums along Fifth Avenue will throw open their doors to the public for free, the Avenue will be closed to vehicular traffic, there will be world music every few blocks, crayon drawing for children on the avenue, etc.
I will head to the Cooper-Hewitt for their show of Hudson River School paintings and the National Academy for the American Art contemporary show.
Participating Museums along Fifth Avenue
- 82nd Street: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
- 83rd Street: Goethe-Institut New York/German Cultural Center
- 86th Street: Neue Galerie New York
- 89th Street: Guggenheim Museum
- 90th Street: National Academy Museum and School of Fine Arts
- 91st Street: Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum
- 92nd Street: The Jewish Museum
- 103rd Street: Museum of the City of New York
- 105th Street: El Museo del Barrio
Post by Peter
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Subway MTA map | Straphangers interactive map | schedules | HopStop | Interactive Transit Map
Summer on the Hudson - lots of free fun
FREE
Summer on the Hudson is gearing up for its 6th season of free cultural and recreational events in Riverside Park South. This summer we have a great line-up of world class musicians for Acoustic Sundays, river themed movies for Movies Under the Stars, special all-day events, including the 1st Annual Main Squeeze Accordion Festival on July 8th, plenty of activities and events for kids, including Mamapalooza on May 21st, plus, yoga, pilates and kayaking.
- Calendar of upcoming events
- Riverside Park South is located on the Hudson River from 62nd to 72nd Street (enter park at 72nd or 68th Street)
Saturday, June 10, 2006, 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm: The Rail Yard History of Riverside Park South, Riverside Park South - Pier I @ 70th Street
Saturday, July 8, 2006, 2:00 pm - 9:00 pm: 1st Annual NYC Main Squeeze Accordion Festival
Sunday, July 9, 2006, 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm: Acoustic Sundays - Metropolitan Klezmer
Wednesday, July 12, 2006, 8:30 pm - 11:00 pm: Movies Under the Stars - On the Waterfront
Wednesday, July 26, 2006, 8:30 pm - 11:00 pm: Movies Under the Stars - The African Queen
AGINY Recommended
Happy Halloween
another haunted house in my zip-code ... East 74th Street, 10021 ...
"Instant Period Costumes"
A trade secret from professional costume designers: throw out your sewing kit. The way to make quick and dirty costumes is to scrounge for old clothes, cut them up creatively with your scissors, and then instantly reassemble the pieces using a hot glue gun. No measuring, no patterns, no threads.
"Instant Period Costumes," by Kevin Kelly, Cool Tools, October 29, 2005
More
Haunted House
Oh yes, I was very spooked last Monday walking past this street from Sothebys! ... the most haunted house in my zip-code ... 332 East 69th Street, 10021 ... I saw the white long ghost in front of the door and my hair stood on ends! Meow!!!! ... did a double take to assure myself that it was not for real ... it's Halloween ... creepy, creepy spooky ghosts are all over this universe ... my two huge cats will protect me from all the flying ghosts ...
3rd Annual West Side County Fair - Sunday, September 18, 2005
Third Annual West Side County Fair ... Sunday, September 18, 2005, 2:00 - 6:00 pm, Riverside Park, 62nd to 72nd Street
Summer on the Hudson @ Riverside Park South presents the 3rd Annual West Side County Fair. Celebrate the change of season at Riverside Park South. Enjoy carnival rides like the Ferris Wheel and the Pirate Ship, the Moonbounce and the Bungee Run for the kids, funnel cakes, popcorn, cotton candy and country cooking. There will be pony rides, a petting zoo, strolling performers, a face painter, games, music and dancing. Some of the featured bands will be The Brooklyn Steppers Marching Band, The Muskrat Dixieland Trio, The Maybelles and many more. Vendors offering everything from soap and jewelry to pies and cider will be selling their wares. There is so much to see and do, we hope you will join us! And it's all free (except for food and vendor purchases). Weather permitting. For more information about this and other Riverside Park South events, please call 212-408-0219
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Subway MTA map | Straphangers interactive map | schedules | HopStop
Festival of San Gennaro - September 15-25, 2005
The 78th Annual Feast of San Gennaro, New York City's oldest, biggest and best street festival, will be celebrated starting Thursday, September 15, and continuing for 11 days through Sunday, September 25, 2005.
The Feast runs along Mulberry Street, between Canal Street (on south) and Houston Street (on north). It takes place east to west on Grand Street, between Mott and Baxter Street, and east to west on Hester Street, between Mott and Baxter Streets.
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Subway MTA map | Straphangers interactive map | schedules | HopStop
If you're in town Labor Day weekend ...
If you're in the Big Apple over Labor Day weekend, here are some sites to check for things to do ...
- NewYorkology suggests the Met ... Normally closed Mondays, the Metropolitan Museum of Art is making a somewhat rare holiday exception for Labor Day. The Met will be open Sept. 5 from 9:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m.
- Summer Restaurant Week runs through Labor Day ... three-course lunches for $20.12 and three-course dinners for $35.00 (beverage, tax and gratuity additional) ...
- See Gothamist's Long Weekend Movie Guide
- The NYC Insider has some suggestions
- New York magazine has guides to ... street fairs ... "Ten Beaches No Car" ... "Eat a Civilized Meal Outdoors" ...
- About Manhattan has a list of the "Best New York City Swimming Pools"
- The 22nd Annual Roots of American Music Festival at Lincoln Center Out of Doors ... free ...
- Also see the NewYorkled events calendar
- Upcoming Events from the NYC Dept. of Parks and Recreation
- The Labor Day Parade will take place on Saturday, September 10, 2005 ...
The New Yorker Festival - September 23-25, 2005
The New Yorker Festival returns for its sixth year, from September 23rd through September 25th, in a celebratory weekend of public discourse on arts and ideas. The three-day schedule of events encompasses readings, musical performances, interviews, debates, and excursions around New York City.
Ticket on sale August 25th.
6th Annual Blues BBQ & Fireworks Festival - August 28
The 6th Annual Blues BBQ & Fireworks Festival will take place at Pier 54 on August 28, from 2 - 9 pm ... music ... food ... fireworks ... sponsored by Hudson River Park
Featuring Kenny Neal & Billy Branch, Corey Harris, Guitar Shorty, Candye Kane and Hubert Sumlin. While you enjoy the music, amazing local BBQ restaurants sell their specialties, followed by a spectacular fireworks display. Enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of this premier Hudson River Park event.
Pier 54 is located on West Side Highway at approximately 13th Street
Subway map | interactive map | schedules | HopStop: A, C, and E trains, 14th Street station; L train, 8th Avenue station
2nd Annual Singapore Chili Crab Festival
The 2nd Annual Singapore Chili Crab Festival, Sunday, August 7th, 2005, DUMBO (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass), Brooklyn, 66 Water Street (between Dock and Main Streets), 12 - 6pm. (rain or shine) ... a sensational experience for all ages in DUMBO's summery outdoors ...
enjoy Singapore chili crabs and other specialities prepared by The Global Culinary Society of the Culinary Institute of America ... free admission (you pay for food and beverages) ...
limited free transportation from South Street Seaport by NY Water Taxi ... or take a leisurely stroll across the Brooklyn Bridge ... the walkway feeds into Washington Street, then walk north toward the East River on Washington Street to the Festival ... www.tigerbeer.us/newyork or www.waterstreetrestaurant.com
From Tiger Beer
In addition to chili crabs, other Southeast Asian flavors including Beef Rendang, deep fried Beef Wontons, and Singapore Satay (bite-sized skewered meat) will be available. Entertainment will include live band performances, souvenir vendors, children's street entertainment and petting zoo, caricaturists, face painters, massage therapy, traditional lion dancers, East-West horoscope readings by Madame Tiger and kickboxers from Gleason’s Gym.
Subway interactive map | schedules | HopStop: A train to High Street, F train to York Street, 1 or 2 train to Clark Street
Independence Day 2005
Macy's 4th of July fireworks
Enjoy!
