THE BRONX — Starting this week, it’s all about The Bronx.
Bronx Week 2012 kicks off Thursday with the first of more than 100 concerts, clinics, forums, tours, screenings and ceremonies celebrating the best of the borough.
The 11-day series, which includes official events hosted by the borough president’s office as well as community-organized programs, begins May 10 with a fete honoring Bronx centenarians.
The festivities wrap up on May 20 with the 41st Annual Bronx Week Parade, when crowds will cheer on the borough's movers and shakers as they march along Mosholu Parkway.
“We invite Bronxites, New Yorkers, and visitors from all over the world to join us in the Bronx for our annual celebration of what makes the Bronx a great place to live,” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.
Highlights from this year’s series include tours of the borough’s urban farms and its green roofs, the Bronx Week Film Festival, a Mother’s Day celebration at the New York Botanical Garden, health clinics with free medical tests and a food, arts and music festival after the parade.
The celebration, which includes both free and ticketed events, was sponsored by Montefiore Medial Center and organized by the Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation and the Bronx Tourism Council.
Some other notable events during Bronx Week 2012 include:
- Bank on the Bronx — 14th Annual Bronx Banker’s Breakfast: Mayor Michael Bloomberg will address more than 400 leaders of the banking, business, real estate, and technical assistance industries at 8 a.m. on May 11 Villa Barone Manor. The event will focus on development projects in The Bronx and how businesses find ways to launch or expand in the borough. Advance tickets go for $50, while tickets at the door cost $60.
- Boogie Down Rides: Various Bronx biking groups have organized several pedal-powered events for May, including a bike repair workshop on May 12 from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. and a Mother’s Day ride beginning at 10 a.m. on May 13.
- Trolley Tours: Bronx historian Lloyd Ultan will guide a pair of free 3-hour tours of the borough aboard a trolley at 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. on May 16. Hop on in front of the Bronx County Building at 851 Grand Concourse.
- Film screenings: A private screening of Red Tails, a feature film about the Tuskegee Airmen, African-American fighter pilots who fought in World War II, is free with registration at 1 p.m. on May 16 at the Concourse Plaza Multiplex Cinemas. True Story, an indie flick set in New York, plays at 4:30 p.m. at the Bruckner Bar and Grill on May 16.
- The Bronx Health Link Community Health Education Day: Bronxites receive blood pressure and vision screenings and free massages, while more than 75 different groups offer information on the borough’s health resources in the Bronx County Building rotunda from 1-4 p.m. on May 18.
- Bronx Grand Finale Concert: Rap legend Doug E. Fresh, salsa stars Los Hermanos Morenos and others will perform at the free concert on the Mosholu Parkway at Bainbridge Avenue on May 20 from 12-5 p.m.
A full calendar of events is available here.