A Caribbean dance class with happy hour kicks off a packed week downtown.
From toddler story time to an Edgar Allan Poe séance, venues across Chelsea and Downtown Manhattan have scheduled events from March 19 through March 25.
What’s happening in chelsea and downtown manhattan march 19-25
Thursday starts in Chelsea with “Little Movers: Toddler Time” at 10 a.m. at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library, 455 Fifth Avenue. The New York Public Library invites caregivers to “hear stories, sing songs and get those wiggles out” while learning ways to support early literacy at home.
That night downtown, SOB’s hosts a “Caribbean Dance Class & Happy Hour” at 6 p.m. at 204 Varick Street. The club describes itself as “NYC’s premier nightclub for Caribbean music,” and notes it opened in 1982 “with a mission to amplify the music of the Afro-Latino diaspora,” bringing dancehall, reggae, soca and kompa to local stages.
For families looking beyond the week’s calendar, the city is also expanding early-childhood options. The Education Department’s latest 3-K rollout covers dozens of ZIP codes, including Lower Manhattan. The full details appear in NYC 3-K enrollment information.
Where to catch live music and dance parties downtown
Friday’s downtown live set pairs two roots-minded performers at Cafe Wha?, 115 MacDougal Street. The 6 p.m. bill lists Johanna Wacker, described as “a roots musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Queens,” and Tray Wellington, “an acclaimed banjo innovator whose genre-defying approach bridges folk, bluegrass, jazz and contemporary roots music.”
Across the neighborhood, weekend dance plans lean late. “Gimme Gimme Disco” lands at (Le) Poisson Rouge, 158 Bleecker Street, at 11 p.m. Saturday, promising a DJ night of “ABBA anthems” and disco classics from the 1970s and 1980s.
SoHo’s own calendars stay busy too, including April’s multi-night lineup at Downtown NYC JazzFest. The March slate in Chelsea and Downtown Manhattan skews more intimate, with clubs and bookstores doing most of the hosting.
Which author events and book talks are on the calendar
Chelsea’s Friday literature highlight comes from Pulitzer Prize winner Philip Schultz at 7 p.m. Schultz appears with Rosanna Warren for a release event around his new poetry collection, “Enormous Morning,” at Strand Book Store’s third-floor Rare Book Room, 828 Broadway.
Barnes & Noble Union Square continues its book festival programming Saturday at 10 a.m. at 33 East 17th Street. Organizers bill it as the second day of the B&N Book Festival, with discussions and signings.
Monday adds a picture-book craft conversation hosted by the School of Visual Arts. “SVA Presents: Tiny Table Talk, Dasha Tolstikova and Brian Floca” runs at 6 p.m. at Rizzoli Bookstore, 1133 Broadway, with the MFA Illustration as Visual Essay Program.
What to do at museums and parks this week
Sunday’s midday program at the Jackie Robinson Museum centers women who shaped Jackie Robinson’s world. “Athletes, Activists, Changemakers: Celebrate Women’s Stories” begins at noon at One Hudson Square, 75 Varick Street, with museum tours and hands-on activities highlighting figures including Mallie Robinson, Mary McLeod Bethune, Daisy Bates, Effa Manley, Althea Gibson, Marian Logan, Rachel Robinson, and Sharon Robinson.
On Monday, the Whitney Museum of American Art offers a docent-led “Exhibition Tour: ‘Untitled’ (America)” at 3 p.m. at 99 Gansevoort Street. The museum says the show places key works from its collection alongside recent acquisitions, covering “American art from 1900 through the early 1980s.”
Tuesday turns outdoors with a guided look at Madison Square Park’s past. Executive Director Holly Leicht leads “Madison Square Park: The Gilded Age, Before, & Beyond” at noon, starting at 11 Madison Avenue.
Opened in 1982 with a mission to amplify the music of the Afro-Latino diaspora.
Readers planning a slower afternoon can also opt for the Battery Park City Book Club at 1 p.m. Tuesday at 200 Rector Place. The group will discuss “Green Frog,” a short story collection by Gina Chung.
How to plan for family programs and a poe performance
For the youngest New Yorkers, Thursday’s “Little Movers: Toddler Time” is positioned as both play and skill-building. NYPL’s description emphasizes “important early learning skills” and “ways to promote early literacy at home.”
Sunday offers a different kind of group outing with “Strawberry Fields Ultimate Beatles Brunch Concert” at 11:30 a.m. at City Winery, 25 11th Avenue. It is billed as the “longest running Beatles brunch on Broadway,” performed by cast members connected to “Beatlemania.”
The week closes with a darker stage on Wednesday night. “Killing an Evening with Edgar Allan Poe: Séance at the Merchant’s House” starts at 7 p.m. at the Merchant’s House Museum, 29 East 4th Street, led by John Kevin Jones.
The program ties Poe’s 1845 residence on Amity Street, now West 3rd, to a performance lineup that includes “The Tell-Tale Heart,” “The Cask of Amontillado,” “The Angel of the Odd,” and “The Raven.” Tickets and details are available through the Merchant’s House Museum ahead of March 25.
