SWEET LAUGHTER

Comedian Seth Herzog, a.k.a. “the Zog,” might have no relation to Zog Sports, but he is a long-distance runner of sorts: His Tuesday night showcase Sweet is one of the longest-running events in New York’s downtown comedy scene and it’s been going strong for some eight years. Relocated to the renovated Slipper Room on the LES, Herzog, who works as Jimmy Fallon’s warm-up comic, hosts a lineup of local funnypeople which has included Todd Barry, Colin Quinn, and Dave Hill, among other surprise guests, like his mom (who’s also a regular).

Seth Herzog at the Slipper Room

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PARTY IN THE GARDEN AT MOMA

While fun-filled garden parties are one of the best parts of spring, the MoMA’s annual Party in the Garden this evening is poised to kick off party season with stylish revelry—complete with a performance by the Grammy-nominated band Fun. Honoring Mayor Bloomberg and the City of New York, as well as artists Ellsworth Kelly and Cindy Sherman, tonight’s fete starts off with cocktails and dinner followed by an after-party at 9 p.m. It’s also a birthday party for Kelly, who will turn 90 on May 31! Take that as inspiration to feel young, set the world on fire, and burn brighter than the sun this summer.

MoMA’s Party in the Garden

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FREE FALLING

Save the last dance for Tom Petty tonight. You might call the iconic American frontman and his band of heartbreakers, the kings of heartland rock—or at least the longest reigning ones. Formed in Gainesville, Florida, in 1976, the band has been churning out hits, like “American Girl,” “Free Fallin’,” and “Mary Jane’s Last Dance,” for some 37 years. Cozy up with TPATHB for the first of a series of five intimate concerts at the Beacon Theatre starting tonight (shows are May 20, 21, 23, 25, and 26). 

Tom Petty in Concert

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FEAST ON THIS 

The Great GoogaMooga is back transforming Prospect Park into an amusement park of food, drink, and more. This year organizers have made changes to avoid the Disney-World-during-high-season lines and food shortage situations. This culinary carnival features some 85 food makers, 75 brews, 100 wines, and 20 musical acts, plus last-minute surprise pop-ups like Roberta’s Urban Ren Faire and trading cards. The food fest kicks off today with a hearty musical showcase featuring the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and the Flaming Lips. Go for the food, stay for the music.

GoogaMooga

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 AFTER-WORK BIKE PARTY

It’s bring your bike to work day! With the city’s bike-sharing program set to launch on Memorial Day, Bike Month is kicking into high gear for its last weeks. Peddle to work today and then throw down your kickstand for a celebration of commuter cycling with an after-party in DUMBO. On your way to work, power up with free Kind bars and coffee at stations at the bridges, and then head over to the after-work biker party for a Reflective Fashion Show (safety is always in style), raffles for gear, food vendors, and a beer garden sponsored by the Brooklyn Brewery. Happy cycling!

Bike Home Party

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BBQ OFF THE BQE

There’s a good chance that your cozy New York City apartment doesn’t have a backyard—or a proper grill for that matter. Show up for a good, old-fashioned spring barbecue at Good Co. in Williamsburg this evening starting at 7 p.m. Hosted by Finger On The Pulse, this after-work party features chef Andrew Gerson, brewmaster Garrett Oliver, and a DJ set from Turing Machine. Nosh on delicious plates of food, sip a complimentary Brooklyn Brewery Summer Ale, and enjoy a tasty soundtrack. Season six of the BBQ Blowout is going to bring on the summer.

BBQ Blowout

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GREAT GATSBY

Perhaps the most eagerly awaited film of the year, “The Great Gatsby” opens today after a major push-back on its release date—and the expectations are great. The trailer teases a whirling shambolic of the Roaring Twenties directed by Baz Luhrmann, starring Leonard DiCaprio as the millionaire Jay Gatsby, and Tobey Maguire as the Midwesterner Nick Carraway. See the movie before its opening night at Cannes on May 15—and then toast good living at the Empire Room with a Gatsby-themed cocktail program featuring the New York Daisy, Gatsby’s Bootleg Punch, and more. 

The Great Gatsby in Theaters

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FRIEZE ART FAIR

Kicking off today, the second edition of Frieze New York brings this international contemporary art fair to Randall’s Island. Running through Monday, the custom structure designed by SO–IL architects takes a pop-up to the next level overlooking the East River. See some 180 exhibiting galleries canvassing the globe from Argentina to New Zealand, as well as The Sculpture Park featuring new work like Paul McCarthy ’s 80-foot inflatable “Balloon Dog”and Fiona Connor’s “Style Guide Spa.”Check out daily talks and local food vendors, like Roberta’s, The Fat Radish, Blue Bottle Coffee, and more.

Frieze New York

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WALKING THE LINE

Hailing from Nashville, the Features are a band that walks a line: “I feel like we walk this fine line,”says singer/guitarist Matt Pelham. “We’re not weird enough for a certain crowd and we’re a little bit too out there for the other crowd. We fall in the middle somewhere between mainstream and hipster, which puts us in this weird place, but we’re all pretty happy to be here.” Follow these Kings of Leon protégés into a “Wilderness”of big beats, howling rock, and swinging psych-pop tonight at the Santos Party House. Expect things to get a little weird—in a good way.

The Features at Santos Party House in NYC

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DIY VERSUS MADE TO MEASURE

After a VIP gala, followed by two days of members-only viewings, the Costume Institute’s “Punk: Chaos to Couture”is finally open to the hoi polloi. The exhibit compares the punk-rock ethos of “do-it-yourself” with the couture concept of “made-to-measure,”through seven galleries organized around materials, technique, and embellishments. Says the museum, “Themes will include New York and London, which will tell punk’s origin story as a tale of two cities, followed by Clothes for Heroes and four manifestations of the D.I.Y. aesthetic—Hardware, Bricolage, Graffiti and Agitprop, and Destroy.”

Punk: Chaos to Couture at the MET

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