September in NYC - Annual Events

Welcome to September!
September is the "end of summer" month, the "back-to-school" month, the football season kickoff month and also happens to be my favorite month. September in New York is a wonderful time. There are lots of annual events that take place in September, and thus, a perfect time to start a new feature on MurphGuide, listing the best of annual events.

When an event takes place that is so much fun people say, "we should do this every year", an annual event is born. The anticipation building up to the event helps people gear up for a good time. Here are some annual events taking place in the month of September:

Swedish singer September

Charities often hold annual fundraisers, and some very worthy causes are hosting their annual fundraisers this month.
The friends and family of Tim McWilliams will host their 6th annual Toasting Timbo on Friday, September 24 at Pier 60 at Chelsea Piers to raise funds and awareness for traumatic brain injuries. This years event will be a "Casino Night" withBlackjack, Texas Hold'em, Craps & Roulette.

Adam’s Angels will hold their 5th Annual Salute to Firefighters event on Thursday, September 24 at Saloon. Named in honor of firefight Adam Rand, Adam's Angels raises funds for various firefighter charities. This year's event will raise funds for the John Bellew Memorial Fund and FDNY VFW.
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Music lovers have plenty of choices with a jazz festival, a rock & roll contest featuring up and coming bands, and The September Concert:
The 4th Annual Williamsburg Jazz Festival will take place September 10 - 17. This year's headliners include Seamus Blake, Ralph Alessi, Jason Lindner, Gretchen Parlato, Jesse Selengut and NOIR, Rick Parker Collective, Maurice Brown, and Sabir Mateen. Venues hosting shows include Galapagos, Rose Restaurant, Laila Lounge, My Moon, Surf Bar, Spike Hill and Tonic.
The annual M.E.A.N.Y. Fest (Musicians & Emerging Artists New York) takes place Sept. 16 - Oct. 2. Shows will be held at Crash Mansion, The Delancy, Public Assembly, Fontana's, Bowery Poetry Club and Ace of Clubs.

The September Concert is a celebration of peace and humanity through music. Now in its 9th year, it features musicians of every age and genre making music anywhere people gather: parks, schools, churches, office plazas, cafés, restaurants, galleries, and libraries. Concerts are produced by those who believe in the power of music to bring people together, to reaffirm our hope for peace, and to celebrate life and our universal humanity. This year it expands to three days, September 10th–12th.

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Ethnic pride will be on display as the Germans, Italians, West Indians and the Irish are among the many of NY's ethnic communities that will be holding festivals around town.
The 53rd annual German-American Steuben Parade takes place on Saturday, September 25. This year's grand marshal is “Dr. Ruth” Westheimer. The parade ends with an Oktoberfest in the “Summer Stage” area of Central Park.
Dominicans, Haitians and Jamaicans join forces for the 43rd Annual West Indian Carnival Festival in Brooklyn September 2 - 6. It will include a benefit concert for Haiti, a Stay in School concert, a steel band competition, a Dimanche Gras ( Big Sunday) party, and culminating with the Labor Day Carnivale.
The 84th Annual Feast of San Gennaro, will be held September 16-26 on Mulberry St. and the surrounding streets of historic Little Italy.
The Irish will be holding Irish Festivals in Brooklyn, the Jersey Shore in Peekskill, NY.
The 29th Annual Great Irish Fair in Coney Island will take place on September 18th and September 19 at MCU Park. The Jersey Shore Irish Fair takes place in Sea Girt, NJ on Saturday, September 18. The 2nd Annual Hudson Valley Irish Festival is on Saturday, September 25 in Peekskill, NY.
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DUMBO Arts Festival takes over Brooklyn's waterfront with visual arts, music, and literature September 24-26, and includes 150+ studios, 35+ galleries and 40+ arts organizations.

Lovers of Irish culture can enjoy theater (1st Irish) and film (A Wee Craic) in September. New York’s 3rd annual First Irish Theatre Festival, presented by The Origin Theatre Company, is a celebration of the best of Irish theatre, brought to you by Origin Theatre Company. The Craic Fest, held annually in March, presents their 11th annual Shorts Night (a.k.a. A Wee Craic), featuring one night of short films followed by live music at an after-party on Friday, September 17.
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Of course, not all annual events are celebratory, as New Yorkers and citizens all over the world will commemorate the 9th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. The official commemoration will of course be held on Saturday, Sept. 11 at Zuccotti Park, adjacent to the World Trade Center site. National911Memorial.org

The 2nd Annual World Trade Center Run to Remember will be a celebration of the lives of those lost on Sept. 11, 2001. It will be held on Sunday, September 5 on Governors Island and includes a 5K Run, 3K Family Fun Run/Walk, Children's Fun Run & Family Entertainment. Runners will also commemorate the heroic run of firefighter Stephen Siller in the annual Tunnel to Towers Run on September 26.
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Food lovers can discover the culinary diversity that Queens offers during Queens Restaurant Week, Sept. 20 - 30.
Celebrating the best of NYC's street vendors, the 6th Annual Vendy Awards will be held Sept. 25 on Governors Island.
And our friends at Ulysses' host their annual Oyster Fest on Stone Street in lower Manhattan on Saturday, Sept. 25.
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Beer lovers will enjoy September, for several reasons:
Don't be fooled by the name, since Oktoberfest actually starts in September. Several NY bars will be holding Oktoberfest celebrations (details coming soon). And if you want to go to the real thing in Germany, check out our friends at Dynamic Outdoors, who will be bringing a bunch of New Yorkers over to Munich for the big Oktoberfest celebration Sept. 30 - Oct. 4.
The 3rd annual NYC Craft Beer Week kicks off September 24 and runs through October 3 with ten days of craft beer oriented tastings, walking tours, beer crawls and more. Highlights include: Brewed in Brooklyn, Astoria Suds, Fermented NY - Craft Beer Crawl, Ale Street News Disc Golf Outing & Beer Fest, Get Merry on the Ferry Beerstravaganza!, Bike Brooklyn Beer Blitz, Alcoholics Unanimous!, Food Cart Tour, GreatBrewers.com Gramercy Galavant. See NYCBeerWeek.com for the full schedule.
The 15th annual Greenwich Village Fall Bar Tour will be on Saturday, September 25. Presented by Lindy Promotions, you can register at Amity Hall, and then visit your choice of participating venues providing drink specials.
New this year, but sure to become an annual event, is Get Real NY, a celebration of the best cask beer and local food available. The inaugural event will be held September 24 & 25 at The Altman Building.
And when September comes to a close, what better way to kick off the month of October that Brewtopia, The 8th Annual Great World Beer Festival: two days of craft beer sampling Oct. 1 & 2 at Center 548.

Earth, Wind & Fire's 1979 hit "September"

If you know of other annual events taking place this month, please leave a note in the comments section below.
Now go out and have an awesome September! Here is a song to get you going: