Fashionistas and music snobs descend upon the city over the next week with both CMJ and Fashion Week starting. We'll most likely only be attending the former. Before it begins though, we'll ease into the hectic schedule with a few of the following events...even if we should be resting up for the week ahead.

PARADE: Some downtown blocks will play host to The Art Parade this weekend, with artists parading toward Soho on foot and float. "Creative types like As Four, Ryan McGinnis, Steve Powers, the Citizens Band and many of downtown's other eccentric talents will march along Grand from Lafayette to Wooster Street. After that, the artists will let their proverbial hair down and engage in a rocking block party." [via papermag.com]

Saturday // 4pm // Crosby and Grand; the block party will continue afterward at Deitch Projects [18 Wooster St]

THEATER: Members of the theater world, like everyone else, took some time to digest the reality of 9/11 before they could write about it or incorporate it into new works; many still can't, understandably. This weekend, though, several plays deal specifically with the attack on the Twin Towers. "3 Weeks After Paradise" is a meditative but powerful one-act solo piece written by Israel Horovitz, based on his family's terrifying experience that day and after; and just in case that's not emotionally wrenching enough, it's accompanied by another of Horovitz's one-acts, "Speaking Well of the Dead," which also deals with 9/11 - less explicitly, since the plot has first to do with family relations, but that day is at the crux of it.
Then there's Robert Marese's "The Fallen 9/11," http://www.thefallen911.com/ which brings the tragedy to life on stage through the experiences of an injured man and a firefighter. Profits are being donated to a 9/11-related foundation, giving you even more reason to go.

"3 Weeks"/"Speaking Well" are only playing tonight and tomorrow, 7pm, at Cherry Lane, 38 Commerce St.

"The Fallen 9/11" plays at Theatre 315 [315 W. 47th St], through 9/24;
performances are Tuesday through Saturday 8pm, Saturday also 3pm. Tickets at Smarttix.

SPORT: We're guessing the Super Boat Grand Prix is sort of like Nascar of the sea. Consisting of "17 laps and 100 miles of the planet's fastest powerboat racing" it's sure to raise your adrenaline, if that's the sort of thing you're into. [via Thrillist]

Saturday // 1-2pm // Hudson River [between Battery Park City and 23rd St]

BENEFIT: There are a lot of benefits in the works, which is fantastic...feel free to list yours in the comment section. This one coming up on Sunday looks like a good one.

LIFEBOAT from Brooklyn - Gulf Coast Hurricane Benefit

11pm - TV on the Radio
10pm - Mighty Fine ( with special guest Matt Sweeney - Chavez, Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Zwan )
9pm - Rockets And Cars
8pm - Celebration
7pm - Fakers
6pm - Dealer

Between sets The Ryan Sawyer Project playing New Orleans style jazz.
The Beehive Girls will cut hair from 5pm to sundown.
Gumbo, Red Beans & Rice, Greens & Cornbread plates $5.
All of the money made on drinks will be donated.
Raffles (tickets range from $10 to $50 ) for items such as Mick Rock prints, Diesel merch, and others.
All proceeds will go to The MercyCorps organization.

Sunday // Union Pool [84 Union Ave (at Meeker)] // $10 minimum donation