Music soothes the savage beast. It also dominates this week’s activities with Broadway tunes, Jazz, love songs, Motown, opera, Persian Folk, and Rock-n-Roll options. New movies, a fused glass workshop, and an international brisket event are also here. Please read on.
April 23, First Look 2026, May 3. This 15th annual festival screens more than two dozen new works, encompassing feature and short films, fiction, nonfiction, and New York premieres. Museum of the Moving Image, 36-01 35th Ave., Astoria’s Kaufman Arts District.
April 23, Ayano Elson: Control, April 25. Following a residency in 2025, choreographer and dancer Ayano Elson returns to premiere her physical, formally minimal dance created in collaboration with Cayleen Del Rosario, Amelia Heintzelman, Owen Prum, and evan ray suzuki. Thursday + Friday at 7 pm; Saturday at 3 pm + 7 pm. The Chocolate Factory Theater, 38-33 24th St., Long Island City.
April 25, Darlene Love: Love Songs, 8 pm. This Rock and Roll Hall of Famer returns to the borough for a celebration of her iconic voice and timeless charm. $37–$72. Colden Auditorium, Queens College, 153-49 Reeves Ave., Flushing.
April 25, Holi Dance + Music Celebration, 2:15 pm. Celebrate Holi (aka the Hindu Festival of Colors) with dance, music, food, and drink. $14-$22. Flushing Town Hall, 137-35 Northern Blvd.
April 25, Willa Bassen: Bleecker St., 2 pm. Willa Bassen explores the lives and music of the songwriters who made Manhattan’s Bleecker Street the epicenter of the 1960s Folk, Rock, and Protest movements. Singalong to Bob Dylan, Simon & Garfunkel, Joan Baez, The Lovin’ Spoonful, and others. Maple Grove Cemetery, 127-15 Kew Gardens Rd.
April 25, The Addams Family, May 3. St. Mary’s Drama Guild presents this dark musical comedy. Wednesday Addams has grown up and fallen in love with a respectable young man from a normal family. When the Beinekes are invited to dinner at the Addams household, Gomez is forced to keep Wednesday’s secret from Morticia, threatening the couple’s famously honest relationship. As time passes, secrets unravel, chaos erupts, and the Addams ancestors rise to ensure that love wins the day. $15-$25. Shows are April 25 + May 2 at 6:30 pm; April 26 + May 3 at 3:30 pm. St. Mary’s, 70-20 47th Ave., Woodside.
April 26, HITCity!, 3 pm. Endorsed by Otis Williams, an original Temptation and group founder, this show is for any Broadway and Motown fan. Expect to hear such hits as “My Girl,” “Treat Her Like A Lady,” and “Just My Imagination.” $55-$65. Queens Theatre, 14 United Nations Ave S., Flushing Meadows Corona Park.
April 26, Percussia: Portals of Light, 4 pm. This Queens-based ensemble debuts a Chamber Music America-sponsored composition by Tom Nazziola. Also on the program are “Play of Hands” by the Grammy winner Pedro Giraudo, Seth Bedford’s song cycle “Canciones Para Medusa.” and Frank Cassara’s “Broadway Boogie Woogie.” Maple Grove Cemetery, 127-15 Kew Gardens Rd.
April 26, International Culture Fest, noon. Spend a day watching performances from the Caribbean, Middle East, Japan, Russia, Greece, Mexico, India, and Korea. 31-28 Steinway St., Astoria.
April 26, Quintet of the America, 4 pm. This Queens-based ensemble performs contemporary, classical, and folk-derived music from the Americas through the musical lens of the woodwind quintet. Queens Botanical Garden, 43-50 Main St., Flushing.
April 26, Fused Glass Workshop, 11 am. Participants make colorful necklaces, pins, magnets, earrings, or rings — and learn the basics of fused glass art. Alley Pond Environmental Center, 229-10 Northern Blvd., Douglaston.
April 26, Persian Traditional and Folk Music, 3 pm. Experience Persian music through live songs, instrumental improvisations, and traditional instruments. Bayside Historical Society, The Castle, 208 Totten Ave., Fort Totten.
April 26, 5K Color Bash, 8 am. Footsteps for Progress presents a 5K run where color bombs, community vibes, and pure joy collide. Meet near Queens Museum, Flushing Meadow Corona Park.
April 26, Portals of Light, 4 pm. Queens-based chamber ensemble Percussia presents Portals of Light. Maple Grove Cemetery’s Brownson Center, 127-15 Kew Gardens Rd., Kew Gardens.
April 26, Bash The Trash, 2 pm. Instrument making, a parade, and a performance with Bash the Trash, a collective that uses musical instruments created from garbage to make connections to science, the environment, arts, and culture. Queens Botanical Garden, 43-50 Main St., Flushing.
April 26, Button Bracelet Workshop, 1:30 pm. Craft jewelry in an array of colors, textures, and styles. $10. Voelker Orth Museum, 149-19 38th Ave., Flushing.
April 26, Irish Genealogy in Action: Tips, Tools & a 1926 Census Party, 2 pm. Bridget Bray from the Irish/British Genealogy Group presents this interactive exploration of Irish family history. New York Irish Center, 10-40 Jackson Ave., Long Island City.
April 27, A Night at the Opera, 7 pm. A performance by the Queens Symphony Orchestra. Russo’s on the Bay, 162-45 Cross Bay Blvd., Howard Beach.
April 28, The Big Shred, 11 am. Protect yourself from identity theft, deed theft, and other scams by joining AARP New York for a free, three-hour, paper-shredding event with a mobile shred truck. Pomonok House, 67-09 Kissena Blvd., Flushing.
April 29, Brisket King NYC, 6 pm. This 14th annual celebration of BBQ features more than 20 chefs from all over the United States along with drink samples, 
hot sauces, and friendly competitions. Pig Beach BBQ, 35-37 36th St., Astoria.
April 29, Riddim Section Presents: Chembo Corniel, 8 pm. Renowned percussionist Wilson “Chembo” Corniel is a hard-hitting, versatile percussionist. He taught at the SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Music and The Drummers Collective. Jamaica Performing Arts Center, 153-10 Jamaica Ave.
April 30, The Big Shred, 11 am. Protect yourself from identity theft, deed theft, and other scams by joining AARP New York for a free, three-hour, paper-shredding event with a mobile shred truck. Jacob A. Riis Settlement House, 10-25 41st Ave., Long Island City.