UWS Weekend: Great Things to Do in (and Around) the Neighborhood

By Tracy Zwick

July 10th through 12th

Freestyle Soccer Show at Lincoln Center:  Friday, July 10th at 5 p.m.;  Hearst Plaza at Lincoln Center, 30 Lincoln Center Plaza; free

The NYC freestyle soccer community is taking over Lincoln Center’s “World At Play” Festival this weekend, as World Cup drama builds, leading up to the championship match on July 19th. Stars of freestyle will demo a mix of choreographed footwork and improvisation, with local freestyle legends like Nick Seyda, Laura Biondo, Pat Shaw, Spinny Vinny, and Gabe Luzbet on hand.

There’s also a 90-minute freestyle workshop on Saturday, July 11th at noon on the Dance Floor at Josie Robertson Plaza at Lincoln Center. Seyda, a world champion freestyler, will teach participants about the self-expression and creativity involved in freestyling, while performing acrobatic tricks involving a soccer ball using all parts of the body.

Kicking & Screening Soccer Film Festival at Lincoln Center: Friday, July 10th at 8 p.m.; Hearst Plaza at Lincoln Center; free

Kicking & Screening defines itself as America’s premiere organization dedicated to movies about soccer. Founded in 2009 in New York City, K&S has organized more than 30 festivals at which filmmakers and audiences that love sports and movies can come together. For one night only, this Friday, K&S is bringing a curated showcase of award-winning soccer stories to Lincoln Center. Films include “The Kick,” a five-minute animated short, and “Transforming the Beautiful Game: The Clyde Best Story,” a 90-minute 2026 documentary about the first Black soccer superstar in the modern TV era in England.

Mushroom Walk in Riverside Park: Saturday, July 11th at 11 a.m.; 120th Street & Riverside Drive; free with no advance registration

Discover and document the hidden world of fungi in Riverside Park with the New York Mycological Society. Bring paper bags for collecting specimens, a hand lens if you have one, some water, and a snack if you’ll need it! NYMS recommends downloading the iNaturalist app beforehand, to document the fungi that are found on the walk. This event is part of Riverside Park Conservancy’s “Summer on the Hudson” series of free events.

Casa Montequilla at the Harlem Meer Performance Festival: Sunday, July 12th at 2 p.m.; Charles A. Dana Discovery Center at the Harlem Meer; free

Central Park Conservancy’s “Harlem Meer Performance Festival’ – a free summer concert series – marks its 33rd year this season with performances in the north end of Central Park nearly every Sunday through August 23rd. Upcoming concerts include: The Grace Young Experience, Kobie Dozier, Uptown Royalty, M.A.R. Quintet, and Ray Delgado Project. (There will be no performance on July 19th.)

Mark your calendar! 

Mavis Staples in Central Park: Thursday, July 16th from 6 to 10 p.m., doors open at 5 p.m.; Rumsey Playfield in Central Park; free

My 23-year-old and I saw Mavis Staples, the legendary 86-year-old R&B and gospel singer, at the Beacon this winter. Mavis, as usual, exceeded our sky-high expectations. You just don’t want to miss her and the musicians she brings together when she’s anywhere close to New York. What’s more, this show is free, outdoor, and early enough that you can bring the kids. Staples has been singing for decades about faith, loss, fortitude, social justice and family. The New York Times has called her “an American institution,” and the UWS’s David Remnick, longtime editor of The New Yorker, wrote a glowing profile of her a few years ago. Staples has collaborated with nearly every major figure of her many eras, from Bob Dylan to Prince, Aretha Franklin, and Willie Nelson. This time, she’s included the UWS’s LaGuardia High School Gospel Ensemble on the bill.

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