Celebrate July 4th at One of These Outdoor Parties

Independence Day falls on a Wednesday this week, which means Hump Day is gonna be lit. (If we’re allowed to say “lit” anymore.) Here’s our roundup of parties, from the weekday into the weekend. Wherever you end up, remember that the Department of Transportation, in an effort to curb drunk driving, is partnering with Lyft to offer $10 credits when you enter the code KNOWYOURLIMIT here.

July 4th with Working Women
July 4, noon to 11:45pm at Nowadays, 56-06 Cooper Ave, Ridgewood; free.
Ridgewood’s communal lawn, Nowadays, is offering up the ultimate backyard BBQ, with barbecued ribs, beer, and DJ sets from Working Women, who’ve been dubbed the “shining lights of the local New York City underground electronic music scene” by none other than Vogue. The venue says that, based on past experience, “there’ll be a massive, hours-long fireworks display all around the ‘days, courtesy of our neighbors.”

Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest
July 4 at 11am at Nathan’s Famous Hot Dogs, 1310 Surf Ave., Coney Island; free.
Full disclosure: I once tried to qualify for this and ended up puking in the woods outside of Shea Stadium. Hopefully you won’t witness anything like that when Joey “Jaws” Chestnut, who has a new line of condiments out, goes for his 11th win. The women’s competition starts at 10:50am and the men go on at noon. Get there early, because it gets packed.

The Lot Radio 4th of July Block Party
July 4, noon to 11pm at The Lot Radio, 17 Nassau Ave, Greenpoint; free.
If last year was any indicator, this free fete on the grounds of Brooklyn’s best radio station will be the party to beat. The little triangle off of McCarren Park offers a killer view of the fireworks, and DJs keep the street boozing going from noon to night.

4th of July at the Riis Bathhouse
July 4, noon to 6pm, Riis Park Beach Bazaar, Rockaway; free.
The holiday is the perfect excuse to catch the ferry to Rockaway and check out the new food vendors and games that Riis Park Beach Bazaar is bringing to the park’s old Art Deco bathhouse. Before you catch DJ Misbehavior’s set, make sure to go balls deep in Yayoi Kusama’s “Narcissus Garden” installation at Fort Tilden.

Songhoy Blues
July 5 at 7pm, Wagner Park, Battery Park City; free.
July 7 at 2pm, Union Pool, 484 Union Ave.; free.
If you didn’t catch Songhoy Blues in the excellent documentary about Malian music in exile, They Will Have To Kill Us First, just know that Julian Casablancas is a fan of their danceable, uplifting fusion of Afro funk and desert blues. They’re playing two free shows this week, one as part of Battery Park City’s River and Blues series, the other as part of Union Pool’s excellent Summer Thunder series. Catch em both.

DFA Summer Hot Dog
July 6 at Elsewhere, 599 Johnson Ave., East Williamsburg; tickets $25-$30.
The Brooklyn record label cofounded by James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem is throwing a party on Elsewhere’s new rooftop that will feature DJ sets from the label’s top talent: LCD’s Nancy Whang and Pat Mahoney will appear with their respective side projects Juan Maclean and Museum of Love, and dance maestros Holy Ghost! will also be on the decks. Some “very special guests” are promised, so don’t be surprised if Mr. Murphy himself shows up. If he doesn’t, he’ll be at The Surf Lodge in Montauk on Saturday.

Hester Street Fair’s Total Independence BBQ
July 7, 11am to 6pm at Hester Street Fair, Essex and Hester Streets; free.
The Lower East Side’s weekly outdoor market will celebrate with live tunes from It girl Sabrina Fuentes of Pretty Sick and skewers from skateboarder Adam Zhu. Plus, indie makers and merchants galore.

Fourth World 2K18
July 7, 1pm to 7am, at secret location, Bushwick; tickets $40-$50.
This annual “communal celebration of local independents” will take over a “secluded” indoor/outdoor Bushwick warehouse for 18 hours– yes, 18 hours– of DIY house and techno music. Among the local talents are SHYBOI of Discwoman, members of the Bunker NY crew, and DJ Wawa, who is based in Brooklyn but somehow makes us hungry for hoagies. In addition, there are free hot dogs, visuals from Nitemind, and a chill-out yurt.