Brooklyn Wildlife Summer Festival and The Skatalites: 16 things to do this weekend

By Joshua Encinias

Is it hot out there or is that just you?

Brooklyn Wildlife Summer Festival celebrates all things indie art and the outdoors at venues across Bushwick from Friday through Sunday. But that’s not all the weekend has in store: The Rugby World Cup kicks off on Friday and Industry City’s Gun Hill Publick House is hosting a free watch party of France vs. New Zealand on opening day. (Not your kind of battle? There’s also a David Bowie vs. Queen roller disco at Lakeside Prospect Park that night.)

Saturday brings with it a flower workshop at Nook, a back-to-school Celebration at Atlantic Terminal Mall, and Jamaican ska legends The Skatalites performing at Brooklyn Bowl.

Sunday has the BRIC House Block Party and Family Day and the NYC Half Century Bike Tour hosts a 50-mile ride (with shorter options as well) across the city, all beginning and ending in Industry City.

Have a great weekend with these 16 events we’ve picked for you:

Friday, September 8

Brooklyn Wildlife Summer Festival
Friday through Sunday
The Brooklyn Wildlife Summer Festival features some of the best indie art and music talent from New York, with a special focus on Bushwick artists. On Friday, experience one of the best (or at least most recent) indie hip-hop shows of the summer, featuring Homeboy Sandman, Mandella Eskia, Chris Conde and Parnhash. Saturday’s shows happen at GAMBA Forest, and the festival wraps on Sunday with shows at three different venues within walking distance — outdoor/indoor, art garage, party bus and storefront. Various locations. Festival passes are $50.

Gun Hill: Rugby World Cup
3 to 5 p.m.
Head over to Gun Hill Publick House in Industry City to watch the opening match for the 2023 Rugby World Cup. France kicks things off as they host New Zealand. All games will be shown live, so showtimes will be weird, like this 3 p.m. game on Friday. 68 34th Street, Building 6. Free.

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 to boot. 474 Hemlock Street. Tickets are $40.

Alaska’s ‘Artpop’
7 p.m.
Back by popular demand, 3 Dollar Bill is bringing “Artpop” back in honor of the 10-year anniversary of Lady Gaga’s most derided album. For this “Artpop” revival, your host Alaska Thunderfuck is taking the show to 3DB’s backyard for a show bigger than her sold-out “Artpop” celebration in 2019. Join Alaska for the louder, larger, remixed and reimagined Gaga revival of your dreams. 260 Meserole Street. Tickets are $55 and up.

Bowie vs. Freddie Dreamland Roller Disco
7 to 10 p.m.
We can’t think of a better way to wind down summer than an old-school roll-bounce. The LeFrak Center at Lakeside Prospect Park’s summer skate series continues with bops from David Bowie and Queen. Tonight the center transforms into an immersive roller skating experience that will transport you into a fabulous retro roller disco dreamland. You can also expect tunes from the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s, with a red carpet to take pics for the ‘gram. All ages. 171 East Drive. Tickets are $29.

Saturday, September 9

The 15th Annual Brooklyn T.E.A.L. Walk and 5K
8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
T.E.A.L.’s (Tell Every Amazing Lady About Ovarian Cancer) 15th annual walk and 5K happens Saturday morning at the Lena Horne Bandshell in Prospect Park. T.E.A.L. has spread awareness, raised funds to promote a cure for ovarian cancer, and supported survivors and their families year-round since 2009. You can register to walk, run, fundraise, form a team or join a team to raise funds for their worthy cause. 141 Prospect Park West.

Friends of Clinton Hill Library Artisan Craft Fair
10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Friends of Clinton Hill Library will co-sponsor an outdoor Local Artisans Craft Fair on Saturday with local artisan goods and treats for sale in support of the library. 380 Washington Ave. at Lafayette Avenue.

Flower Workshop
11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Nook invites Brooklyn’s dilettante gardeners to a flower workshop on Saturday morning. You will learn the basics of floral design while connecting with fellow flower enthusiasts. The event is designed for you to get creative, relax and have fun while learning tips and tricks about seasonal blooms and different techniques on how to arrange them. All tools and seasonal flowers will be provided and will be able to take home your flowers. Tickets include a complimentary drink. 45 Irving Avenue, Unit 1. Tickets are $55.

Back-to-school Celebration
12 to 2 p.m.Central Library
Get ready to kick off the school year in style with a celebration featuring Grammy-nominated social justice artist Fyütch and the Brooklyn Book Bodega. Stop by the Atlantic Terminal Mall for a live show with Fyütch and get free books for the whole family. 139 Flatbush Avenue. Free.

Read with a Therapy Dog
2 to 3 p.m.
Visit the Youth Wing at Central Library on Friday to read to their certified therapy dog, Flash Gordon. The library says kids can make enormous strides in building self-esteem and confidence while acquiring a love of books by reading to a therapy dog. Flash Gordon’s human teammate will host a calm and relaxing atmosphere to help improve your child’s reading, communication and social skills. Sign-ups for one of the library’s 10-minute slots are available first come, first serve. This event is intended for children ages 5 to 12. 10 Grand Army Plaza. Free.

James Austin Johnson: The Age of JAJ with Andrew Dismukes
7:30 p.m.
SNL’s James Austin Johnson and Andrew Dismukes may not be on TV anytime soon because of Hollywood’s strikes, but you can catch them in Brooklyn on Saturday night for a show at the Bell House. Johnson is known for his impressions of Presidents Biden and Trump, and Dismukes has made a name for himself with outrageous sketches and shorts. 149 7th Street (Between 2nd and 3rd Avenues).

The Skatalites at Brooklyn Bowl
8 p.m.
Pick it up! Come see the legendary Jamaican ska band The Skatalites at Brooklyn Bowl on Saturday night. The band members met while backing legends like Bob Marley, Toots and The Maytals, Jimmy Cliff, Alton Ellis, and Ken Boothe and officially became a group in 1964. Celebrate 59 (!) years of their trailblazing Jamaican ska on Saturday night. 61 Wythe Avenue. Tickets are $20.

Sunday, September 10

NYC Half Century Bike Tour
7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Celebrate Transportation Alternatives’ 50th anniversary with a 50-mile bike ride through the city, kicking off at Industry City. Get together with friends to bike the boroughs and celebrate 50 years of advocacy with a Finish Festival with food and drinks at Industry City in Sunset Park. You can choose from three routes: 10-mile family route, 35 miles, or a 50-mile half century. 220 36th Street. Tickets are $18.

BRIC House Block Party and Family Day
12 to 6 p.m.
BRIC House Block Party and Family Day is a one-day celebration in commemoration of hip-hop’s 50th birthday. Boogie to DJs and live music, create collaborative artworks and check out the Fort Greene/Flatbush information and material from neighborhood cultural and social resources. There are also games, sports activities, a mural installation and creative workshops. Be sure to see the sneak preview of BRIC Hip-Hop: the new, permanent home for hip-hop education, expression and its evolution. 647 Fulton Street at Rockwell Place. Free.

Walt Whitman Initiative’s 20th Annual ‘Song of Myself’ Marathon
3 to 7 p.m.
Join in the 20th annual “Song of Myself” marathon reading of Walt Whitman’s critically acclaimed poem on Sunday afternoon. This event welcomes you to perform/recite/interpret one of the 52 sections of the poem surrounded by spectacular views of Brooklyn Bridge Park. Don’t miss this beloved Brooklyn tradition at The Granite Prospect. 334 Furman Street. Free.

Gay Church
8 p.m.
Comedian and musician Tessa Skara (HBO’s “High Maintenance,” “Little America”) and their house band GAY TEARS lead worship at the altar of queerness on Sunday night at C’mon Everybody. You’ll see the city’s hottest comedians & drag performers too. 325 Franklin Avenue. Tickets are $12 in advance and $17 at the door.