Afropunk returns, plus 14 other things to do this weekend

By Ethan Jakob Craft

It may feel like summer is over — not least if all because Spirit Halloween has already started setting up shop in the Atlantic Center Mall — but the 80-degree temperatures and roster of activities throughout the borough suggest otherwise. This weekend, Afropunk returns to the borough for the first time since 2019, turning Commodore Barry Park into a Mothership Connection of innovative Afrofuturism. Come for the looks, fits, vibes, joy and love … stay for the headliners The Roots and Burna Boy as well as Isaiah Rashad, Talia Goddess, Lucky Daye, Freddie Gibbs, Earl Sweatshirt, Tierra Whack and many more.

But wait, there’s more! This weekend there’s also a sprawling beer festival at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, a Black wellness event in Prospect Park, local Fashion Week exhibitions and more, so don’t lament the end of the season just yet.

Here’s what’s happening in Brooklyn this weekend:

Friday, September 9

Head to an outdoor Black wellness event
4 p.m.
Take a trip to Prospect Park and join the Black Women’s Yoga Collective and Negus In Nature for a Black community-focused wellness gathering this Friday evening. Going down near the Endale Arch from 4 to 7:30 p.m., the event will feature staples like a 40-minute sunset yoga class, a sound bath and meditation session, and a picnic with complimentary snacks and drinks (it’s BYO yoga mat and picnic blanket). Be aware that the yoga session starts promptly at 6 o’clock, with things winding down by sunset; tickets are $20 per person.

Help your kids gain confidence (and self-defense skills)
4:30 or 5:15 p.m.
With kids across New York heading back to school this week, make sure your children are as ready as they can be by attending “Bully Buster Board Breaking,” a free high-energy class offered by Brooklyn Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in Clinton Hill. Each session will “deal with everything from building confidence & self-esteem to self-defense,” organizers say, with the martial arts studio hosting a number of kid-friendly classes on Fridays and Wednesdays through the beginning of October. Students between the ages of 3-and-a-half and 6 are welcome at its 30-minute sessions at 4:30 p.m., while students aged 6 and up may attend the 45-minute class at 5:15.

Go see a comedy show titled ‘Mr. Chonkers’
10 p.m.
Not sure what to make of clown-comedian John Norris’ debut solo show? Well, neither does John Norris … nor are the various critics who’ve seen it, with one writer from entertainment site The TVolution raving, “I have no idea what I was watching” and “I could try to explain it, but I’m afraid it would make my nose bleed.” Tickets for this self-described “great” and simultaneously “terrible” “clown show” are just $10 in advance or $15 day-of if you’d like to find out for yourself, though. Keep in mind that it’s a 21-and-over performance and showtime is 10 p.m., with doors opening 30 minutes prior.

Travel back to the 2000s at an emo dance party
10 p.m.
If you want to relive your pop punk youth — or if you just want to get in the right headspace to see My Chemical Romance at Barclays Center this weekend — make your first stop Schimanski at the northern edge of Williamsburg. It’s hosting its “Black Parade” emo night this Friday, with trio of DJs blasting hits by MCR, Fall Out Boy, Panic! At The Disco and more, plus a couple of $12 drink specials running all night long as well. General admission tickets for this 21-and-over dance party are $15 each, with the event slated to run until 4 a.m. Saturday morning.

Saturday, September 10

Witness the return of Afropunk
10 a.m Saturday – 11 p.m. Sunday
Afropunk Festival returns for its first Brooklyn edition since 2019 this weekend at Commodore Barry Park in Fort Greene. Event organizers have recently revealed set times, which you can see below. Saturday at the festival features headliners The Roots as well as Freddie Gibbs, Isaiah Rashad, Butcher Brown, Tierra Whack, Alex Mali, Doechii, BbyMutha, Rodney Chrome, Talia Goddess, Kah-Lo, Pawpaw Rod, and more, and on Sunday it’s Burna Boy, Earl Sweatshirt, Mick Jenkins, Lucky Daye, Bartees Strange, Pink Siifu, Fana Hues, and more.  Tickets range in price from $110 to $195, depending on tier.

Walk to support suicide awareness and prevention
10 a.m.
Resilient Young Minds is hosting its fourth annual Suicide Awareness Walk this Saturday, inviting the public to parade through Canarsie Park to pay homage to those who’ve died by suicide and spread awareness of the underlying mental health issues that may contribute to it. Check-in for the event opens at 10 a.m. before the 2.5-mile walk officially gets underway by 11:15, with a wellness fair going on alongside the way until 2 p.m. The participation fee to walk is a $10 donation to the nonprofit organization.

Learn the ins and outs of mushroom cultivation
10:30 a.m.
Get the low-down on fungi basics and cultivating your own mushrooms using everyday waste—of which there is no shortage in New York — at Mycology 101, a free course hosted by fungi artist Sneha Ganguly, who will be demonstrating skills like how to create cardboard spawn and use recyclables to start a DIY mushroom farm at home. The two-hour class at the McCarren Park Demonstration Garden is free to attend, though donations to North Brooklyn Mutual Aid are welcome in lieu of an entry fee.

Celebrate going back to school with the New York Student Fest
11 a.m.
If you’re going back to school this fall but are too old to feasibly attend a childrens’ anti-bullying martial arts class, then check out the New York Student Fest instead. Sponsored by discount travel platform StudentUniverse, the event will feature dozens of info sessions and giveaways by vendors that can help you get the most out of your college ID while it’s still valid, plus on-site food trucks and entertainment throughout. The student fair is listed as running from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Greenpoint Terminal Market, though its online listing also says “afterparty TBD” at 8 o’clock, so keep an eye out for more details on that. It’s free to attend.

Cop some vinyl at the Brooklyn Flea Record Fair
11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
After a three year hiatus, Brooklyn Flea Record Fair will return to Smorgasburg Saturday inside Marsha P. Johnson State Park at 90 Kent Ave, Williamsburg. For a list of participating record stores, labels and collectors click here. And remember, for the love of all that is holy, “Rumors” used to be a dollar bin staple.

Raise a glass at this year’s Brooklyn Beer Fest
1 or 6 p.m.
Despite what the name implies, Oktoberfest is kicking off this month — and so is the Brooklyn Beer Fest, which will be bringing over 100 styles of craft lager, ale and cider plus live music to the Brooklyn Navy Yard this Saturday. “Early bird” and “almost gone” tickets have already sold out for this limited capacity event, so if you’re interested in attending, scoop up one of the remaining “last chance” general admission tickets for $70 each while you can; that price includes a tasting glass and samples throughout the festival, though if you’re DD’ing, sober attendees can tag along for just $15 each. Entry is timed in two 3-and-a-half hour blocks, the first from 1 to 4:30 p.m. and the second from 6 to 9:30.

Take a moment of silence in memory of the 9/11 attacks
5:30 p.m.
This weekend marks the 21st anniversary of the most tragic day in New York history, with the Brooklyn 9/11 Wall of Remembrance planning to honor those who perished with its annual candlelight ceremony on the evening of September 10. Starting at 5:30 p.m. with a concert by the FDNY band in memory of first responders’ lives, the performance at the Maimonides Park memorial will be followed by the candlelight vigil at 7 o’clock; candles will be provided to those in attendance. (You can also head into Manhattan or tune in via livestream on Sunday morning for the 9/11 Memorial & Museum’s remembrance ceremony, which starts at 8:40 a.m.)

Listen to a live taping of ‘Yo, Is This Racist?’
7:30 p.m.
The comedy podcast “Yo, Is This Racist?” is on tour right now and slated to come through Brooklyn for a live performance and audience Q&A session this Saturday evening that’s “meant to be cathartic for people of color, and ‘shit-you-should-know-but-we’ll-tell-you-anyway’ for white people,” its creators Andrew Ti and Tawny Newsome say. Happening at the Bell House in Gowanus, the show starts at 7:30 p.m., though doors open at 6:30 and the venue’s bar will be serving as early as 5, so plan accordingly. Tickets are $25 each.

Sunday, September 11

Celebrate Black hair (and culture) at Loc Fest 2022
12 p.m.
Loc Fest, a cultural festival centered around celebrating the “Dread/Loc’d” community, is coming to Restoration Plaza this Sunday from noon to 8 p.m., and bringing with it a variety of fashion shows, live artistic performances, a live DJ, plus food and drinks alongside a number of local Brooklyn-based vendors. General admission tickets are $30 each, though if you want access to the event’s VIP tent and a free swag bag, you may be better off opting for the $60 VIP passes.

Attend some local New York Fashion Week shows
Throughout the day
While the bulk of New York Fashion Week fanfare is confined to Manhattan, there are a handful of shows, discussions and events going on in Brooklyn this weekend too. This Sunday alone, a Fashion Week-related swimwear show will take place at Space Bushwick at 2:30 p.m. that costs $35 to attend; Studio Phenomenon on Atlantic Avenue will feature a live panel discussion about hip-hop’s influence on fashion, with $50 tickets including unlimited open bar access; and at 7 p.m., photo studio Indigo Soul NYC is hosting a Future Female Fashion exhibition at its Navy Yard space, with admission costing $30 per person.

Catch Lyapis Trubetskoy’s North American reunion tour
9 p.m.
Belarusian rock band Lyapis Trubetskoy may be most remembered stateside for their 2013 concert in support of Ukraine’s Euromaidan demonstrations, but more than eight years after the group officially disbanded, they’re returning to the road for their “Warrior of Light” North American tour in support of Ukraine, which remains at war after being invaded by Russia in February. Their all-ages show will take place at the Music Hall of Williamsburg on Sunday, with doors at 8 p.m. for the 9 o’clock concert. Standing room general admission tickets are $75 each, with all proceeds going towards Help Heroes of Ukraine and Gate to Ukraine.