Festival season may be winding down, but there’s still plenty to look forward to in the few weeks that remain. Case in point: Afro-Punk, a free festival coming to Brooklyn’s Commodore Barry Park the weekend of August 27-28.

In addition to the stellar line-up, which includes Santigold, Janelle Monae, Cee Lo Green, Toro Y Moi, Das Racist, Kenna, Gordon Voidwell, Dances with White Girls and Jillionnaire, Afro-Punk will host a skate competition and over a dozen food trucks. Sounds like a perfect afternoon in the park.

Did we mention it’s free? And easily accessible by subway? We’ll see you there.

More info on the line-up and location can be found HERE.

This weekend is a big one for NYC’s musically inclined, with events packed in from Thursday through Sunday. Whether you favor progressive, bass driven beats in a small, dark venue or tend to be drawn to tech house and a huge dancefloor, there’s something for everyone to enjoy. I hope you all worked hard this week, so you can play harder this weekend…

☞ Thursday, electro master Calvin Harris hits hotspot LAVO, which is sure to bring out all the beautiful people of New York club life.

☞ Friday, XXXY makes his NYC debut at Tammany Hall along with Laurel Halo, Shlohmo, Braille and a special guest. Advanced tickets can be purchased HERE.

You Gotta Do You by xxxy

☞ Friday, Meanred brings Dark Disco to Le Bain, featuring Jacques Greene, Falty DL, and Dan Wender. Be sure to get there early as the space has a tendency to fill up quickly.

LM007 – THE LOOK by Jacques Greene

☞ Friday, Fixed with special guests The Miracles Club (Portland) Live + Midnight Magic (NYC) Live + Trap.Avoid (Dither Down, NYC). Open vodka bar 10-11. Tickets are $10 at the door.

☞ Saturday, PS1′s Warm Up returns with Prince Language &  Stretch Armstrong, Das Racist, Vockah Redu, Ital, and XXXY. Tickets are $15 at the door.

☞ Saturday, Verboten brings Claude VonStroke, Justin Martin, Christian Martin, and John Dill to Good Units. Advanced tickets can be purchased HERE.

Crack DJ Mix – 01.06.2011 by Claude VonStroke

☞ Sunday, Verboten presents Justin Martin, Christian Martin, Gina Turner, and Mikey G. & Gil K. on the XVI Roof Deck. Admission is free for ticket holders from Saturday’s event at Good Units, or you can purchase advanced tickets HERE.

As sun stretched into Saturday’s morning sky, I was bouncing around my room and impatiently trying to nudge my boyfriend out of his peaceful slumber. This day had been circled on my calendar for about a month now and after weeks of built up anticipation, it had finally arrived. It was time to go to the Ball, the Governors Ball. This was not the social gathering you would want to attend in a floor length gown or tuxedo. Instead, you’d want to trade the evening-wear for a tank top, make up for sunscreen, and champagne for water.  The Governors Ball was New York City’s newest addition to its summer festival line up, and I was ecstatic to be a part of it.

First and foremost, my main concern was arriving to the pier early enough to avoid the assumed monolithic ferry lines. It was only logical that the Governors Ball would take place on Governors Island and thought of tens of thousands of festival attendees being forced to rely on boats for the sole option of transportation sounded chaotic. However, much to my surprise, not only was this process organized, but well executed. The longest wait I heard of was twenty minutes, and the ride over was quite stunning. New York City looked tranquil, resting between New Jersey and Brooklyn.

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MoMA PS1 presents Warm Up 2011, beginning July 2 and taking place every Saturday this summer through September 3. Now celebrating its 14th year, the museum’s highly anticipated outdoor series will continue its tradition of introducing audiences to the best in experimental live music, sound, performance, and DJs. The annual series is held in MoMA PS1′s courtyard, which this year features Holding Pattern by Interboro Partners, an immersive environment that is the winning design of MoMA PS1′s 12th annual Young Architects Program.

This year’s Warm Up marks the second year the series will be conceived by a curatorial committee hand selected by the museum to represent a wide spectrum of expertise and experiences in music, sound, and the performing arts, resulting in a unique summer sound that explores, interprets, and combines genres.

Schedule for Warm Up 2011

July 2

DJ Pierre / Afro Acid / Chicago, IL
Beautiful Swimmers / Future Times / Washington, DC
Delicate Steve / Luaka Bop / New Jersey
Protect-U / Future Times / Washington, DC
Zoovox / Lectric Sands Records / Brooklyn, NY

July 9

Four Tet / Domino / London, UK
Falty DL / Planet Mu / New York, NY
SBTRKT / Young Turks / London, UK
Bronze / RVNG Intl / San Francisco, CA
Matthewdavid / Brainfeeder / Los Angeles, CA
TURRBOTAX® DJs / New York, NY

July 16

agnès b. presents:

Audio Love by Juan + Johnny
Joakim / Tigersushi / Paris, France
Koudlam / Pan European Records / Paris, France
Mirror Mirror / RVNG Intl. / New York, NY

July 23

Gang Gang Dance (DJ set) / 4AD / New York, NY
Lunice / Lucky Me / Montreal, Canada
Syd tha Kyd / OFWGKTA / Los Angeles, CA
Miracles Club / Ecstacy Records / Portland, OR
Laurel Halo / Hippos in Tanks / New York, NY

July 30

Prince Language / The No Comprendo / NegroClash & Stretch Armstrong / Plant Music / New York, NY
Das Racist (DJ set) / Greedhead / Brooklyn, NY
Vockah Redu / C2K Entertainment/ New Orleans, LA
Holy Other / Tri Angle Records / Manchester, UK
XXXY / Ten Thousand Yen / Manchester, UK

August 6

Omar-S / FXHE Records / Detroit, MI
Simian Mobile Disco (DJ set) / Delicacies / Wichita / London, UK
Steve Moore / Zombi / L.I.E.S./ Kompakt / New York, NY
Beppe Loda / Typhoon / Cosmic, Italy
Forma / Spectrum Spools / Brooklyn, NY

August 13

Black Dice / Paw Tracks / New York, NY
His Name is Alive (DJ set) / Midnight Cowboy / Detroit, MI
oOoOO / Tri Angle Records / San Francisco, CA
Clams Casino / Tri Angle Records / Nutley, NJ
Ayshay / Tri Angle Records / Brooklyn, NY
Water Borders / Tri Angle Records / San Francisco, CA

August 20

Juan Maclean / DFA / New York, NY
Blood Orange / Terrible / Domino Records / New York, NY
Solange / Houston, TX
Pictureplane / Lovepump United / Denver, CO
Grimes / Arbutus Records / Montreal, Canada
Ford & Lopatin (DJ set) / Mexican Summer / New York, NY

August 27

Tanlines / True Panther Sounds / New York, NY
Nguzunguzu / Los Angeles, CA
Teengirl Fantasy / True Panther Sounds / Oberlin, OH
Sun Araw / Sun Ark Records / Los Angeles, CA
Physical Therapy / Brooklyn, NY

September 3

The 2 Bears / Southern Fried / London, UK
Horsemeat Disco / Strut / London, UK
Midnight Magic / Midnight Sun / New York, NY
Justin Miller / DFA / New York, NY
BICEP / Throne of Blood / London, UK

Warm Up 2011 will be held each Saturday for ten consecutive weeks, through September 3, from 2:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. The admission fee to MoMA PS1 and Warm Up is $15. Included in this price is access to all exhibitions and Warm Up. MoMA Members receive one ticket for themselves with a valid Membership card. Long Island City residents receive one free entry for themselves upon showing proof of their residency.

Last week, ?uestlove took to Twitter to announce the initial line-up for the third annual Roots Picnic in Philadelphia. Vampire Weekend, Mayer Hawthorne, and The Very Best will join The Roots, along with Clipse, Tune-Yards, Das Racist, DJ Jazzy Jeff, MM Jam Boys, and Bajah + The Dry Eye Crew.

In his video announcement, ?uestlove promised to top last year’s spectacular performance with Public Enemy with a special surprise reunion. “This is a reunion that we thought we would never get,” he said of the surprise guest, “We’ve been waiting to make this reunion happen for the longest. It’s so incredible, I don’t even want to tell you who it is.” Judging by his hint – a gold chain and black fedora – we’re putting our money on Run DMC:

The Roots Picnic will take place at the Festival Pier in Philadelphia. CLICK HERE to purchase tickets, and be sure to check out photos from last year’s picnic, featuring Antibalas, Santigold, The Black Keys, Public Enemy, T.V. on the Radio, The Roots, and more. Watch ?uestlove’s video announcement after the jump…

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