Things to Do in Bushwick: A Local's Guide

Bushwick is one of the best neighborhoods in New York City for actually going out. In a few walkable blocks off the L, M, and J trains you can catch an immersive circus, a warehouse rave, an outdoor day party, a gallery opening, and a slice of wood-fired pizza. The trick is knowing where to look, because the good stuff rarely advertises. Here is a local's guide to the things worth leaving your apartment for.

Nightlife and warehouse parties

Bushwick's nightlife is the reason a lot of people move here in the first place. A few anchors of the scene:

• House of Yes is the neighborhood's most famous night out: aerialists, go-go dancers, themed parties, and a costume-friendly crowd. Buy tickets ahead for the big shows.
• Elsewhere is a multi-room music venue with a rooftop, running everything from touring acts to late-night DJ sets.
• Nowadays does outdoor day-into-night parties with a long, single-DJ format and a backyard that fills up all summer.
• Bossa Nova Civic Club is the tropical-themed techno club where the dance floor, not your phone, is the point.
• Mood Ring is the astrology-themed cocktail bar, all pink-and-purple neon and free shots for your sign.

If warehouse parties are what you are after, they move around and sell out by word of mouth, which is exactly why a weekly heads-up helps.

Street art and galleries

The Bushwick Collective is an open-air museum: building-sized murals by international artists concentrated around Troutman Street and St. Nicholas Avenue, repainted often, free to walk anytime. Beyond the murals, Bushwick is packed with independent galleries that hold free opening nights most weeks, and once a year Bushwick Open Studios throws hundreds of artist studios open to the public. For more of these, see our guide to free things to do in Bushwick.

Food, coffee, and slow afternoons

• Roberta's on Moore Street is the pilgrimage: wood-fired pizza in a graffiti-covered cinderblock building with a backyard and a radio station in a shipping container out back.
• Syndicated is a bar, restaurant, and movie theater under one roof, which makes it a reliable rainy-day plan.
• The coffee scene is deep, from minimalist roasters to a cafe that runs out of a vintage RV.

Bushwick is also a great place to do nothing well: grab a coffee, walk the murals, browse vintage, and let the afternoon go.

Markets, vintage, and the park

Flea markets and vintage shops are a weekend sport here, and community clothing swaps turn up regularly if you would rather trade than buy. When you need green space, Maria Hernandez Park is the neighborhood's living room, best on a weekend afternoon.

Getting around

Bushwick is served by the L train (Morgan Avenue, Jefferson Street, DeKalb Avenue) and the elevated M and J on the Myrtle-Broadway line, which is half the neighborhood's skyline. Most of what is worth doing is a short walk between those stops, so pick a station and wander.

How to actually keep up

The frustrating thing about Bushwick is that the best events are the ones you find out about too late. Galleries post an opening two days out, a warehouse party drops the address the day of, a rooftop set sells out before it hits your feed. That is the whole reason we put together a short, hand-picked list of the things actually worth showing up to each week. If you want the shortcut, drop your email below and we will send it over. Or go straight to this week's line-up.