All Over Albany

Stuff to do this weekend

Hey, guess what? Not only is it the weekend, but it's time to spring forward. Be sure to set the clocks forward (you know, the ones that don't just reset themselves) Saturday night or you'll be late for whatever it is you're doing on Sunday.

Speaking of things to do -- after the jump you'll find our list of stuff going on this weekend that we thought you might enjoy.

Planning something you don't see here? Share it in the comments so the rest of us can see. And whatever you're up to, have a fantastic weekend!

Saint Patrick's Day (observed)
This weekend will be St. Patrick's Day (observed) at many spots in the Capital Region.

Albany St. Patrick's Day Parade
Saturday: The 67th annual Albany St. Patrick's Day Parade (FB page) starts at 2 pm. The route steps off at the corner of Quail St and Central Ave, then heads down to Washington Ave on to State St to Pearl Street. Bands, pipes, drums, and lots of green.

The North Albany St. Patrick's Day Parade
Saturday: A long-running neighborhood tradition. It usually starts at noon, so there's time to make it downtown for the larger city parade. The parade route starts at the North Albany American Legion Post #1610 (map) and then travels south on Pearl, east on Emmett, north on Broadway, and then south again Pearl to the Legion post.

Here are the various road closures and parking restrictions for the parades.

Irish American Heritage Family Festival
Saturday: The Irish American Heritage Museum is organizing a festival for parade day in Academy Park in Albany (it's the park across the street from city hall) from 11 am to 4 pm. "The Museum and City will be hosting a family friendly, alcohol free event that will showcase the culture and heritage of Ireland. At the same time, the Museum is hoping this will draw families to Downtown Albany to enjoy the parade festivities and all that is Irish in a fun and safe environment." Saturday 11 am-4 pm -- free admission

Here's a bunch of other St. Patrick's Day-related activities, including music and block parties.

Stage

Wicked
Friday-Sunday: The touring production of Wicked finishes its run at Proctors. It is, of course, the massively popular Broadway show adapted from the book by Albany native Gregory Maguire. Friday-Sunday various times -- $38 and up

Into the Woods
Friday-Sunday: Schenectady Light Opera Company opens a new production of Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods -- a collection of fairy tale characters, and what happens after their wishes are granted. Friday and Saturday 8 pm, Sunday 2 pm -- $22-$28

The Picture of Dorian Gray
Friday-Saturday: Creative License theater company presents a stage version of The Picture of Dorian Gray, based on the Oscar Wilde novel. Friday and Saturday 7:30 pm -- $15

A Streetcar Named Desire
Friday-Sunday: The Local Actors Guild of Saratoga presents Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire. Friday and Saturday 8pm, Sunday 2pm -- $20

Skin Deep
Friday-Sunday: Curtain Call Theater presents Skin Deep. "A large, lovable, lonely-heart, named Maureen Mulligan gives romance one last shot on a blind-date with sweet awkward Joseph Spinelli." Friday and Saturday 8 pm, Sunday 3 pm -- $24

An Illiad
Friday-Sunday: An Illiad, an award winning play based on Homer's epic poem, opens this weekend at Capital Rep in previews. Friday-Sunday -- various times and prices

Our Town: a New Media Theatrical Experience SOLD OUT Saturday
Friday-Saturday: EMPAC is hosting a production of "a new media re-imagining" of the Thornton Wilder classic Our Town. Friday-Saturday 8 pm -- free (reservation required)

To Kill A Mockingbird
Friday-Sunday: Classic Theater Guild presents the stage version of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird in the Proctors GE Theater. Friday 7:30 pm, Saturday 2 pm and 7:30 pm, Sunday 2 pm -- $20 / $18 students and seniors

Votes for Women
Friday-Sunday: The Ten Broeck Mansion will host performances of Votes for Women, an immersive theater experience to mark the 100th anniversary of the women's vote in New York State. Friday and Saturday 8 pm and Sunday 7 pm -- free

Bindlestiff Family Cirkus
Saturday: Helsinki Hudson hosts the Bindlestiff Family Circus, featuring a variety of circus, theater, comedy and musical entertainers including trapeze, contortion artists, juggling and more -- performed with live music. Saturday 9 pm -- $25

Sunday: The Bindlestiff Family Circus will perform a family oriented show at Helsinki Hudson. Sunday 3 pm -- $12 to $45

Comedy

Marc Maron
Saturday: Marc Maron will be at Troy Music Hall for stand-up show. He is the host of his popular podcast WTF with Marc Maron, and was the star of the TV show Maron. Saturday 8 pm -- $29 and up

Lisa Lampanelli
Saturday: The Egg hosts Lisa Lampanelli, the "Queen of Mean." Saturday at 8pm -- $39.75

Storytime Time
Friday: Ethan Ullman's Storytime Time -- a curated evening of comedic and true stories -- returns to the MopCo theater. Friday 8 pm -- $10 / $6 for students and seniors

Ryan Hamilton
Friday-Saturday: Ryan Hamilton, recently named one of Rolling Stone's "Five Comics to Watch", plays The Comedy Works in Saratoga this weekend. Friday and Saturday various times and prices

Irish Comedy Tour
Friday: The Irish Comedy Tour makes a stop at Proctors with a slate of stand-up comedians from the US and Ireland. Friday 7:30 pm -- $30

Joe Machi
Friday-Sunday: The Albany Funny Bone at Crossgates features stand-up comedian Joe Machi this weekend. Friday-Sunday various times -- $18

Chortle Kombat
Saturday: Chortle Kombat returns to the Mop & Bucket Company. Teams of improvisors compete against each other creating scenes and songs based audience suggestions. Saturday 8 pm -- $15 / $6 for students and seniors.

Film

As You Are
The Sundance prize-winning film As You Are, which was written and directed by Albany natives and shot here in 2015, is at The Spectrum now as part of a regular theatrical run.

La-La-Land Sing Along
Sunday: The Spectrum is hosting a screening of La-La-Land in which the audience can sing along with the film. Sunday 3:30 pm

Musical films at The Madison
Friday-Sunday: This weekend's Madison Theater classic films are All That Jazz, featuring the choreography of Bob Fosse, and the animated feature Sing .

Music

Friday-Sunday: Garth Brooks at TU Center
Country superstar. With: Trisha Yearwod. 7 pm -- $70.98

Friday: The Trey Anastasio show at Troy Music Hall is sold out.

Friday: Alexis P. Suter Band at The Linda
Blues. With: Andrew Wheeler. 8 pm -- $15

Friday: Lord Electro at The Hollow
Album release show. With: Normal Instruments, Solaris. 8 pm -- $12

Saturday: Red Baraat at The Egg
"[A] high energy, gut-busting fusion of jazz, world-beat, hip-hop, rock, and funky go-go rhythms." 7:30 pm -- $25

Saturday: Melvin Seals at Putnam Den
Hammond B-3 organist. With: Jamie McLean Band. 9 pm -- $20 ahead / $25 day of

Saturday: Lucy Kaplansky at The Linda
Folk. 8 pm -- $20

Saturday: The Drunken Hearts at Parish Public House
Americana. With: Cobblestone. 8 pm -- $12 ahead / $15 day of

Sunday: Cosy Sheridan + Sloan Wainwright at Proctors
Folk singer/songwriters. 7:30 pm -- $24 ahead / $27 day of

U.S. Bartenders Guild Capital Region competition
Friday: Takk House in Troy and Albany Distilling host a regional cocktail competition, featuring bartenders from Albany, Schenectady, Troy and Saratoga Springs. Cocktails, beer will be available and food from Slidin' Dirty. Friday 7pm -- free admission

UAlbany women play for spot in NCAA tournament
Friday: The UAlbany women's basketball team faces Maine at SEFCU Arena in the America East championship game, with a spot in the NCAA tournament on the line. Friday 4:30 pm -- $25

Hockey playoffs
Friday-Sunday: The Union College men's hockey team plays a best-of-three ECAC quarterfinal games series against Princeton at Messa Rink this weekend. Friday, Saturday, and (possibly) Sunday 7 pm -- $12

Hockey benefit game
Sunday: Union Fire -- a local hockey team made up of Capital Region firefighters, play a benefit game at Saratoga's Weible Avenue Ice Rink to raise money for a retired local firefighter. Sunday 4:30 pm -- $10 admission, free for kids under 3

Skating

Empire State Plaza
This is the last weekend for the ice skating rink at the ESP (weather permitting). The final day of the season is Sunday. The rink is open 11 am-8 pm (closed 3-4 pm for maintenance). It's free to skate. Skate rentals are $4 / $3 for kids / free on Fridays.

Albany Train Show
Saturday: Albany's Polish Community Center hosts the Albany Train Show. Saturday 9 am to 3pm -- $5 / free for kids under 12

Museums/galleries

Wampum World/Captured Moments
The Albany Institute recently opened Wampum World, a multimedia exhibit that sheds light on the Dutch and Native American cultures. It runs through June 18.

Also there now: Captured Moments, an exhibit of photos from its large photography collection continues at the Albany Institute. It will be on display through May 21.

Canstruction
The annual Canstruction display opened at the State Museum this week. Visitors can vote on their favorites by dropping canned goods into bins by each structure. The donations benefit the Food Pantries. It's on display through March 22.

Also at the State Museum: The The People's Art: Selections from the Empire State Plaza Art Collection continues with works by artists such as Mark Rothko, Jackson Pollock, Helen Frankenthaler, Franz Kline, David Smith, and Alexander Calder. (On display through September 3, 2017.)

Nick Cave Until
MASS MoCA is exhibiting Until, a new immersive installation by artist Nick Cave. Blurbage: "Through exuberant, politically charged materials, Cave probes issues relating to gun violence, race, and gender inequality. Wrapped in bright glitter, the work is sharp and also painfully beautiful." (On display through August 2017.)

Norman Rockwell Museum
The Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge Hanna-Barbera: The Architects of Saturday Morning. (On display through May 29.)

Patterns
This is the last weekend or Tang's has Sixfold Symmetry: Pattern in Art and Science exhibit. "Patterns, systems, and networks are all around us, and in this digital age we are increasingly aware of their influence on our lived experience. This exhibition explores some of the ways in which human beings create and manipulate patterns, and why we are intrinsically driven to do so."

Together Until the End: Schenectady in the First World War
The Schenectady County Historical Society recently openedTogether Until the End: Schenectady in the First World War, an exhibit on Schenectady during WWI. (It's at 32 Washington Ave in Schenectady.)

Also: Author James Richmond will be at the Schenectady County Historical Society on Saturday for a discussion about impact of the Revolutionary War on average citizens in the area near Ballston. Saturday 2 pm -- $5

Comic Jam
Saturday: Artist Ira Marcks hosts another Comic Jam workshop at the Troy Public Library. Artists of all ages and skill levels are invited to drop in and draw for a few minutes, or the whole time. Saturday, 1pm to 4pm -- free

Markets

Troy Makers Market
Saturday: Local craft vendors will display and sell wares at the Troy Makers Market in conjunction with the Troy Waterfront Farmers Market at the Troy Atrium. Saturday 9 am to noon

Farmers' markets
+ Troy Waterfront Farmers Market is in the Atrium for the season. Saturday 9 am-2 pm
+ The Saratoga Farmers' Market is in the the Lincoln Baths in Spa Park. Saturday from 9 am-1 pm
+ The Schenectady Greenmarket is indoors at Proctors. Sunday from 10 am-2 pm.
+ The Spa City Farmers' Market is indoors at the Lincoln Baths. Sunday from 10 am-3 pm

Day trips
Explore New Paltz, head for The Berkshires, the Catskills, or Columbia County.

The Madison, The Spectrum, The Mop & Bucket Company, The Albany Institute of History and Art, Creative License, Troy Music Hall, and NYS OGS advertise on AOA.