This weekend New York City is going to be one GIANT PARTY, or to be more accurate, you will have a variety of massive events to choose from. I’ll start big and then return to the smaller gems.

Saturday and Sunday Madison Sq. Park (5th Ave. and 23rd St.) will be the center of the BBQ universe:

The Seventh Annual Snapple Big Apple Barbecue Block Party returns to Madison Square Park June 13-14, 2009, from 11:00 AM – 7:00 PM. The weekend-long event takes place every June and brings together the country’s top pitmasters who cook up their award-winning food for over a hundred thousand barbecue enthusiasts.

It is going to be intense. I’m considering not eating until then.

If you haven’t gorged yourself on BBQ there’s another marvelous food-centric event starting this weekend and running through next week- the NYC Food Film Festival! The concept is both simple and brilliant- you watch films about food and you eat the food while watching them. Last summer I ate some of the best samosas I’ve ever had, while watching a film about making samosas (they’re hard to make) and sitting on Water Taxi Beach overlooking all of Manhattan.

This summer the films cover delicacies ranging from peeps to mushrooms. Check out the trailer here.

A somewhat more movement oriented event is taking over Governors Island this weekend:

FIGMENT is an explosion of creative energy on Governors Island. It’s a free, annual celebration of participatory art and culture where everything is possible. For one weekend each summer, it transforms Governors Island into a large-scale collaborative artwork… and then it’s gone.

“Participatory” means it’s nothing like your average gallery show, this is the sort of art that is to be experienced. This video, about last summer’s event, should give you a taste of what the island will have to offer you this weekend:

Yesterday was the first night of a fairly unique theater festival- Planet Connections, an eco-friendly theater festival intended to foster social awareness:

Each of the more than 30 productions will be set up to benefit a particular nonprofit organization by donating a percentage of proceeds, soliciting volunteers or otherwise supporting the organization. The ideas behind the comedies, dramas and musicals range from the overtly political, like “The Katrina Project: Hell and High Water,” based on interviews with the hurricane’s survivors, to lighter fare, like “Suckers,” about a group of vampires. (The latter benefits the Red Cross Blood Bank of course.)

If you missed all those out of town music festivals this weekend you can have the awesome line-ups close to home! L Magazine is throwing a massive music event in Brooklyn- the Northside Festival.

Brooklyn Based and Gothamist are getting in on the action with ‘Our Very Own SXSW‘.

Now, let me start again at Friday…

If you’re looking for a romantic way to spend a Friday evening I can personally guarantee that drinking wine in the rose garden of the New York Botanical Garden tops the charts:

Stroll through the Rose Garden during the height of its beauty, stay late and enjoy a musical performance, talk with Botanical Garden experts about rose care, and purchase a glass of wine to complement the colors and aroma of the roses.

If you’ve always chosen sci-fi over romance you should be at 92Y Friday night for an evening of Battlestar Galactica:

Cast members from Battlestar Galactica join leading roboticists to explore scientifically, philosophically and ethically the approaching frontier where intelligent machines are commonplace and cybernetic technology enhances human capabilities. Featuring sneak previews from the forthcoming Battlestar spinoff The Plan as well as live appearances by some of the shows favorite cylons.

Also on Friday, there’s a fabulous event at the Guggenheim:

In honor of its 50th Anniversary, the Guggenheim has produced a documentary film on the history of its building, collections, exhibitions, and the development of its international network. The 27-minute film combines archival materials—including talks given by Solomon Guggenheim and Frank Lloyd Wright—with contemporary footage featuring artists, art historians, architects, architectural historians, and curators.

ALSO on Friday, for those of you who enjoy public pillow fights, I give you… a Bubble War in Times Square. At 6:15 on the corner of W 47th St. & Broadway the bubbles will fly! Once you’re covered in sticky bubble suds head to the afterparty at Club Exit in Greenpoint.

On Saturday the Queens of Pain will be playing against Manhattan Mayhem at the Hunter College Sports Complex- it’s always a good weekend for Gotham Girls Roller Derby!

You may recall how much I enjoyed the Young New Yorkers Chorus‘ last performance; they’re playing again Saturday night at St. Peter’s Church- check them out!

On Sunday rediscover Brooklyn’s suburban past by going on the Victorian Flatbush Houses Tour:

Developed more than 100 years ago to be a piece of suburban living just minutes from Manhattan, Victorian Flatbush maintains that special atmosphere today — right in the heart of Brooklyn. Stroll the streets of this spectacular neighborhood, home to five NYC Historic Districts, and tour interiors of 10 stunning homes, each lovingly preserved and restored.

Also on Sunday, I simply can’t resist adding an awesome event at the Bell House:

THE MODE MERR FASHION SHOW SPECTACULAR- Enjoy an afternoon of live music, burlesque, hot rods, DJ’s & the unveiling of the newest Mode Merr collection! SHOP THE DAY AWAY WITH A FULL BOUTIQUE OFFERING THE LATEST MODE MERR LOOKS AND OTHER FUN ITEMS! w/ performances from Angie Pontani & The World Famous Pontani Sisters, Dirty Martini, Helen Pontani, The World Famous *BoB*, Peekaboo Pointe, Miss Delirium Tremens, Little Brooklyn, GiGi LaFemme, The Lady Iye, The Fisherman Xylophonic Orchestra & many more to be announced!

I need not remind you that 1) I adore burlesque and 2) GiGi LaFemme and Peekaboo Pointe are two of my favorite performers, in fact, this interview with GiGi LaFemme made me a true fan.

On that note I shall end this post but please stay tuned for additions and have a marvelous weekend!