SHOP: Tonight head to Dumbo for an “Evening of Cheer,” where three neighborhood events coordinated by the Dumbo Improvement District will be taking place. "The night’s events combine Dumbo’s monthly cultural event, First Thursdays, with extended shopping hours and promotions by local retailers and the illumination of the Empire Stores in Empire-Fulton Ferry State Park by famed lighting designer Brendon Boyd." 6pm // Various location details here EVENT: Tonight some experts gather around to celebrate... more ›

People planning weddings - or people wondering why they've seen so many weddings outside lately: Theres a nice article about the trend towards weddings in parks and other public spaces in the city in today's NY Times Style section. With parks - complete with dazzling views - getting cleaner and safer, couples are getting married in Empire-Fulton Ferry State Park in Brooklyn and Gantry Plaza in Queens. The most important thing to investigate is the kind of permit or permits you may need (depending on the size of your party, whether you have music, chairs, photographers with tripods, etc.). Here's the Parks Department FAQ about events, including weddings in parks. If you're not having a complicated affair (small, no music, no chairs), it's just a $25 permit. more ›

THEATER: Continuing through the 29th, the East to Edinburgh Festival is showcasing some of the most adventurous American theater productions before they blast off for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Tonight’s your chance to witness one of the more colorful and timely selections: LA FEMME EST MORTE or Why I Should Not F%!# My Son. It’s a contemporary Phaedra adaptation that satirizes America’s celebrity obsession in the midst of war, featuring live music, “frenetic dance, fierce boxing, raw meat. Flash photography is encouraged. Be careful of blood splatter.” - John Del Signore more ›

THEATER: "A black comedy about a family tree that is gradually rotting away": Brutality of Fact, Keith Reddin's play about two sisters -- one an alcoholic and one a newly converted, zealous Jehovah's Witness -- their crazy mother and an estranged husband, sounds a bit like something from the Fringe gone uptown a few blocks, which in our book is a very good thing; previews start tonight for this show that is likely to provoke plenty of laughs in some unexpected places. - Mallory Jensen more ›

READINGS: Jennifer Paddock will be at the Borders to read from her sophomore novel, , which follows a young writer, Caroline, as she leaves her MFA program and seeks out stories in the devastated wake of Hurricane Ivan. Paddock combines her story with Caroline's writing, which is an interesting technique, if not a little meta. - Krissa Corbett Cavouras more ›

MOVIES: DUMBO's weekly evening film event, Movies with a View, begins tonight with The Wizard of Oz. Bring your iPod and play "Dark Side of the Moon" while the movie plays, it'll, like, totally synch up if you press play during the 3rd lion roar. more ›

ART: On the Couch: Cartoons From the New Yorker is a collection of cartoons from the magazine which Bob Mankoff (the cartoon editor) says focuses on “the shrink and the shrunk, the practitioner and the practiced upon.” So we're sure you'll all be able to relate, somehow. more ›

THREE DAY WEEKEND! THREE DAY WEEKEND! THREE DAY WEEKEND! THREE DAY WEEKEND! THREE DAY WEEKEND! THREE DAY WEEKEND! more ›

June 13 - 26: Festival de Helados more ›

Gothamist spends every weekday in DUMBO, a generally laid-back, if not sleepy, neighborhood occasionally graced by the presence of a big-name actor filming a movie, or a rapper making a music video. But when we heard the rumor news U2 were going to be around the corner from the office playing a free show, we were glad to know our employer would insist we attend. For those of you unable to escape the confines of your cubicle, or the otherwise Brooklynphobic, we've got you covered with some blurry snapshots (more inside this post), including a few from Gothamist reader Matthew Krautheim, who captured the band making their way across the East River (above). more ›

And did you see U2 on Saturday Night Live? They did three songs, and finished with "I Will Follow" finishing over the closing credits. Bono and The Edge went into the audience, who went wild. The cast was going crazy as well, and it seemed like U2 performed another song after that one. more ›

Gothamist was taking a brown-bag lunch at Empire-Fulton Ferry State Park last week when we noticed preparations were underway for the Brooklyn Bridge Park Summer Film Series, which kicks off this Thursday, July 8. more ›

The Brooklyn Bridge is 120 years old today, and celebrations are underway right now, with Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz leading a "Big Crossing" of cyclists and walkers across the bridge from Manhattan. The Empire Fulton Ferry State Park is where to Brooklyn is getting the party started, with a party plus a sunset performance by the Brooklyn Philharmonic. And a special fireworks show by the Gruccis is scheduled at 10:45PM tonight. [Via Newsday] more ›