Diwali, the Brooklyn Half and Wine Fest: 18 things to do this weekend

By Joshua Encinias

Veteran’s Day is Friday, which means your weekend starts Thursday. Sorry, that’s just how it goes. We don’t make the rules.

We’re in that sweet spot of fall where it’s not too cold yet and there are ample opportunities to go out and enjoy the borough before the darkness of winter (and holiday season) encroaches. Sunsets are already too early. So grab some vitamin D and start planning your weekend.

On Thursday afternoon, The Brooklyn Children’s Museum hosts a Diwali gathering for the kids. The Brooklyn Folk Festival kicks off its 15th anniversary on Friday with three days of music. Saturday brings with it the Brooklyn Wine Fest, which is great unless you’re running the Brooklyn Half Marathon on Sunday morning. Also Sunday, The Bell House hosts a comedic Diwali Party.

Here are our picks of things to do.

Thursday, November 9

The Other Art Fair
Thursday through Sunday
The Other Art Fair at ZeroSpace combines affordable and original artworks by 120 independent artists with immersive installations, performances, DJs — and a fully stocked bar. On Friday, Brooklyn Magazine is teaming up with the fair to present Friday Late, the ultimate fusion of art, music and unforgettable fun. Come meet (and party with) 120 independent artists, discover thousands of new art pieces, and dive into immersive experiences. 337-345 Butler Street. Tickets are $29 in advance and $35 at the door.

Public Records x Pioneer Works: Durations Festival
Thursday through Sunday
Public Records in collaboration with Pioneer Works presents the Durations Festival, a weekend-long multi-instrumental exploration of sound. Festival programmers call it “an intentional act of connection, and exploration of time as the intensive movement of body and mind.” Performers include Tim Hecker, Mule Musiq with Kuniyuki Takahashi, Superpitcher and Toshiya Kawasaki. 233 Butler Street. Tickets are $118.

Diwali at Brooklyn Children’s Museum
2 to 5 p.m.
The Brooklyn Children’s Museum invites families to celebrate Diwali on Thursday afternoon. You will hear the story of Diwali brought to life through a puppet show, presented by The Culture Tree. The famous Indian story teaches children the meaning of devotion, love, kindness and valor all while learning how to celebrate Diwali. Other activities include storytime with author Navina Chhabria, a mithai (Indian sweets) workshop and lantern-making in the Museum’s ColorLab art studio. 145 Brooklyn Avenue. Free.

The Brooklyn Conservatory of Music hosts House Party 2023
6 to 10 p.m.
The Brooklyn Conservatory of Music will host its eighth annual House Party to raise funds for its music therapy and music education programs. For one night each year, the conservatory turns over every classroom space, studio, and stage in its Park Slope Victorian mansion to performers. This year’s artists include DJ Spinna, Martha Redbone, Red Baraat and The Brothers Footman. There will also be dueling pianos, a trombone “choir” and a Pat Benatar cover band (fan favorite Eggs Benatar). There will be two outdoor stages that are accessible and free to the public along Seventh Avenue and Lincoln Place, along with five floors of live music for benefit ticket-holders. 58 7th Avenue. Ticket prices vary.

Friday, November 10

The Brooklyn Folk Festival
Various showtimes Friday through Sunday
The Brooklyn Folk Festival celebrates its 15th edition this weekend at St. Ann’s Church. The lineup ranges from 18-year-old Nora Brown to 92-year-old Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, with special events celebrating Folkways Records’ 75th anniversary and the centennial of “Anthony of American Folk Music” compiler and visual artist-filmmaker Harry Smith. 157 Montague Street. Single-day tickets begin at $15 for kids and $35 for adults.

New York Comedy Festival
Friday through November 12
The New York Comedy Festival brings together the country’s top comedians at more than a hundred shows across all five boroughs. Brooklyn hosts some of the festival’s biggest draws including Todd Berry, Ilana Glazer, Monét X Change, Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, Ziwe, Conan O’Brien, Lucas Zelnick, Zach Zimmerman and dozens more. Check out the festival website for a complete list of artists coming to various locations — BAM, Littlefield, Brooklyn Comedy Collective, Union Hall, The Gutter, The Bell House and more throughout the borough.

‘FOOD’ at BAM’s Next Wave Festival
Friday through November 18
Performer and theater artist Geoff Sobelle will host an intimate dinner party of smell, taste and touch at BAM beginning this weekend as part of the institution’s fall Next Wave Festival. Audience members are invited to a culinary experience that’s “human and surreal, universal and personal.” Sobelle’s creation is an absurdist, immersive and rigorously designed meditation on how we eat, what’s in the soup and who pays the bill. But be warned: There’s no actual eating at this dinner party, so don’t come hungry. 30 Lafayette Avenue. Tickets are $65.

The Vulfpeck ‘Schvitz Experience’
Various showtimes Friday through Sunday
The funk wizards of Vulfpeck will play two shows each day on Friday, Saturday and Sunday in the Great Hall at Avant Gardner. The residency, dubbed “The Schvitz Experience,” takes its name from Vulfpeck’s sixth studio album, “Schvitz,” and promises to deliver a sweaty good time. 140 Stewart Avenue. Tickets are $75

‘The MotherF**ker With The Hat’
Various showtimes Friday through Sunday
The Heights Players bring Steven Adly Guirgis’ play “The MotherF**ker With The Hat” to Brooklyn Heights for a final weekend of shows. Addiction, pain and explosive tempers are not exactly ingredients for a side-splitting comedy, yet Guirgis’ profane and hilarious play earned six Tony nominations in 2011. See it for yourself this weekend. 26 Willow Place. Tickets are $18 to $20.

Tour, Tasting, and Egg Cream Reception at Brooklyn’s Last Seltzer Factory
3:30 to 4:45 p.m.
There’s only one seltzer company left in Brooklyn — in all of New York for that matter — with the equipment to produce gold-standard seltzer, and you can taste their product on Friday afternoon. Join New York Adventure Club for an exclusive tour inside Brooklyn Seltzer Boys, a fourth-generation family-owned business in Cypress Hills that’s been hand-filling seltzer bottles and delivering them to customers’ doorsteps for over 50 years. Led by Brooklyn Seltzer Boy Alex Gomberg, the tour includes a taste test of their artisanal seltzer from the factory line, and after the tour, the Boys will whip up some of their award-winning egg creams. 474 Hemlock Street. Tickets are $40.

Saturday, November 11

Cherry Bombe Hosts the 3rd Annual Cooks & Books
10 a.m.
Join a lineup of female chefs for a day of cookbook pop-ups, panel conversations with recipe writers, and detailed demos throughout Ace Hotel Brooklyn. As You Are, a bar inside of the hotel, will serve a special menu curated by Cherry Bombe, in the week leading up to the festival from Chef Camille Becerra.

The uncovered ice skating rink opens at LeFrak Center
11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
The LeFrak Center opened its ice skating rink for the season last weekend, and this Saturday, the uncovered rink makes its debut. The rink will be open daily with timed tickets available for purchase in advance. 171 East Drive inside Prospect Park.

Veterans’ Day in Prospect Park
Noon to 5 p.m.
Prospect Park will host a day of kid-friendly programming in honor of Veterans Day. Activities include nature exploration stations, animal encounters, family nature walks and more. The Audubon Center and Carousel in Prospect Park. Free.

Send your laptop back to school
12:30 p.m.
Back Market, the global refurbished tech marketplace, and Artist & Fleas have partnered together for a citywide laptop collection during the month of November to close the digital divide in the NYC metro area. The drive features a special collection event and party at Artists & Fleas Williamsburg with local DJ Sophia Rocks and Emma J DiMarco. 70 N 7th Street.

Brooklyn Wine Fest
1 and 6 p.m.
Travel the world of wine at the Brooklyn Navy Yard Waterfront Promenade on Saturday at the Brooklyn Wine Fest. Guests can choose from two start times to enjoy wine samples for the entire session paired with live entertainment, food and games. Your ticket includes a souvenir sample cup and samples of wine. Tickets start at $80.

Sunday, November 12

Brooklyn Fall Half Marathon
9:30 a.m.
A marathon isn’t exactly entertainment, but the Brooklyn Fall Half Marathon is a sight to see, even if you’re not running it. Organized by Citytri Runs, you can run the half, 10K or 5K — or just hang out along the route and cheer on the runners on a brisk fall morning in Prospect Park. The Peristyle inside Prospect Park. Registration for the Half Marathon is $99.

Brooklyn Children’s Book Fair
11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
The Brooklyn Museum’s annual Brooklyn Children’s Book Fair is on Sunday. This year is the largest in the fair’s history with 41 Brooklyn authors and illustrators on hand to share their latest books. For the first time, the event will have books in Mandarin, Hindi and Spanish, plus a book celebrating Diwali. Throughout the day, children and their companions can attend readings, presentations and a performance by The Band Books. 200 Eastern Parkway. Free.

Diwali Party
7:30 p.m.
Join comedians Maya Deshmukh and Arti Gollapudi at The Bell House for their yearly celebration of Diwali. The show features performances featuring an all-South Asian lineup of comedians followed by a dance party with music from DJ Rekha. Performers include Usama Siddiquee, Sureni Weerasekera, Nikita Redkar and Amamah Sardar. 149 7th Street (Between 2nd and 3rd Ave). Tickets are $20.