The 2023 Giglio lift (Photo by Scott Lynch)
Weekend Guide: 17 things to do across Brooklyn
It's Giglio weekend, plus Herbert Von King Park hosts shows by Common, Earl Sweatshirt and a tribute to J Dilla
If you’re still in town this weekend, you’re in for a lot of treats. Brooklyn is the place to be with the Annual Our Lady of Mount Carmel Feast, the 3rd Annual Fun & Dumb Improv Festival and killer lineup of free shows at Herbert Von King Park.
Friday brings the Annual Our Lady of Mount Carmel Feast/Giglio Festival — one of Brooklyn’s rowdiest traditional festivals every summer. If you’re looking for something a little less cultured, the Brooklyn Comedy Collective presents its 3rd Annual Fun & Dumb Improv Festival with performances and workshops all weekend long.
MIKE’s Young World IV comes to Bed-Stuy on Saturday afternoon with (free!) performances by Earl Sweatshirt, Pete Rock, Skaiwater and many more. Also on Saturday afternoon, The Brooklyn Cumbia Festival comes to Good Life Garden in Bushwick to celebrate the Afro-Indigenous-Colombian origins of cumbia music and dance.
Sundays are always realtively quieter in the summer months, and you can savor a peaceful morning of bird watching at Green-Wood Cemetery. That said, if peaceful isn’t your vibe, check out the Azure Day Party at the Arlo Williamsburg Rooftop. They’ll have DJs and craft cocktails to help you boogie your way into the workweek.
There’s no shortage of things to do in our weekend guide below.
Friday, July 12
Annual Our Lady of Mount Carmel Feast/Giglio Festival
Continues on Friday through Sunday, July 21
Williamsburg’s Our Lady of Mount Carmel/Giglio Festival is officially underway. When early Nolani immigrants moved to Brooklyn, they brought the feast along, and this year the party goes through July 21 Insider tip: Visit on July 14 for Giglio Sunday to witness the Dance of the Giglio and Boat. And bring your dollar bills, because this lady accepts tips!
3rd Annual Fun & Dumb Improv Festival
Continues Friday through Sunday
Fun & Dumb is a four-day festival celebrating all things improv hosted by the Brooklyn Comedy Collective. The weekend features more than 600 teams, 160 shows, and 18 workshops by improvisers from Europe to Los Angeles, all coming to perform with the BCC in East Williamsburg. Tickets are available by the day or you can snatch up weekend passes. So are you going? Yes, and you might sign up for improv classes taught by BCC while you’re at it. Various locations. See their website for more information.
The Billie Holiday Theatre Presents Sky’s The Limit: Style As Resistance
Open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Billie Holiday Theatre will present a new exhibition with “Style as Resistance,” a unique visual art exhibition experience exploring the concept of Black resistance through fashion and style. “Sky’s The Limit: Style as Resistance” takes a look at how style has played an integral role in the journey, survival and advancement of African diaspora. This exhibition explores style through sculpture, painting, and photography as a form of resistance. All pieces are available for sale. 1368 Fulton Street.
Watch the Wimbledon finals at Brooklyn Bridge Park
9:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday
Watch the Wimbledon finals live this weekend and get the authentic championship experience, transported across the Atlantic from London to Brooklyn Bridge Park at Pier 6. This year The Hill in New York moves to the Emily Warren Roebling Plaza, a larger space beneath the Brooklyn Bridge. The event recreates Wimbledon’s iconic Hill, the famous vantage point for fans to gather and enjoy tennis on the big screen.
MoMA PS1’s Warm Up
4 to 10 p.m.
OK, so this is technically in Queens, but close enough. MoMA PS1’s signature summer music series, Warm Up, charts local, domestic, and international origin points for new innovations in electronic music. The 2024 program is anchored by an array of scenes active across New York City’s independently organized club and nightlife venues. Saturday’s lineup boasts Kim Anh, Johnny Dynell, Gatekeeper and DJ Miss Parker. 22-25 Jackson Avenue, Long Island City. $20.55 in advance, $25.15 at the door.
SummerStage: Sounds of Detroit: 50 Years of J Dilla
6 to 9 p.m.
Celebrate what would have been the 50th birthday of the late great hip-hop producer J Dilla in Bed-Stuy with acts representing the legacy of his massively influential discography and his hometown of Detroit. The line-up in Herbert Von King Park includes The Pharcyde, Slum Village, Breakbeat Lou, and Rich Medina. 670 Lafayette Avenue. Free.
SNL’s Chloe Troast at The Bell House
7:30 p.m.
Chloe Troast was the only new “Saturday Night Live” cast member to join for season 49 and was named a New Face at Just for Laughs 2023. And on Friday night, she headlines a night of standup with performers Michael Hirsch and Sam Blumenfeld at The Bell House. 149 7th Street (Between 2nd and 3rd Avenues). Tickets are $25.
Saturday, July 13
Aquatheater
See their website for showtimes
The Aquatheater is an interactive show at the New York Aquarium on the Riegelmann Boardwalk in Coney Island. Their revamp introduces new music, script and the aquarium’s California Sea Lions. “Sea Lion Celebration: Sea Lions in the Big City” explores whether California sea lions have what it takes to be considered “New Yorkers.” More information is available at the aquarium website linked above and you can see upcoming daily schedules here. 602 Surf Avenue.
The Art of Coney Island 3
On view Saturdays and Sundays from 1 to 6 p.m. until Sunday, August 11
Coney Island is a Brooklyn icon for all the reasons we love this borough. It’s wild, exciting, fun, gritty, unique and beautiful. Come celebrate the sideshow, mermaids, Cyclone, Nathan’s, and of course, the beach, through the eyes of nearly 100 artists who haven’t forgotten to add a good dose of freakiness into their creations. On display at the historic Beard and Robinson Warehouse Stores at 481 Van Brunt Street.
FAD Market: Summer Pop-up
11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday and returns on August 10 and 11
This summer, FAD Market curates a monthly pop-up at Dumbo’s Empire Stores from June to August. Discover over 30 talented makers, artisans, and small businesses who live and create in the borough and beyond. Check out a curated selection of Dumbo’s best goods including handmade jewelry, apparel, body and skincare, tableware and artisanal packaged food. 55 Water Street.
SummerStage: MIKE’s Young World IV
4 to 9 p.m.
Local hero MIKE has been steadily building a vibrant hip-hop community of like-minded artists at the annual Young World festival. This year the event returns to Herbert Von King Park in Bed-Stuy with Earl Sweatshirt, Pete Rock, Skaiwater, Stacy Epps, MYAAP, Baby Osama, Stahhr and Sideshow. 670 Lafayette Avenue. Free.
Brooklyn Cumbia Fest
4 to 11 p.m.
The Brooklyn Cumbia Festival celebrates the Afro-Indigenous-Colombian origins of cumbia music and dance at the Good Life Garden in Bushwick on Saturday afternoon. Come out for a dance workshop and drum circle by Rueda de Oro, a performance by Maraca Bruja and grab a bite from local food vendors. 50 Goodwin Place. Grab a ticket with a suggested donation of $15.
Red Bull Batalla
7 p.m.
The Red Bull Batalla marks the final USA regional qualifying event that takes place during the 2024 Batalla season. Brooklyn will welcome 16 aspiring MCs who will put their wit, creativity and stage presence to the test over a series of bracket-style knockout rounds, all for a chance to compete at the National and World Finals later this year. Following the battles, J Noa and 3x Red Bull Batalla champion Éxodo Lirical will perform. 131 8th Street.
Sunday, July 14
Bird watching at Green-Wood
6 a.m. to 7:30 a.m.
Before Green-Wood Cemetery’s gates open to the general public, birding expert Rob Jett leads a peaceful early morning walking tour on Sunday to discover the many birds that call Green-Wood home. 500 25th Street. Tickets are $20 and $15 for members.
Azure Day Party at the Arlo Williamsburg Rooftop
3 to 10 p.m.
Come dance the summer away at Azure Day Party, every Sunday through September. Kick-off of the party at ART Williamsburg, for a cocktail in their lounge with top DJs spinning the night away. You can also enjoy rooftop views by the poolside. 96 Wythe Avenue. Tickets are $75.
Common & Pete Rock
5 to 9 p.m.
Common returns to Brooklyn for a SummerStage performance in Herbert Von King Park on Sunday night. One of Chicago’s most promising MCs in the ’90s, Common moved to the borough in 1998 to become a pivotal member of the informal Soulquarians collective that formed around The Roots bandleader Questlove, helping define a new sound that drew from soul, funk, jazz and hip-hop. He’s bringing Pete Rock, AMXXR and DJ Eclipse for the homecoming show. 670 Lafayette Avenue. Free.
