Couldn’t get tickets for anna Wintour's Met Gala next Monday? No worries, there are two alternative balls, with red carpets waiting to celebrate your look and style. And the NYPL launches its summer rooftop Happy Hour, with tickets available this week. 

Friday, April 28, 7-11pm: Sneaker Ball at MANA Contemporary

The Mana Contemporary and Obsessive Sneaker Disorder present this exclusive experience that celebrates the 50th Anniversary of Hip-Hop culture. A curated collection of sneakers that represent the inseparable connection between Sneaker culture and Hip-Hop, will be on display. 

Engage with the 50 pairs of sneakers by sharing stories and celebrating music milestones. Experience innovations that were embraced and adopted into the ethos of Hip-Hop culture and fashion. Also included in the exhibitions will be sneakers highlighting technology and sustainability. Come at 5pm for a tour of:  From the Feet Up: 50 Years of Beats & Sneaks and a viewing of Laced Up: Documenting Sneaker Culture.At 7pm, DJs Showcase and John Butler get the party started!  DJ Twin-T from Scratch Academy will be taking a turn at the spin table! Dance with until 11pm.

Tickets for Purchase: $40 until Friday, April 28th at noon; any remaining tickets will be $50 at the door

MANA Contemporary, 888 Newark Avenue, Jersey City, NJ Info

Sunday, April 30, 7pm: The People’s Ball at Brooklyn Public Library

You may have heard of the Met Gala, but have you heard of its inclusive counterpart, the People’s Ball? Unlike the Met Museum’s fest, this beloved Brooklyn celebration of style, imagination and freedom is completely free. The People’s Ball also highlights fashion and features the full celebrity experience — a red carpet, professional photography, and a visual feast of glamorous outfits. But unlike the Met Gala (which can cost around $30,000 for a ticket and $275,000 for a table), the People’s Ball is completely free and no invitation is required. Come celebrate and be celebrated by your friends and neighbors as you dance, party and pose.

Co-hosted by actress Delissa Reynolds and arts leader Rob Fields, featuring stunning performances by singer Cunio and DJ sets by Rimarkable. Special guests include visual artist Mickalene Thomas, fashion curator Souleo, and five People’s Heroes whose work has changed the culture.

Pose on the Plaza starting at 6:30 pm (doors at 7:00pm). Food and drink specials within.

The Brooklyn Public Library, Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn, NY Reservations

Friday, April 28, 5:30-7:30pm: Rooftop Happy Hour, SNFL 

Join in at any point between 5:30-7:30 PM. Drop in for drinks, mingling, and crafts, as well as a short selection of curated readings. Readings will begin at about 6:15 PM. This April the Library hosts its third-annual World Literature Festival, which shines a spotlight on books and writers from around the world .

Tickets are going fast for this week’s event featuring a short selection of curated readings from writers Carmen Boullosa, Valzhyna Mort, and Jaroslav Kalfa. Presented in partnership with Words Without Borders, the premier destination for global literary conversations whose mission is to cultivate global awareness by expanding access to international writing and creating a bridge between readers, writers, and translators.

Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library, 455 Fifth Avenue, FL7New York, NY Register

Saturday, April 29, 4-6pm: 

The Center for Italian Modern Art launches a new event series in celebration of the Italian modern art center’s exhibition “From Depero to Rotella: Italian Commercial Posters Between Advertising and Art.” The evenings will feature a guided tour of the exhibition, a theater reading and lastly, a music component, as well as Campari and Aperol cocktails and light refreshments. 

From Depero to Rotella: Italian Commercial Posters Between Advertising and Art showcases iconic interwar and postwar imagery from some of Italy’s most renowned brands including Fiat, Barilla, Pirelli, and of course the iconic red italian bitter, Campari. Nicola Lucchi, curator of the exhibition, explains that “while poster art has often been described as derivative in character, the show will demonstrate how, from Futurism onwards, Italian posters acquired a visual and communicative force that elevated the medium to a form of artistic expression in its own right, pushing the boundaries of lithographic techniques, photomontage, and typography. The commercial posters’ peculiar ambition to deliver alluring forms and contents to the masses, rather than to an elite circle, also makes them an object of socioeconomic and philosophical interest.” 

Among the artists featured: Erberto Carboni, Fortunato Depero, Nikolai Diulgheroff, Lucio Fontana, Max Huber, Bruno Munari, Marcello Nizzoli, Bob Noorda, Giovanni Pintori, Xanti Schawinsky, Mario Sironi, and Albe Steiner. 

Center for Italian Modern Art, 421 Broom Street, FL4, New York, NY Tickets HERE

Looking ahead: Free Fridays for New Yorkers at MoMA, 5-8pm

Starting on May 5^th, MoMA is staying open late on the first Friday of every month for an evening celebrating the art and the city that loves art. Free tickets, just for New Yorkers! See new art in the galleries, enjoy music by DJs from The Lot Radio, grab a drink at our pop-up bar, get creative with drop-in drawing sessions, and see films in MoMAs theaters. Tickets will be available starting 4/28 and must be reserved online in advance.

Museum of Modern Art, 11 West 53rd Street, New Yoek, NY Info