Nyack's paint-and-sip studio throws karaoke into the mix

Most paint-and-sip studios follow the same script: an instructor walks the room through a canvas, someone's pinot noir ends up in the water cup, and everyone goes home with a slightly lopsided sunset. Black Parakeetz, at 298 Main St in downtown Nyack, takes that format and adds karaoke to it, which changes the whole energy of the room.

The studio runs guided painting sessions alongside the singing, and the BYOB setup means you're not captive to a two-drink minimum at a bar markup. Theme nights and weekend brunch sessions give regulars a reason to come back rather than treat it as a one-time novelty. It's a year-round operation, so it doesn't disappear after the holiday party season the way some pop-up event spaces do.

The obvious use case here is a birthday party or a bachelorette group, and the studio clearly leans into that -- private event bookings are available alongside the regular class schedule. But it's also worth considering for a lower-stakes weeknight with a few friends who want something more active than a restaurant and less committal than a full night out in the city. Nyack's Main Street makes it easy to pair with dinner before or drinks after at one of the nearby spots along the strip.

Families are listed as a target audience, which makes sense given the painting component -- kids tend to take the canvas more seriously than the adults do, and the BYOB element is oriented toward the grown-ups in the group rather than the whole event. If you're looking for something that works across a range of ages at a birthday gathering, it checks that box.

For anyone newer to Rockland County who hasn't yet had a reason to spend an evening on Nyack's Main Street, this is a reasonable excuse. The downtown stretch is compact and walkable, and a guided painting class with karaoke running in the background is a low-pressure way to spend a couple of hours somewhere new.

See the full listing for details on booking a class or reserving a private event.