A Medieval Festival And A Drag Convention|Manhattan This Weekend

NEW YORK, NY — No matter what you're looking for this weekend, Manhattan has something to offer. Highlights include a hot jazz festival in Chelsea, a drag convention in Hell's Kitchen and a medieval festival at Fort Tryon Park where you can party like its 1599.

Here's Patch's guide to the most interesting events, exhibits and things to do in the city:

Ru Paul's Drag Convention

Neighborhood: Hell's Kitchen

What: Your favorite drag show is hosting a weekend crammed with performances, panels and shopping. Learn beauty tips at a makeup panel, watch a drag makeover and head to the runway to watch queens lip sync. Tickets costs $20 for Friday night, $40 for Saturday or Sunday and $70 for the weekend. After-party tickets are sold separately.

Where: Jacob K. Javits Convention Center at 655 W. 34th St.

When: Friday, September 28th from 4-8 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday Sept. 30th from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Medieval Festival at Fort Tryon Park

Neighborhood: Inwood

What: Venture eight centuries back in time to a medieval market town inhabited by jesters, jugglers and Robin Hood and His Merry Men at the Cloisters. Partake in live-action chess, peruse the bazaar for knick knacks and watch a sword swallower tempt the fates and much more. Admission is free.

Where: Fort Tryon Park from Riverside Drive to Broadway

When: Sunday, Sept. 30 from 11:30 a.m. 6 p.m.

New York Hot Jazz Festival

Neighborhood: Chelsea

What: Swing to jazz at the McKittrick Hotel in your vintage duds at this 12-hour-long celebration of jazz that will roar into early Monday night. Catch the Grammy-winning Vince Giordano & The Nighthawks among a fat lineup of performers across three stages. General admission will run jazz fans $59.

Where: The McKittrick Hotel at 524 W. 27th Street

When: Sunday, Sept. 30 from 2 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Illegal Ink: The Bizarre Story of NYC's Tattoo Ban

Neighborhood: Lower East Side

What: Join five historians and tattoo artists as they discuss the tattoo ban in New York City that spanned 1961-1997. This story has it all: a sordid love triangle involving a top government official and a Bowery tattoo artist, a personal vendetta, blackmarket dealings and an unexpected renaissance that would reshape the art of tattooing. Two tattoo artists will be on hand doing historical flash tattoos during the event.

Where: Caveat at 21 A Clinton Street

When: Sunday, Sept. 30 at 7 p.m.

Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers 5K Run & Walk

Neighborhood: Red Hook-Financial District

What: This annual run and walk retraces the final steps of FDNY firefighter Stephen Siller as he ran through the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel, formerly known as the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel, to the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. The event pays homage to all first responders who lost their lives that day.

Where: The run starts at Ikea Parking Lot 9, 1 Beard St. in Red Hook and ends in the Financial District at the corner of West and Murray streets.
When: Sunday, Sept. 30 at 9:30 a.m.

Photo courtesy of Johannes Simon/Getty Images