East Village – Culture

There’s no shortage of art galleries in the East Village: Dacia Gallery, Karma, PS122, Steven Kasher… But the neighborhood’s cultural options go beyond fine art and the myriad bars and clubs with live music. We shared several here, and below we reveal even more.

 

Tompkins Square Park

At 10.5 acres, this is the largest park in the East Village and home to the city’s oldest and largest dog run. Also among its lush lawns, gardens, towering elms, and curving walking paths are two playgrounds, handball and basketball courts, and chess tables. If you like to get your hands dirty, join the seasonal planting and cleanup sessions hosted by Friends of Tompkins Square Park.

 

Drom

Armenian folk music from the Ara Dinkjian Quartet, jazz from the Mingus Big Band, punk pop from Crooked Coast, and Afro-Cuban music from Pedrito Martinez: Drom’s concert calendar is nothing if not eclectic. And when the venue isn’t presenting live music, it hosts dance parties and a weekly Schtick a Pole in It show, described as “New York’s best, and only, comedy and pole dancing show,” with a different musical theme each time.

 

Anthology Film Archives

When you need a break from superhero movies and explosion-filled action flicks, head to this center dedicated to preserving and sharing independent and experimental cinema. It screens multiple short and feature-length films from around the world daily, many as part of retrospectives and niche series such as “Quebec-Core” (dedicated to French-Canadian new wave cinema) and “Ecocinema Beyond the Iron Curtain.”

 

Theater for the New City

This theater has been commissioning and producing works by both emerging and established playwrights since 1970, winning more than 40 Obie Awards in the process. Charles Busch, Philip Glass, and Sam Shepherd are just a few of the luminaries TNC has been associated with.  The theaters within the TNC building range in capacity from 65 to 240 seats, so you can be certain that your evening will be an intimate experience. Recent productions included the domestic drama “Texas Gothic” and “Frybread Queen,” presented in conjunction with American Indian Artists (Amerinda).

 

Swiss Institute

You might expect this organization to be dedicated to Alberto Giacometti, Herman Hesse, and other icons of Swiss culture. Instead, it’s a gallery and performance space for contemporary artists. In 2024 alone it has hosted several artists’ debut institutional solo shows, including Kobby Adi’s “Cloisters & Instruments” and Shuang Li’s “I’m Not,” both of which incorporate newly commissioned sculptures and videos.