Kid Cudi, film festivals, WFMU’s record fair: 20+ things to do this weekend

By Joshua Encinias

Dip your toe into the weekend early this Thursday with the Brooklyn Botanical Garden’s annual fall plant sale, see a scary movie at the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival’s opening night, or throw back a stein at the Birkenfield Biergarten’s Oktoberfest in Williamsburg.

The actual weekend gets off to a proper start with Kid Cudi’s intimate performance at Kings Theatre on Friday night. Also Friday, the 35th edition of NewFest, New York’s LGBTQ film festival, kicks off at both Nitehawk locations.

Saturday starts early with The Classic Apple Pie Half-Marathon & 5K at Veteran’s Pier. WFMU Record Fair returns after a pandemic-induced break, and the Time Out Beer & Wine Fall Festival has something for the entire family.

And if you’re heading into the city for Comic Con (or even if you miss it), keep the cosplay going at 3 Dollar Bill’s Sailor Moon Rave on Sunday night, their unofficial afterparty. Oh, and there’s a Brussels Griffons Halloween costume contest on Sunday Night too.

Have a great weekend.

Thursday, October 12

Brooklyn Botanic Garden Fall Plant Sale
10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Stock up on some indoor greenery to stave off the looming winter blues. Brooklyn Botanic Garden will host its annual fall plant sale on October 10 with a curated selection of plants for your home and garden, including new and unusual varieties of houseplants. Their indoor and outdoor bulbs include uncommon amaryllis and paperwhites, alliums, hyacinths, fritillaria and muscari. Brighten up the dark days of winter while supporting BBG’s programs. 990 Washington Avenue.

Little Simz at Brooklyn Steel
Doors: 7 p.m., show: 8 p.m.
Sim simma, who got tickets to see Little Simz at Brooklyn Steel tonight? The acclaimed British-Nigerian grime rapper stops in Brooklyn for her No Thank You tour tonight, bringing with her a fusion of hip-hop with reggae, blues, synth-rock and jazzy R&B. General admission starts at $48.05.

Brooklyn Horror Film Festival
October 12 to 19
Get your Halloween started early at the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival from October 12 to 19. Opening night boasts the world premiere of “Kill Your Lover” from co-directors Alix Austin and Keir Siewert. Director Pascal Plante’s “Red Rooms” is the centerpiece screening, and the fest closes out with Jenn Wexler’s ’70s supernatural Christmas horror “The Sacrifice Game.” All screenings will be held at Nitehawk Cinema’s Williamsburg and Prospect Park locations.

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, everyone’s favorite annual beery bonanza is back. There’s 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:

• Birkenfield Biergarten takes place at Other Half Brewing in Williamsburg today, October 12. Birkenstock hosts this Oktoberfest gathering with German-inspired beers from the expert brewers at Other Half. Plus, there’s games and activities for the entire family starting at 4 p.m
• Both of Black Forest’s Brooklyn locations (Fort Greene and Cobble Hill) are hosting Oktoberfest parties on weekends through October 21.
• Greenwood Park in the South Slope will host arguably the silliest Oktoberfest in the borough with a drunk spelling bee, yodeling and belching contests, a stein-holding competition, a pretzel-eating game and a huge menu of seasonally appropriate brews from 2 to 7 p.m Saturday. 555 7th Ave.
• Radegast Hall will also have a brass band, stein-holding competitions and a ceremonial keg-tapping.
• 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.
• 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 13

Imagined Futures: Red Hook
Various times Friday through Sunday
Beginning in Red Hook this weekend and moving across the boroughs through 2024, Holes in the Wall Collective is partnering with businesses, artists, teachers, activists and thinkers to actively imagine the future we want. On Friday, they kick off the weekend at Strong Rope Brewery on the waterfront in celebration of Red Hook activist and advocate Karen Blondel and the many community stakeholders who are working toward creating the neighborhood’s future. See Imagined Future’s Eventbrite linked above for the complete schedule.

NewFest at Nitehawk
Various screenings on Saturday and Sunday
NewFest, NYC’s LGBTQ film festival, celebrates 35 years this weekend with screenings at both of Nitehawk’s locations on Saturday and Sunday. See queer shorts over brunch on Saturday and come back on Sunday for “Cora Bora,” about a messy millennial musician who heads home to salvage her rocky open relationship. You’ll have a gay old time!

Kid Cudi at Kings Theatre
8 p.m.
Kid Kudi’s Cuddy Clubhouse is back and coming to Kings Theatre on Friday night. Cudi will perform an intimate show covering his entire discography, performing songs never heard live, and teasing songs from his new album. The rapper says to expect some special guests, so don’t miss it. 1027 Flatbush Avenue. Tickets start at $72.

Fagtasia: The Rocky Horror Picture Show
10 p.m.
What better way to spend Friday the 13th than with Fagtasia as they present an all-femme shadowcast performance of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” on Friday night? The show fuses live singing, dance and dazzling performances that pay homage to the iconic movie and its timeless songs. 260 Meserole Street. Tickets start at $15.

Goodies: 2000s hip-hop night
10 p.m.
Get your freak on this Friday at Goodies as it returns to Schimanski BKLYN for a night of hip-hop’s golden era on Friday, starting late. DJ Svpply & guests will drop the biggest jams of the era. Expect to hear Missy Elliot, Outkast, N.E.R.D., Nelly and more than we can possibly list here. 54 North 11th Street. Free for the first 50 people to arrive, and early bird tickets start at $12.50.

Saturday, October 14

The Classic Apple Pie Half-Marathon & 5K
9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
You’ll love this race to the core, crust us. Make your way to Veteran’s Pier for The Classic Apple Pie Half-Marathon and 5K on Saturday morning. Choose between the half-marathon or 5K and enjoy the fall sights and sounds along the boardwalk. Afterward, pick up your well-earned pie as well as some treats from All Round Foods. Shore Road & Bay Ridge Avenue. Registration is $40.

Cinthya Santos-Briones: ‘Mictlán,’ a Día de los Muertos installation
Saturday through November 19, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Green-Wood Cemetery’s large-scale community altar for Día de los Muertos debuts on October 14. The centerpiece, called “Mictlán,” was created by Brooklyn-based artist Santos-Briones and draws inspiration from the underworld of Aztec mythology. Visitors are encouraged to pay tribute to lost loved ones by lighting candles and leaving personal offerings, including flowers, photographs, food and notes.

Brooklyn Markets for Makers
Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Shop more than 100 makers, explore a DIY station, take photos at the event’s photo walls, enjoy a drink at the bar, eat at the food trucks and fill your free tote with goods from small businesses. Friendly pets are welcome. General admission tickets include access to the market during a specific time slot. BK LOFT 26, 153 26th Street. One-day tickets start at $8.

WFMU Record Fair
Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Diggers rejoice: After taking three pandemic years off, the much-loved WFMU Record Fair is back with its first edition since 2019. The gigantic record sale will be held at the Knockdown Center for the first time, on October 14 and 15. Prepare to get those fingers dusty. 52-19 Flushing Avenue.

Time Out Beer & Wine Fall Festival
2 to 6 p.m.
Time Out hosts a fall festival on Saturday with beer, wine and great food from Time Out Market New York. Meet at Emily Warren Roebling Plaza under the Brooklyn Bridge for bites and brews from Sixpoint, Coney Island, Truly, Brooklyn Brewery, Modelo and Stella. There’s also live music and a stein-hoisting competition for the bros.

Eli ‘Paperboy’ Reed’s 40th birthday party! 
8 p.m.
Singer, multi-instrumentalist, producer and DJ Eli “Paperboy” Reed is having a party at Union Pool, and you’re invited.  To celebrate, he’ll be performing, in its entirety, what he calls “the greatest live album of all time”: Sam Cooke’s “One Night Stand – Live at The Harlem Square Club.” Union Pool, 484 Union Ave. $46.87. All proceeds will go to Brooklyn Youth Music Project.

Varietopia with Paul F. Tompkins
10 p.m.
Varietopia is a modern variety show hosted by comedian Paul F. Tompkins. The comedian brings his show to The Bell House this weekend, and Saturday night is the last of his shows to sell out — so get your ticket before they’re gone. Expect surprise guests who will showcase the best in contemporary comedy, music and other forms of live entertainment. 149 7th Street (between 2nd and 3rd Ave). Tickets are $36.

Sunday, October 15

Flatbush Frolic
11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The Flatbush Frolic is an all-day local street fair in Ditmas Park featuring live music, food vendors, rides and games, kids activities, pizza eating contest and dance performances. Cortelyou Road between Coney Island & Ocean Avenue.

Yoga for Breast Cancer Awareness
4 to 5:30 p.m.
Join Emily Hyland, founder of the Clinton Hill eatery Emily in Clinton Hill for a 90-minute, donation-based class to raise money for The Breasties in support of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The class will begin in deep yin shapes, work up to sun salutations and standing poses, and then wind back down to the floor for restoration and grounding. Emily, the restaurant, will match all donations up to $500. Online. $10 minimum donation.

Sailor Moon Rave
5 p.m.
After a full weekend at Comic Con, head over to 3 Dollar Bill and be transported to The Moon Kingdom for a Sailor Moon Rave. You can expect DJs, go-go dancers, burlesque, a drag show and a cash prize costume contest. Put on your blonde pigtails and come party with your fellow Sailor Guardians. 3 Dollar Bill. 270 Meserole Street. Tickets are $30.

NYCGriffs Halloween Party & Costume Contest
6 to 8 p.m.
Do you love the Brussels Griffons breed? And Halloween? Then NYCGriffs has the Halloween party of your dreams. The 3rd annual Tricks & Treats is a spooktacular Brussels Griffon meet-up at Boris & Horton, a dog-friendly coffee shop. Get ready for a frightfully good time filled with tricks, treats and lots of fun for your Brussels Griffons pup. 510 Driggs Avenue. Tickets are $20 per dog.