MEATPACKING DISTRICT — With the first weekend of October comes a four-day opportunity to see what the Meatpacking District has to offer.
"Open Market: New Original" is a weekend festival coordinated by the Meatpacking Improvement Association.
Santigold is playing the kickoff party at Highline Stages at 441 West 14th St. from 7 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. on Oct. 1., with DJ sets from Tanlines and Nick Zinner of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Tickets to the party are $125 for general admission, which includes food and drinks provided by various high-end local establishments, from Bubby's and The Standard Grill to Dos Caminos and Macelleria.
VIP tickets, which are $300, include access to the after-party at Tao, a free T-shirt, and priority access to the weekend's events that have limited space.
It's probably best to start your Open Market experience by picking up a festival guide at the information booth on the 14th Street southwest plaza, with a map and schedule for the weekend's free activities, including outdoor yoga, public art installations, live music, games, free massage and meditation classes.
The map and schedule is also available online, along with a host of shopping discounts for local businesses that apply in-store and online.
The exclusive events with limited space include a screening of a documentary about the former owner of the shuttered longtime Meatpacking mainstay Florent diner, workshops and "shopping parties," private tour of the Whitney or Milk Studios and 45-minute guided walking tours that showcase the neighborhood's architecture and "fringe cultures."
You can put your name down for the limited-space events of your choosing here, and the MPIA will notify people who made the cut on Monday. People with VIP Santigold tickets get priority.
