Lebowski Fest is striking NYC again this summer after skipping town for the past few years. (It wasn't kidnapped, just visiting friends in Palm Springs.) The oddball celebration of the Coen brothers classic 1998 stoner noir comedy will go down on the weekend of August 3rd and 4th. Brandt will fill you in on the details (from the press release):
Aug. 3rd- Movie Party - Special "silent screening" of The Big Lebowski where everyone gets a set of headphones to watch the film! This outdoor screening of the film is part of the Lincoln Center Out of Doors series and is absolutely free! @ Damrosch Park - 62nd Street (Between Amsterdam and Columbus Ave) - 10:30pm - Free!
Aug. 4th - Bowling Party - Unlimited bowling, costume contest, trivia contest and what-have-you. Admission includes bowling and shoe rental. Bowling is general admission and is not guaranteed. @ Lucky Strike Manhattan - 624-660 W 42nd St - 8pm to Midnight - $30 adv / $35 day of
The silent film screening, which will no doubt attract a crowd of Lebowski urban achievers chanting the movie dialogue in real time like the lead-up to a human sacrifice, sounds far f-cking out. And it's free. And we know that this is your homework. Tickets for the bowling and costume party go on sale here this Friday, May 19th at 10 a.m.
Will Russell co-founded Lebowski Fest with buddy Scott Shuffitt in Louisville, Kentucky back in 2002, holding the first gathering in a bowling alley as an informal joke shared by a small group of folks who realized they loved quoting the eminently quotable film—which at the time, let's not forget dude, let's not forget, was hardly the cult classic it is today. Now in its 16th year, the fest has grown into a recurring multi-city extravaganza, attracting thousands of fans of the film, and sometimes its stars as well. Russell went through a bit of a rough patch in his personal life not too long ago, and some of the Lebowski festivities were put on hold as a result, so we're glad to see him rolling his way into the the semis again. Dios mio, man.
You said it, man. Nobody fucks with the Jesus. (Katie Sokoler / Gothamist)
