'Green-Wood Cemetery: Cemetery Gate' by wallyg is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Queer salsa, naked comedy, and Ashanti on the boardwalk: 18 things to do this weekend
You can also haunt the grounds at Green-Wood Cemetery after hours or check out Rickie Lee Jones in concert for free
Summer only began on June 21, and one can feel the city grinding to a gradual halt. But you? You’re still here, sweating, working, living. What better time than now to explore the local Brooklyn eateries and cultural spots that aren’t taking a siesta?
Restaurant Week returned this week with deals all over the borough. Friday brings the Black Tie Cinematic Symphony, led by conductor and Beyoncé collaborator Leon Lacey, to Kings Theatre in Flatbush. Plus, there’s a Taylor Swift dance party for those of us who refuse to go broke for Eras Tour tickets. Park Slope’s Open Streets host their last Saturday program until September 9 and the Coney Island Cyclones invite you to dine and drown with their all-you-can-drink ticket special.
Get up bright and early for the Brooklyn Bridge Swim on Sunday morning and wind down the weekend with Ashanti and Hoodcelebrityy’s show at the Brooklyn Bridge Boardwalk. Whatever you choose to do, be thankful that tourists hate our weather this time of year, too.
Friday, July 28
36 eateries participate in Brooklyn for Restaurant Week
Going on now through August 20
Restaurant Week is back, and Brooklyn has 36 restaurants participating in the event, which is actually a monthlong grub fest, happening now through August 20. This year, there are more options at different price points. Many participating restaurants are offering two-course lunches for $30, $45 or $60, and three-course dinners for $30, $45 or $60. Reservations are now open and MasterCard owners are eligible for an extra discount at some restaurants.
BrownstoneJAZZ ENSEMBLE
Friday through Sunday at various times
Enjoy a lovely night of jazz in a restored 19th-century Bed-StuyVictorian brownstone. BrownstoneJAZZ Ensemble showcases the best in jazz performed by the vanguard of today’s performers. Follow curator Debbie McClain and M.C., bassist Eric Lemons through an evening of jazz essentials, but buy your ticket early because seating is limited. 107 Macon Street. $38.91.
Taylor Swift Dance Party
6 p.m. doors, 10 p.m. party
Welcome to “Taylor’s Version,” the traveling Taylor Swift dance party of your dreams and home to all things Swifties (and cheaper than tickets to her Eras Tour). Brooklyn Bowl welcomes Swifties to shake it off on Friday night on the dance floor. Why the doors open four hours before the party isn’t something we can answer, but we guess you’ll see some sloppy Swifties by the time the party starts. 21+ 61 Wythe Avenue. Tickets are $15 to $20.
Las Mariquitas presents: Salserx Futurism
7 p.m.
Salserx Futurism is grounded in a love for salsa music, and C’mon Everybody is creating a safe space for queer and trans people to dance and sing along on Friday night. Organizers call the event “an ancestral duty to offer queer and trans futures for Salsa music, Las Mariquitas invites you a rumbear, guarachar, y GOZAR! ¡Azúcar!” 325 Franklin Avenue. Tickets are $12.
Black Tie Cinematic Symphony
7:15 p.m. doors, 8:15 p.m. show
Film Score Producer and Conductor Leon Lacey hosts his first “Black Tie Cinematic Symphony” at the Kings Theatre on Friday night. Maestro Lacey is known for his work with Beyoncé for her special performance in Dubai and Janet Jackson’s 2023 tour. His full orchestra will present a symphonic show with Gospel music featuring the artists Iyanla Vanzant, Yolanda Adams, Donald Lawrence and author Dr. A.R. Bernard. 1027 Flatbush Avenue. Tickets start at $67. Make a day of it and stop by the “Book of HOV” at Brooklyn Central Library before you go.
Green-Wood Cemetery After Hours
7:30 to 9:30 p.m.
No, it’s not spooky season yet, but you will be able to explore the cemetery’s historic grounds under the cover of night. You’ll visit the graves of fascinating figures in New York and American history, and the walking tour ends with a visit to the Catacombs, which are normally closed to the public. So, yeah, it’s kinda spooky! 500 25th Street. Tickets are $25 for members, $30 for the public.
Naked stand-up comedy
Sets at 8 and 10 p.m.
What’s funnier than a regular comic? A naked comic, no doubt. Enjoy a “night of jokes, genitals and some sexy giveaways,” as the Naked Comedy Show promises “New York’s nakedest stand-up comedians in Brooklyn’s sexiest venue.” The comedians are indeed fully naked, as advertised. And you can join in on the nudity yourself, if you’re into that sort of thing — the first two rows of seating will be considered a clothing-optional space. Cell phones are strictly forbidden. Ticket holders get the exact address sent the day before with their confirmation email, but it’ll be somewhere near the Myrtle-Broadway JMZ stop in Bushwick. Tickets are $45-$80.
Saturday, July 29
Park Slope Open Streets
11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Park Slope’s Open Streets season returns, turning 16 blocks of Fifth Avenue into a pedestrian play space for the last Saturday until the program resumes on September 9. Enjoy the best of Park Slope before the blazing sun forces them to close up shop for August Free.
“Inside the Box” at The Six-Foot Platform
12 to 6 p.m.
A group of six Brooklyn-based artists were chosen by a panel to participate in full-day residencies on a 6’-by-6’ platform that takes place every Saturday through August 19. This Saturday, artists Allie Marotta and Fernando Moya, who perform as You & I, will showcase “Inside the Box.” The show is a participatory experience where audience members are asked, “If anything could be on this platform, what would you like it to be?” and then take part in a live devising process to create a new performance piece. See it at the intersection of Washington and Water Streets in Dumbo. Free.
All-you-can-drink Saturdays at the Brooklyn Cyclones
5:30 to 8:30 p.m.
The Brooklyn Cyclones will offer “BasebALL You Can Drink” tickets at every Saturday home game this season. That’s right, you can get absolutely smashed in Coney Island on Saturday night. The special package offers two hours of an open bar starting 30 minutes before the scheduled first pitch and running for 90 minutes after it. You can pick up your drinks at The Backyard, with a menu featuring beer, wine, hard seltzer, mixed drinks and soft drinks. 21+. 1904 Surf Avenue. Tickets are $69.
Rickie Lee Jones at BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn!
Doors at 6 p.m. Show at 7
Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Rickie Lee Jones’s venerated, jazz-leaning albums highlight a distinguished career spanning five decades, and she has recorded in styles including rock, pop and soul. Come find out why Chuck E.’s in love. The evening, curated by cellist Marika Hughes, also features Thornetta Davis, Detroit’s “Queen of the Blues,” who is known for her rich and honeyed vocal tone. Chris Pierce, whose striking music is rooted in Americana, folk and soul, opens. Lena Horne Bandshell in Prospect Park. Enter on Prospect Park West at Ninth or 15th Streets. Free.
Dollylujah 2023
Doors at 6 p.m. Show at 7
Saturday night brings the return of Brooklyn’s annual celebration of all things Dolly Parton hosted by The Bell House and presented by Doll Parts, Brooklyn’s self-styled premier Dolly Parton cover band. Join their ever-growing pilgrimage to the altar of Dolly and celebrate with a community of like-minded Dolly lovers. Expect to hear all of your favorite songs and see burlesque by Corvette LeFace and Ginger Twist. 149 7th Street (Between 2nd and 3rd Ave). Tickets are $25.
Rooftop Films presents ‘The Last Year of Darkness’
8 p.m. doors, 8:30 p.m. live music, 9 p.m. film begins
Rooftop Films will show the New York premiere of “The Last Year of Darkness” on Saturday night at the Old American Can Factory. The movie is a coming-of-age story that celebrates the ephemerality of youth — from love to loss, from throwing up to growing up. A Q&A with filmmaker Ben Mullinkosson and after-party will follow. 232 Third Street. Tickets are $19.
Sunday, July 30
Brooklyn Bridge Swim
7 a.m.
Have you ever wanted to swim in the East River? If so, you’re weird. But you’re also in luck. Join the Brooklyn Bridge Swim on Sunday, organized by Urbanswim. This .6 mile swim along the Brooklyn waterfront includes the unique opportunity to see the Brooklyn Bridge from the water. The swim fee is $135.
Kid’s Jurassic Mini-Golf
10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Visit Brooklyn Children’s Museum to experience Jurassic Mini-Golf, a new nine-hole golf course on the Museum’s roof. Kids and parents can practice their putt under a rooftop canopy on a custom-made nine-hole mini-golf course while surrounded by larger-than-life animatronic dinosaurs. The exhibit will be open until August 1. 145 Brooklyn Avenue. Tickets are $5 per person after you buy a general admission ticket.
Jean-Michel Othoniel: The Flowers of Hypnosis
10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday
Brooklyn Botanical Garden presents French artist Jean Michel Othoniel’s “The Flowers of Hypnosis,” a series of six new “bead-like sculptures that dance among the sprawling complex’s Japanese Hill-and-Pond garden, Fragrance Garden and Lily Pool Terrace,” writes Brooklyn Magazine’s Vittoria Benzine. Bring the little ones or the whole family to escape reality in the garden for a bit on Sunday. There’s no rush to see the exhibit, though, as it’s on display through October 22. 150 Eastern Parkway. Tickets are $18 for adults and $12 for students and seniors. Children under 12 attend with an adult for free.
Brooklyn Museum Pop-up Market
10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., every Sunday through mid-November
Brooklyn Pop-up meets every Sunday for a weekly artisan market with 30-plus vendors at Brooklyn Museum. Hosted at the museum’s front plaza, this year the pop-up expands its food offerings and will offer new activations and other initiatives to bring Brooklyn together. 200 Eastern Parkway. Free.
Blazefury’s Thai hot wing eating contest
1 p.m.
Inspired by the Kang Tai Pla fish curry eating challenges that customers at Bushwick’s Tong would hold among themselves at the restaurant, this time around, contestants will be eating hot wings that will no doubt test the limits of human spice tolerance. Free, but RSVP is required. Want to compete? Email the venue. 321 Starr Street.
Ashanti and Jadakiss perform at the Brooklyn Boardwalk
3 p.m doors
Ashanti returns to the Brooklyn Boardwalk’s stage on Sunday with Hoodcelebrityy, Jadakiss and other special guests. The Day Party and Empire Club NYC will present a day filled with pop-ups, food vendors and other installations in the heart of Coney Island, capped off with a night of music. 3027 W. 15th Street. Tickets start at $55.
