The Blankman List: Free October 2023 Highlights

I understand that it is not always easy to figure out what to do in New York City. My monthly Blankman List is an attempt to save you hours of research and give you a curated, comprehensive list. Here is September’s list for the rest of the month.

The events below are a sampling of the longer October Blankman List, which has at least one event for every day of the month. Events for this month include a salsa social, public talks on hip-hop and the biology of aging, a botanical exhibit on trees, a beer festival, a Korean-English bilingual play, a documentary on foster care, a pop-up poetry class, and much more.

Broadway Flea attendees showing off merchandise; photo by Rebecca J. Michelson, courtesy of broadwaycares.org

Treasure Hunting

I invariably attend a few of the events off each list myself. (How can I not?) For October, I can immediately tell you one place I’ll be—and have been counting down the days since last October. Broadway Flea: a flea market for all things Broadway. For those uninterested in Playbills, scripts, and theater merch, I keep an eye out for interesting sales events all year long:

• Sunday, October 1: Broadway Flea Market & Grand Auction (Manhattan)

  • Broadway-themed flea market with silent and live auctions; 10 am–7 pm

  • Free entry

  • Around Shubert Alley

  • W 44th St & W 55th St through Shubert Alley (Times Square)

• Sunday, October 8: Marc's Unique Antiques: Brooklyn Estate Sale (Brooklyn)

  • Estate sale (estate where all items within can be purchased); 8:30 am–5 pm

  • Free entry

  • Address will be available after 9 am on October 7 on estatesales.net.

  • Brooklyn, NY 11229 (Sheepshead Bay)

• Friday, October 13–Sunday, October 29: Apartment Therapy’s Small/Cool NYC (Brooklyn)

  • Shoppable pop-up apartment design showcase; 11 am–7 pm; three weekends in October

  • Free entry

  • Industry City

  • Between 35th St & 2nd Ave (Sunset Park)

The Music of NYC

Someone recently asked me who my favorite musical artist is. I felt stumped because I just love all of it, from contemporary classical to thrash metal to Lil Nas X to Nickelback to South American folk. So I just opened my mouth and heard myself say Daniel Caesar. (Ask me again, and I'm sure a different answer will come out.) It made me wonder if Caesar was touring, and lo and behold, he is coming here in October. Tickets aren’t cheap and currently start at over $100 (the best deals I’ve found so far are on SeatGeek), but I get why he’s so in demand. Check out his NPR Tiny Desk Concert to hear his buttery soul groove break in and out of a heart-ripping falsetto.

• Tuesday, October 17: Daniel Caesar & Omar Apollo with Special Guest Montell Fish (Manhattan)

  • Electronic-influenced soul concert; 7 pm (6 pm doors) (Daniel Caesar videos)

  • $114–$500+

  • Madison Square Garden

  • 4 Pennsylvania Plaza (Herald Square)

Another call-out is Stanley Jordan. He has an idiosyncratic style of playing directly on the fretboard instead of strumming the strings—in particular, this 1991 performance of “Autumn Leaves” shows him playing on two guitars at once. A few other highlights: “Eleanor Rigby” (1986), “Over the Rainbow” (2013), “Treasures” [original song] (2014), and Mozart Piano Concerto No. 21 (2020).

Stanley Jordan playing two guitars on “Autumn Leaves” (1991)

• Thursday, October 12: Stanley Jordan (Manhattan)

  • Jazz guitar performance; 8:30 pm (7:30 pm doors); October 12–14

  • $55–$66

  • Iridium

  • 1650 Broadway (Midtown)

Of course this is NYC, so if neither soul nor guitar jazz is your thing, you still have a near-infinite number of other genres to pick from.

• Thursday, October 5: Japanese Breakfast with Special Guest Ichiko Aoba (Manhattan)

  • Indie pop concert; 8 pm (7 pm doors) (Japanese Breakfast videos)

  • $83–$339+

  • Radio City Music Hall

  • 1260 6th Ave (Midtown)

• Thursday, October 12: Orchestra of St. Luke’s: An Evening with Lang Lang (Manhattan)

  • Classical orchestra featuring piano music; 8 pm (Lang Lang website)

  • $102–$137

  • Carnegie Hall, Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage

  • 881 7th Ave (Midtown)

• Monday, October 23: midwxst, Casper Sage (Brooklyn)

  • Hyperpop rap concert; 7–10:30 pm (midwxst Spotify)

  • $34

  • Elsewhere - The Hall

  • 599 Johnson Ave #1 (Bushwick)

• Wednesday, October 25: Erik Friedlander’s The Throw (Manhattan)

  • Experimental cello trio concert; 8:30 pm; Erik Friedlander residency October 25–28 (Erik Friendlander Spotify)

  • $20 (cash only)

  • The Stone

  • 55 W 13th St (West Village)

• Friday, October 27: Harm’s Way, Freshwater, Ingrown, Jivebomb (Brooklyn)

  • Hardcore and heavy rock concert; 5:30 pm (Harm’s Way Bandcamp)

  • $33

  • The Brooklyn Monarch

  • 23 Meadow St (East Williamsburg)

• Friday, October 27–Sunday, October 29: Beethoven 32x32: Stephan Möller’s 32 Piano Sonatas World Tour (Brooklyn)

  • Recital of all of Beethoven’s piano sonatas; time depends on day

  • $30 (note: unable to confirm cost; estimate based on comparable concerts at the venue)

  • Soapbox Gallery

  • 636 Dean St (Prospect Heights)

Lifelong Learning

One facet of NYC that people from the Boston area might be especially sympathetic to is the density of colleges and universities. Many are host to performances of music and theater, along with university-sponsored events like workshops and lectures. I’m especially jazzed about Brooklyn College’s upcoming performances of Intimate Apparel, a play about a Black lingerie seamstress. The play was notably expanded into an opera that was part of Lincoln Center Theater’s 2021–2022 season, giving playwright Lynn Nottage the peerless distinction as briefly having not only a play and a musical on Broadway (Clyde’s and MJ, respectively), but also an opera at Lincoln Center.

• Friday, October 13–Tuesday, October 17: Intimate Apparel (Brooklyn)

  • Play about a Black lingerie seamstress; 7:30 pm

  • $15

  • Brooklyn College, Don Buchwald Theater

  • 2900 Ave H (Flatbush)

• Sunday, October 8: “Coco” in Concert (The Bronx)

  • Film screening with score performed by live Mexican orchestra; 4 pm

  • $48–$68

  • Lehman College, Lehman Center for the Performing Arts

  • 250 Bedford Park Blvd W (Kingsbridge Heights)

• Saturday, October 14: Matthew Odell, Piano (Manhattan)

  • Piano faculty recital; 5:30 pm

  • Free (no tickets required)

  • The Juilliard School, Paul Hall

  • 155 W 65h St (Lincoln Square)

• Thursday, October 19: Chaperoning the Brain through Age and Disease (Manhattan)

  • Biology and medicine talk; 8–10 pm (7:30 pm refreshments)

  • Free

  • The Rockefeller University, Caspary Auditorium

  • 1230 York Ave (Lenox Hill)

A Green-Wood Cemetery mausoleum; photo credit: Rhododendrites

One last call-out since it’s October after all. Whether you want to dress up and dance all night or eat candy corn and look at puppies in costumes, this city offers many ways to celebrate Halloween:

• Friday, October 6–Tuesday, October 31: Green-Wood After Hours (Brooklyn)

  • History walking tour; 5:30, 6, 6:30 & 7 pm; Fridays, Saturdays, and Halloween in October

  • $30

  • Green-Wood Cemetery

  • 500 25th St (South Slope)

• Tuesday, October 10–Wednesday October 11: Maxim Lando: Three Dances from Frankenstein (Manhattan)

  • US premiere of solo piano music; time depends on day (wine and cheese reception one our before); part of the Crypt Sessions series

  • $85

  • Church of the Intercession

  • 550 W 155th St (Washington Heights)

• Saturday, October 21: Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade (Manhattan)

  • Dog parade and costume competition (note: start time not yet announced; in 2022, it was 12–3 pm)

  • Free

  • Tompkins Square Park

  • E 10th St (Alphabet City)

• Thursday, October 26: Panel: Horror Literature in 2023 (Manhattan)

  • Panel discussion on horror literature; 7–8 pm

  • $8 (general admission) or $24–$34 (includes signed book by panelist)

  • The Strand Book Store, Rare Book Room

  • 828 Broadway 3rd Floor (Union Square)

• Friday, October 27–Saturday, October 28: The Cityfox Halloween Festival (Brooklyn)

  • All-night EDM dance party; 9 pm–7 am (begins 9 pm on both evenings)

  • $54

  • Brooklyn Mirage at Avant Gardner

  • 140 Stewart Ave (East Williamsburg)

• Saturday, October 28: Halloween Harvest Festival (Queens)

  • Festival with performances, vendors, and pumpkin carving contest; 12–5 pm

  • Free entry

  • Socrates Sculpture Park

  • 32-01 Vernon Blvd (Long Island City)

For a longer list of events happening around the city in October, be sure to check out the October 2023 edition of the Blankman List.

Disclaimer: before going anywhere, please confirm the date, time, and location using the listed website. Any event is at risk of being rescheduled, relocated, sold out, at capacity, or canceled. Some events require advance registration. I try to vet quality, but I may misjudge, plus I recognize that all events are not for all people. If you are visiting NYC, please double-check how long it will take to get to the venue.