SHOP: Tonight head to Dumbo for an “Evening of Cheer,” where three neighborhood events coordinated by the Dumbo Improvement District will be taking place. "The night’s events combine Dumbo’s monthly cultural event, First Thursdays, with extended shopping hours and promotions by local retailers and the illumination of the Empire Stores in Empire-Fulton Ferry State Park by famed lighting designer Brendon Boyd." 6pm // Various location details here EVENT: Tonight some experts gather around to celebrate......

People planning weddings - or people wondering why they've seen so many weddings outside lately: Theres a nice article about the trend towards weddings in parks and other public spaces in the city in today's NY Times Style section. With parks - complete with dazzling views - getting cleaner and safer, couples are getting married in Empire-Fulton Ferry State Park in Brooklyn and Gantry Plaza in Queens. The most important thing to investigate is......

THEATER: Continuing through the 29th, the East to Edinburgh Festival is showcasing some of the most adventurous American theater productions before they blast off for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Tonight’s your chance to witness one of the more colorful and timely selections: LA FEMME EST MORTE or Why I Should Not F%!# My Son. It’s a contemporary Phaedra adaptation that satirizes America’s celebrity obsession in the midst of war, featuring live music, “frenetic dance, fierce......

THEATER: "A black comedy about a family tree that is gradually rotting away": Brutality of Fact, Keith Reddin's play about two sisters -- one an alcoholic and one a newly converted, zealous Jehovah's Witness -- their crazy mother and an estranged husband, sounds a bit like something from the Fringe gone uptown a few blocks, which in our book is a very good thing; previews start tonight for this show that is likely to provoke......

READINGS: Jennifer Paddock will be at the Borders to read from her sophomore novel, Point Clear, which follows a young writer, Caroline, as she leaves her MFA program and seeks out stories in the devastated wake of Hurricane Ivan. Paddock combines her story with Caroline's writing, which is an interesting technique, if not a little meta. - Krissa Corbett Cavouras 7 PM // Borders [461 Park Ave at 57th St] // Free THEATER: "Hilarious" and......

MOVIES: DUMBO's weekly evening film event, Movies with a View, begins tonight with The Wizard of Oz. Bring your iPod and play "Dark Side of the Moon" while the movie plays, it'll, like, totally synch up if you press play during the 3rd lion roar. Halcyon DJs provide music before the film and there is free valet bike parking. And there will be snacks, there will. 6pm, Film at sundown // Empire-Fulton Ferry State Park,......

ART: On the Couch: Cartoons From the New Yorker is a collection of cartoons from the magazine which Bob Mankoff (the cartoon editor) says focuses on “the shrink and the shrunk, the practitioner and the practiced upon.” So we're sure you'll all be able to relate, somehow. 10am to 5pm // The Museum of New York [1220 5th Ave] // $9 YOGA: Just reading the words "sunset yoga" is relaxing. Tonight you can actually head......

THREE DAY WEEKEND! THREE DAY WEEKEND! THREE DAY WEEKEND! THREE DAY WEEKEND! THREE DAY WEEKEND! THREE DAY WEEKEND! MUSIC: Bravo Silva plays tonight at the Delancey, so if you missed them at Movable Hype last month now's your chance to catch them. Their set is just after the hour long open bar, so get there by 9 for free drinks, and by 10:30 for the band. [via the new and improved papermag.com] Details: Tonight //......

June 13 - 26: Festival de Helados Rosa Mexicano brings us ice cream, ice cream, and more ice cream in exotic flavors and combinations at their annual celebration. Rosa Mexicano, 61 Columbus Avenue, at 62nd Street, 212-977-7700. June 16: Spanish Wine and Tapas Got a craving for Spanish wine and tapas? You've got plenty of chances to get your fix this week. First, on the 16th at Discovery Wines, 10 Ave A at Houston Street......

Gothamist spends every weekday in DUMBO, a generally laid-back, if not sleepy, neighborhood occasionally graced by the presence of a big-name actor filming a movie, or a rapper making a music video. But when we heard the rumor news U2 were going to be around the corner from the office playing a free show, we were glad to know our employer would insist we attend. For those of you unable to escape the confines......

There have been rumors of a free U2 concert in New York for the past week or so, and now there's confirmation: Today, U2 will be performing at Empire Fulton Ferry State Park in Brooklyn, which is between the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges at Plymouth and Washington Streets. MTV is filming the performance to coincide with publicity for U2's new album. For tickets, click here for 1iota.com's MTV surprise performance; arrival time is 2:30PM, the......

Gothamist was taking a brown-bag lunch at Empire-Fulton Ferry State Park last week when we noticed preparations were underway for the Brooklyn Bridge Park Summer Film Series, which kicks off this Thursday, July 8. Now in its fifth year, the film series is a free public event sponsored by the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy. Six films about Brooklyn, or featuring Brooklyn-native actors and directors, comprise the six-week festival. This year's schedule: July 8: Radio Days......

The Brooklyn Bridge is 120 years old today, and celebrations are underway right now, with Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz leading a "Big Crossing" of cyclists and walkers across the bridge from Manhattan. The Empire Fulton Ferry State Park is where to Brooklyn is getting the party started, with a party plus a sunset performance by the Brooklyn Philharmonic. And a special fireworks show by the Gruccis is scheduled at 10:45PM tonight. [Via Newsday]......