Gowanus eats and Bed-Stuy arts: 12 things to do this weekend

By Ethan Jakob Craft

If you’re hungry this weekend, you can learn to make your own pasta from scratch and head out on a self-guided food tour of the best restaurants in Gowanus. If you feel the urge to move this weekend, there’s an outdoor dance party downtown and an indulgent House of Yes gathering that’ll go until the wee hours. If you need to entertain your kids this weekend, you can check out an all-ages painting party in Flatbush and head to family-friendly art crawl in Bed-Stuy.

No matter what mood you’re in this weekend, Brooklyn’s got you covered. Here’s a taste of what’s happening in your backyard:

Friday, July 29

Attend a dance party downtown
5 p.m.
On the last Friday of each month this summer — a.k.a., this Friday — Downtown Brooklyn hosts its Summer of Soul dance party, which will bring the Soul Summit DJ collective to the Plaza at 300 Ashland tomorrow for a three-hour house music festival. Cultivated as “a safe haven for Black queer expression” and “an enduring, authentic Black space in Brooklyn,” the outdoor event is free to attend and runs until 8 p.m.

Enjoy an outdoor Moroccan-funk fusion concert
7 p.m.
This Friday, the Industry City Band Shell is welcoming Club d’Elf, and its unique rotating brand of traditional Moroccan sounds mixed with electronic funk beats, to its outdoor stage in Sunset Park. Part of the Industry City Summer 2022 Concert Series, food and drink from sponsors like Two Robbers Hard Seltzer and Hometown Bar-B-Que will be available on site, with the show going as late as 11 p.m., rain or shine. General admission tickets are $22.50.

Drink some free beers in the name of community aid
7:30 p.m.
Have you ever yearned for a free comedy show (where there’s also free-flowing beer) that culminates in one lucky audience member — possibly you — receiving some sopping wet $1 bills? If so, then “Wet Cash!” is the show for you, promising a weekly lineup of the “best comedians in the country, most of whom you’ve seen on TV,” the event says, in the name of a good cause. It’s happening at Stars Café in Bushwick, and while it’s technically free, the venue does suggest a donation of $10 per person.

Saturday, July 30

Stroll along an art crawl in Bed-Stuy
12 p.m.
The “STooPS BedStuy Art Crawl” is back this year with a string of workshops, displays and performances designed to unite the community with a large-scale, all-ages artistic block party. Running from noon until 6 p.m., rain or shine, this year’s lineup includes spoken word poetry by Kai Giovanni, music by Kendra Foster, dance showcases Kendra J. Ross and Urban Bush Women, and more. It’s free to attend and is centered around the Garden of Hope, a few blocks north of the Kingston-Throop Avenues A and C line subway stop.

Chow down on Gowanus’ best eats
1 p.m.
Tastes of Brooklyn is back with its latest neighborhood-based, self-guided food tour, and this Saturday, it’s Gowanus’ turn in the spotlight with local restaurants such as Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, Mirror Tea House and Strong Rope Brewery participating. This weekend’s Tastes of Gowanus event features the same pricing structure as usual, giving attendees four “tastes” for $35 or 12 for $100, and features more than a dozen eateries throughout the neighborhood that will be joining in until 7 p.m. Check out Tastes of Gowanus’ event map for a full breakdown of who’s in.

Head to a vegan food festival
2 p.m.
If plant-based eats are more your speed, then you’re in luck, because there is a fully vegan alternative to Tastes of Gowanus: Empressive Fest, a new vegan food tasting and presentation event that’s coming to Canarsie Park this Saturday afternoon. Attendees can expect food, drinks and music at this picnic-style event, with blankets provided upon entry on a first come first served basis; general admission tickets are $30 each, while children between the ages of 6 and 12 are just $12, and those 5 years old and under are free.

Catch an opera concert on a stoop
6 p.m.
The Opera Next Store is an opera company that launched in pandemic 2020 to help bring live performance back to New York. This weekend, their singers will perform a series of opera arias, opera scenes and share a Ditmas Park stoop stage with the La Manga, an all-female group that focuses on performing music from the Caribbean and Afro-Colombian diaspora. Gutiérrez also hints at a musical crossover of the two groups and their genres. 559 Marlborough Rd

Check out House of Yes’ House of No
10 p.m.
“No Phones. No Photos. No Bullshit. No bad attitudes. No nonsense. No (such thing as) bad dancing,” House of Yes says, welcoming patrons 21-and-over to its semi-regular House of No event, this weekend featuring music by Lauren Flax and Nita Aviance. And in typical House of Yes fashion, this event will go late — like 4 a.m. on Sunday late — so don’t come tired. Remaining tickets range from $30 to $40 each, depending on how early you buy them; or if you’re a night owl, you can scoop one up for just $20, the only catch being you can only enter the club after 1:30 a.m.

Sunday, July 31

Go to an outdoors market
Throughout the day
Sunday’s forecast appears to be bringing a slight respite from the sweltering temperatures that’ve been beating down on New York recently, giving Brooklynites a prime opportunity to check out one of the city’s outdoor markets. This Sunday alone, you can check out local vendors and artisans at the Brooklyn Museum’s pop-up market from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., or stock up on ingredients at the McGolrick Park farmers market from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Greenpoint. The city also published this handy farmers market directory, letting you keep tabs on future agricultural bazaars across all five boroughs.

Revamp your wardrobe with a queer clothing swap
12 p.m.
Welcoming fashionable people of all genders, Ginger’s Bar in Park Slope is hosting a queer-oriented clothing swap this Sunday. You’re encouraged to bring in any of your old clothes that are in good condition to trade for some new threads, and mingle with the borough’s LGBTQ+ community while you’re at it. The swap is happening at Ginger’s on 5th Avenue until 3 p.m. and is free to attend; you don’t necessarily need to bring any clothes in order to participate.

Rock your Crocs at a family painting party
5 p.m.
Sunday’s “Canvas & Crocs” event is exactly what it sounds like: a kids’ painting party featuring everything from face painting to prize giveaways to musical chairs (although the wearing of Crocs aspect seems to be optional). The three-hour session is recommended for children ages 6 and up, while guests younger than that are welcome to join in the fun with an adult companion. It’s going on at Urbane Studio II, located at 511 Coney Island Avenue in Flatbush, with tickets costing $30 each; though if you’re interested, it’s recommended to book quickly, as one session earlier in the day has already sold out.

Learn to make your own pasta
7 p.m.
Brooklynites are invited to Bat Haus in Williamsburg this Sunday evening for a crash course in pasta making, no experience required. Attendees will learn how to craft their own dough and form both fettuccine and pappardelle noodles, while also being taught classic marinara and creamy Alfredo sauce recipes — all before enjoying their handmade meal on Bat Haus’ outdoor patio, weather permitting. The class, which is advertised as BYOB as well as vegan-, Kosher- and nut allergy-friendly, is $59 per person with all ingredients included.