Blacksmithing, basketball and behind-the-scenes access: 13 things to do this weekend

By Ethan Jakob Craft

Summer is over, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing to do. Au contraire.

From a [checks notes] DIY blacksmithing workshop to a 24-hour South Asian music marathon — from an emo-themed drag show to the Nets playing their second home game of the season — there’s plenty happening in town this weekend. And it all winds down with Bonnie “Prince” Billy closing out the three-day Brooklyn Folk Festival.

In the meantime, check out Open House New York for their behind-the-scenes looks at some of the borough’s most iconic sites. Maybe it’ll inspire you to get one of them permanently inked onto you at the New York Tattoo Convention.

Here’s what you can look forward to in Brooklyn this weekend:

Friday, October 21

Go behind the scenes of everything during Open House New York
All weekend long
Open House New York is this weekend, giving locals a backstage pass to some of the city’s most interesting sites to see what’s behind usually-closed doors. This year’s agenda includes more than three dozen locations in Kings County alone, and while a handful of tours require advanced tickets that have long since sold out, there’s no shortage of “Open Access” sites that’ll welcome walk-ins this weekend, including the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, the Navy Yard, the Wyckoff House Museum and the Mary A. Whalen, a historic decades-old oil tanker docked in Red Hook. A map of participating locations and opening times can be found on OHNY’s website.

Get some ink at the New York Tattoo Convention
2 p.m.
The New York Tattoo Convention will be bringing more than 300 artists to the Duggal Greenhouse in the Brooklyn Navy Yard for an all-ages showcase of live music, artistic performances, food and drink vendors and a tattoo competition, plus (less permanent) face painting and some other family-friendly activities for the under-18s. Festivities kick off on Friday at 2 p.m. and run until 11 p.m., with the convention opening earlier at 11 a.m. on both Saturday and Sunday and running until 11 and 8 p.m. each day, respectively. Entry is $30 for a single day or $60 for a three-day weekend ticket.

Watch the Brooklyn Nets’ second home game of the season
7:30 p.m.
The Nets have lost 100 percent of the games they’ve played so far this year — but to be fair, that has only been one game against the Pelicans, and they have a chance to reverse that losing streak on Friday night when they host the Toronto Raptors at Barclays Center. Tip-off is at 7:30 p.m. and plenty of tickets are still available online, with seats in the 200-level available on resale sites for as little as $54 at the time of publication.

(Gently) rock the house at the 14th annual Brooklyn Folk Festival
8 p.m.
The Brooklyn Folk Festival is back for another year this weekend, bringing more than 30 acts to St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Church in Brooklyn Heights over its three-day run. This year’s lineup features Bonnie “Prince” Billy, Amythyst Kiah, Nora Brown and many more, with performances from Friday to Sunday that cover nearly every genre from traditional jazz to honky-tonk to ol’ timey jug bands. Tickets range from $30 for a single afternoon or evening set to $110 for a weekend-long, all-festival pass; further details regarding admission as well as a complete artist schedule can be found on the festival’s website.

Saturday, October 22

Head to a harvest festival
11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Celebrate the changing of the seasons at the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy’s annual Harvest Festival. Festivities get underway with an all-ages kick-off parade; there will be face painting, a drag queen story hour, all-day lawn games, a pumpkin patch, a live animal station and a book giveaway. The day caps off with a dance party curated by DJ Likwuid. Head to Pier 6 at Brooklyn Bridge Park for all the things.

Show some love to local artisans
11 a.m.
Blooms & Brews: An Autumn Artisan’s Market is popping up at Bushwick’s General Irving coffee shop on Saturday, featuring local vendors, food, drinks, live performances, and crafting activities for all ages. This hybrid indoor-outdoor pop-up (weather permitting) is free and open to all, running from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; the full slate of participating vendors can be found online here.

Indulge at the Van Alen Block Party
12 p.m.
The Van Alen Block Party is bringing a full day of food, music, dancing and family-friendly to Douglass and Bond streets in Gowanus — a few blocks from the Bergen Street F and G line subway stop — on Saturday. Running from noon to 8 p.m., this outdoor affair is free and open to the public as it “showcases the creative energy of Gowanus and celebrates the power of bringing people together,” organizers say.

Experience 24 straight hours of spiritual South Asian music
8 p.m.
Brooklyn’s own Pioneer Works is throwing its Ragas Live Festival 2022 this weekend in celebration of raga, a genre of South Asian classical music. While audiences can be treated to a number of visual and performance art installations during the showcase, the real highlight is 24 continuous hours of live music from 8 p.m. on Saturday night to 8 p.m. the following Sunday. At least 20 artists and bands including Sid Sriram, Hamid Al-Saadi and Cyro Baptista will be on stage in Red Hook during the all-night music marathon; tickets are $35 per day, or $55 for a full 24-hour pass.

Head to an emo drag show (with a very long name)
10 p.m.
This Saturday night, drag queens Mauve and Evangeline return to the stage at Dromedary Urban Tiki Bar in Bushwick to present their second annual emo drag show, formally known as “The Title of Our Second Emo-Themed Drag Show is Somehow Longer and More Confusing: Part 2: But it’s Better if You Do.” Featuring a number of performers, a live DJ and the duo’s first-ever Little Mx. Mallrat runway competition, which is basically an excuse to dress like you’re heading to Warped Tour in 2006, the show costs $10 per person.

Sunday, October 23

Learn the basics of blacksmithing
10 a.m.
Blacksmithing may seem like a lost trade, let alone one that’s practiced in ultra-urban Brooklyn, but this Sunday you can take to the anvil yourself and learn how to craft your own small-scale trinkets like nails and coat hooks under the supervision of an expert. The workshop is hosted by Nazz Forge, a fully functional blacksmith shop on 34th Street in Sunset Park, and costs $100 per person. Book early because it’s highly popular (the Saturday morning session has already sold out), but don’t fret if you miss out: Nazz Forge is hosting several more blacksmithing basics workshops through the end of the year.

Attend a BYOT (Bring Your Own Trash) party
12 p.m.
Bag up your garbage and head to the Pratt Institute Rose Garden this Sunday, because it’s hosting a BYOT (Bring Your Own Trash) event focused on waste and sustainability and is inviting the public to bring a waste item, whatever their definition of that may be, and participate in a transformative art installation and community event. This event is happening at 12 p.m. and is free to attend.

Carve a pumpkin to prepare for Halloween
3 p.m.
We’re less than two weeks away from Halloween, and if you and/or your kids have yet to make a jack-o-lantern, here’s your chance: Farm To People Kitchen and Bar on Flushing Avenue is hosting an all-ages pumpkin carving event on Sunday afternoon from 3 to 5 p.m. Tickets are $20 each and include all the materials you’ll need, with all excess seeds and pulp being “roasted or composted,” Farm To People says; food and drink will also be available for purchase from the restaurant throughout the festivities.

Celebrate Diwali at the Bell House
7:30 p.m.
This Sunday evening, Arti Gollapudi and Maya Deshmukh are hosting a celebration of Diwali at the Bell House in Gowanus, marking the start of the Hindu New Year with live music, stand-up comedy and a dance party to cap things off. Tickets for the 21-and-over event are available online for $15, with a portion of the proceeds going towards the Alkhidmat Foundation in support of flood relief aid in Pakistan; the show kicks off at 7:30 p.m., with the venue’s doors opening half an hour prior.