BRIC JazzFest and Gowanus Open Studios: 16 things to do this weekend

By Joshua Encinias

Oktoberfest may be coming to an end, but fall’s cultural offerings are just getting started.

Thursday brings the grand return of BRIC JazzFest for its ninth season. “Nightfall: Danse Macabre” celebrates life and death at Green-Wood Cemetery for two nights, and “Broken Chord,” the story of 16 South African singers previously lost to history, debuts at The Brooklyn Academy of Music.

The Makers Show: Fall Edition comes to City Point on Friday to meet all of your seasonal artisanal needs. Soul In The Horn comes to Crown Hill Theater later that night to uplift the vibes. The Harvest Festival happens at Brooklyn Bridge Park on Saturday morning for a day of fall-themed activities for the whole family. And don’t forget: Fran Lebowitz comes to Kings Theatre on Saturday night.

Gowanus Open Studios runs all weekend. Brooklyn FAM: Festival of Arts and Music brings West African, Jewish and Arab cultures together through the arts, food and fellowship on Sunday. And Les Claypool reunites his Fearless Flying Frog Brigade at Brooklyn Steel.

Here are our picks for the weekend.

Thursday, October 19

BRIC JazzFest
Thursday through Saturday at 7 p.m. each night
BRIC’s JazzFest returns on Thursday for its ninth edition. This year’s lineup brings together legends and rising stars from both inside and outside the jazz genre. For the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, BRIC is blending the worlds of jazz and hip-hop and celebrating some of our favorite genre-crossing artists. Come see and hear Terrace Martin, Georgia Anne Muldrow, Melanie Charles, Amina Claudine Myers and many more. 647 Fulton Street. Tickets are $59 each night or $143 for three-day passes.

‘Nightfall: Danse Macabre’
Thursday and Friday nights, 7 to 10 p.m.
“Nightfall: Danse Macabre” is a night of artistic performances at Green-Wood along the cemetery’s illuminated paths in celebration of life, death and everything in between. Each evening will feature similar programming of music and moving images set across Green-Wood’s historic landscape. The evenings are co-curated by Death of Classical and Rooftop Films, entertainment is provided by the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus, and storytelling and show and tell by Morbid Anatomy. Drinks from Kings County Brewers Collective will be available. Enter at the cemetery’s meadow near the Main Entrance at Fifth Avenue and 25th Street. Tickets are $75, and $70 for members. A VIP experience is available for $100.

Ms. Lauryn Hill & The Fugees
7:30 pm.
Celebrate the resurrection of The Fugees at Barclays Center on Thursday. The 25th anniversary of “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” brings the 1990s hip-hop trio together for their first major string of performances since 2005. 620 Atlantic Avenue. Tickets begin at $84.

‘Broken Chord’ at BAM
Thursday through Saturday
Near the end of the 19th century, a group of South African singers embarked on a tour of the U.K. and the U.S. under the stage name “The African (Native) Choir,” hoping to raise funds to build a school in the city of Kimberley. Remnants of their tour had been lost to time until glass plates of the singers were found 125 years later — in 2014. Their tour will be brought back to life at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in “Broken Chord” by South African dancer and choreographer Gregory Maqoma. Through the combination of dance, song and storytelling, “Broken Chord” reimagines the tour using a chorus of 16 singers and a quartet of musicians. 651 Fulton Street. Tickets start at $44.50.

Greg’s Great Pumpkin Patch
Every day through Halloween
Need a pumpkin? Browse Greg’s collection of gourds in all shapes and sizes, including fancy gourds and tons of Halloween decor. Every Saturday, Greg hosts Hoppy Hallowine with something for the whole family. Visit anytime between 2 and 8 p.m. for pumpkin carving and painting with all supplies included. Located at Pollyn, 115 Broadway at the corner of Bedford and Broadway.

Oktoberfest in Brooklyn
Various times and locations all weekend
Oktoberfest winds down this weekend after a month stuffed with brats and beers. This final weekend of the tradition finds no shortage of steins, sausages, lederhosen, and feats of strength on display all over the borough. Here’s a taste of the events in Brooklyn this weekend:

• Colossal presents a night of beer-drinking, pretzel-eating and flash-inking fun on Thursday. Get there early for the first-come, first-served tats, and stay late for the German-inspired revelry.
• Both of Black Forest’s Brooklyn locations (Fort Greene and Cobble Hill) are hosting Oktoberfest parties on weekends through October 21.
• It’s always Oktoberfest at Bay Ridge’s Schnitzel Haus, but you can celebrate all month long with live music and the area’s best selection of German and Belgian beers.
• Radegast Hall will have a brass band, stein-holding competitions and a ceremonial keg-tapping.
• Visit HasenStüble in Prospect Lefferts Gardens to try their authentic German beer, and special menu items like Goulash and Glühwein that only come around this time of year.

Friday, October 20

The Makers Show: Fall Edition
Friday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
The Fall Makers Show returns to the heart of Brooklyn at City Point with a curated selection of handcrafted goods, artisanal treats and unique products. Discover local makers, creators and small businesses, all while promoting equity and community investment through community-minded marketplaces. This year’s market will feature 30+ local small businesses. 445 Albee Square West.

ORCA: A One-Whale Musical
Friday and Saturday, 8 to 9:30 p.m.
Orca is an immersive musical about Gordon the Orca who leaves his ‘Orcastra’ to chase fame as a rockstar. It’s a show about ambition, addiction, the importance of community, and it’s performed on the barge at the Waterfront Museum in Red Hook. Proof of ticket gets you discounts at the Red Hook Winery, Keg & Lantern Brewing and the Red Hook Lobster Pound. 290 Conover Street. You can buy tickets for $40 or use the code “Orcastra” to reserve free tickets.

Soul in the Horn
10 p.m.
Soul in The Horn is a global lifestyle, music, technology and entertainment brand with a core mission to lift the collective vibration. Resident DJ Natasha Diggs will welcome back KARIZMA to the SITH stage at Crown Hill Theater on Friday night by. Expect surprise special guests and the SITH horn and percussion sections. As per usual, SITH promises this will be a music, dance and fashion extravaganza. 750 Nostrand Avenue. The remaining tickets are $40.

Saturday, October 21

Harvest Festival at Brooklyn Bridge Park
11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy celebrates the changing of the seasons on October 21 at their annual Harvest Festival. Don’t miss their kick-off procession, arts and crafts opportunities, storytelling, lawn games and more — including their signature pumpkin patch. See their website for a schedule of events.

Pumpkin Spice Vendors Delight Fall Market
11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Make your way to Industry City on Saturday for the Pumpkin and Spice Vendors Delight Fall Market in Sunset Park. The Created for You Artists Market brings together all kinds of vendors with a unique selection of handcrafted jewelry, accessories bags and more. There’s an arts and crafts table for the kids, a $200 Visa gift card raffle and a free photo booth for photos with family and friends. 220 36 Street, Courtyard 1/2.

Arts Gowanus Open Studios
Saturday and Sunday, 12 to 6 p.m.
Arts Gowanus is a not-for-profit organization working to support, promote and advocate for local artists and a sustainable arts community in Brooklyn. For two days in October, hundreds of artists open their studios as part of a massive, free art stroll through the Gowanus neighborhood. Artists without local studios will be showing at local businesses. Check out what your neighbors have been creating — and buy something to bring home with you. Various locations.

Fran Lebowitz at Kings Theatre
8 p.m.
What do tourists, baggage-claim areas, adults who roller skate, children who speak French, and anyone who is unduly tan have in common? Well, nothing, but they’re just a few of Fran Lebowtiz’s many targets. The New York Times Book Review calls Lebowitz an “important humorist in the classic tradition.” You can preview her thoughts on our podcast, and you can hear them live at the Kings Theatre on Saturday night. 1027 Flatbush Avenue. Tickets start at $60.

Sunday, October 22

Brooklyn FAM: Festival of Arts and Music 2023
10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
The “Fam” in Brooklyn Fam stands for Festival of Arts and Music, but it also means family and communities of Brooklyn. Join the FAM on Sunday morning for a vibrant expression of West African, Jewish and Arab cultures across performances, workshops, crafts, a beautiful participatory public art project, community conversations and food. Now more than ever, Brooklyn FAM looks forward to holding space for Brooklyn communities to come together to affirm our shared humanity in empathy, compassion and care through art. Prospect Park Boathouse + Audubon Center, 101 East Drive. Free.

Day of the Dead LIVE! at Brooklyn Art Haus
Noon, various dates and times through November 1
Day of the Dead LIVE! takes you on a musical journey to celebrate Día de los Muertos, the holiday of family remembrance. With diabolical music from classical and popular composers, Mexican and European, this is a one-hour piano and puppet performance boasting larger-than-life characters, including jugglers, stilt-walkers, ghosts, skeletons and dancers. It’s a witty, wild, cultured romp and the ultimate family reunion — with dearly departed ancestors as the guests of honor. 24 Marcy Avenue. Tickets are $25.

Les Claypool’s Fearless Flying Frog Brigade reunion
8 p.m.
Legendary bassist and Primus frontman Les Claypool is performing at Brooklyn Steel on Sunday with the Fearless Flying Frog Brigade. Claypool reunited his highly improvisational outfit for the first time in more than 20 years, featuring Sean Lennon (guitar), Harry Waters (keys), Paulo Baldi (drums) and Mike Dillon (percussion). The band is mixing in material from all eras of Claypool’s solo career, as well as a performance of the Pink Floyd album “Animals” in its entirety. 319 Frost Street. Tickets begin at $75.