Here are some of the events happening on the Lower east Side this weekend:
–On Sunday, it’s the first ever Lower East Side Cider Festival. Staged on Orchard Street, between Delancey and East Houston streets, there will be tastings from 15 New York State cider makers. Restaurants represented include: Wassail, Back Forty, Huertas and Northern Spy. You’ll be able to feast on cider-friendly food like basque sausages, oysters and grilled cheese. There will even be an apple pie contest and an opportunity to make your own cider press. The event is part of New York Cider Week — and co-sponsored by the LES Business Improvement District and Wassail. Noon-4 p.m.
–Tonight at 9 p.m., Craig Finn plays Bowery Ballroom in support of “Faith in the Future,” his new solo album. $20.
–Saturday at Bowery Ballroom, it’s Sister Sparrow & the Dirty Birds. 9 p.m., $15.
–Tonight at Dixon Place, playwright Jessica Almasy presents, “Tiger Tiger (On the Nature of Violence).” This new production is based on real life events and partially inspired by Almasy’s own experiences. In the story, three boys walk into a zoo in San Francisco and two walk out in handcuffs and a tiger is on the loose, setting off a media frenzy. This play about surviving and coping with violence is not appropriate for children. 161a Chrystie St., $16.
–Saturday at the New Museum, it’s First Saturday for Families. In conjunction with the ongoing exhibition, Jim Shaw: The End is Here, there will be a workshop based on two of the artist’s most well-known projects. In “Dream Drawings” (1992–99) and “Dream Objects” (1994–present), Shaw translates his dreams into surreal works of art. During the workshop, families will work collaboratively to translate their own dreams into poetic lines, then drawings, and, finally, fantastical sculptures. 235 Bowery, 10 a.m.-noon.
–Saturday at the Museum of Chinese in America, there will be a photo tour & neighborhood walk on the “shifting boundaries and hidden stories of Lower Manhattan’s Chinatown.” Following the noontime exploration, there will be a 3 p.m. talk at the American Legion post (191-193 Canal St.) featuring Irene Chin, of The Lost Arcade; Stephen Fan, author and curator of Suburbanisms: Casino Urbanization, Chinatowns, and the Contested American Landscape; and Diya Vij of the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs. More info here.
–Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m., there’s another opportunity to check out the Lowline Lab, a prototype of the underground park envisioned in the old Delancey Street trolley station. 140 Essex St.
–On Sunday from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. the Friends of Corlears Hook Park hold a fall cleanup event. They’ll be weeding, raking and planting daffodil bulbs. There will be activities for the kids plus snacks and water.
