Wednesday Weekly: Something to Look Forward To.

It's Hump Day again! Funny how Wednesday just continues to happen every week. Too bad there can't be more Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, and less other days. Anyway... if you're feeling that mid-week lull and you need something to look forward to, then you've come to the right place, er, blog. This upcoming weekend, and into next week, there are so many cool activities going on around the city that you'll have some tough choices to make. Below are my suggestions.

Music:
The Brooklyn Independent Music Festival, runs from Friday, September 16 through Sunday, September 18, at Littlefield in Gowanus. This festival will feature mostly local artists who are expected to (or already do) have a great impact on the NYC music scene. Tickets are $55 for the whole 3-day festival, or $23 daily.

On Saturday, September 17 and Sunday, September 18, Washington Square Park will host its first-ever folk festival! The Washington Square Park Folk Festival is a FREE festival, and will include performances from country, blues and old time string bands, among others. Sets begin each day at 2pm.

Theatre:
Sunday, September 18 is the start of "Broadway Week" in New York. Many of Broadway's most popular plays and musicals are offering 2-for-1 tickets through September 30. See the full list of shows here.

Books:
For all you bookworms out there, the largest free literary event in New York City, the Brooklyn Book Festival, will be taking place in Brooklyn on Sunday, September 18, and there will be a bunch of correspondingly nerdy activities across Brooklyn leading up to the festival, starting tomorrow, Thursday, September 15. The official Sunday festival schedule can be accessed here. Explore books, literary games, film screenings, and maybe even meet some authors!

Yoga:
For one day only, on Sunday, September 18, renowned yogi, Sri Dharma Mittra, will be on Governor's Island, at Colonel's Row, for his event, Dharma Yoga for the City, which takes place from 10am to 4pm. There are two Dharma Yoga schools in Manhattan, but on Sunday you can learn for FREE some of Sri Dharma Mittra's yoga techniques, including postures and breathing, meditating and chanting. Listen to a lecture, take a free yoga class, or chant Kirtan, and then enjoy some free vegetarian and vegan food. There will also be free children's activities. Bring a yoga mat and towel. Also, you may want to bring your own food and have a picnic on the island. Plan ahead and scope out the Governor's Island ferry schedule before you go. Governor's Island is closed to the public after September 25, until next summer, so it's the perfect time to visit the island if you haven't yet had the opportunity to do so this year.

Food:
The 85th Annual San Gennaro Feast will be taking place in Little Italy from Thursday September 15, through Sunday September 25. There will be competitive eating, parades, free musical entertainment, cooking demonstration, children's activities, vendors selling souveniers, and of course, ITALIAN FOOD!!

Beer:
Starting Friday, September 16 through Sunday September 25, it's Craft Beer Week in New York City. An overwhelming number of bars and restaurants in NYC will be hosting special beer-related events each day, featuring these breweries. If you purchase something called a "Passport," you'll also be privy to specials deals and discounts. And, there's an app for that. You can purchase the Passport by downloading the app to your smartphone, or in-person at any one of the beer venues. Supposedly you can also buy one on-line at Beer Week's website, but the link appears to be broken. Thrillist is offering a special deal for Saturday, Sept 17 only.