Spike Lee’s ‘Do the Right Thing’ block party and Fishbone: 16 things to do this weekend

By Joshua Encinias

Manhattan’s big Pride March on Sunday celebrates the 55th anniversary of the Stonewall Riot with the theme “Reflect. Empower. Unite.” But you don’t have to leave Brooklyn to celebrate Pride, with events happening across the borough this weekend. We’ve highlighted some of the best below.

Meanwhile, the Dumbo Dance Festival returns for its 23rd year this weekend. After their gala on Thursday night, you can enjoy a full weekend of dance at the Mark Morris Dance Center from Friday to Sunday. For Pride Month, Brooklyn Magazine is showing the queer comedy classic “But I’m a Cheerleader” for free in McCarren Park on Friday night, and the LadyLand Festival begins on Friday night and goes until the early morning hours on Sunday morning.

Saturday brings the Brooklyn Pup Pride Parade in Downtown Brooklyn at Abolitionist Place. If dogs aren’t your thing, but you’ve got that dog in you, BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! brings L.A. ska-punk legends Fishbone to the Lena Horne Bandshell in Prospect Park.

The Brooklyn American Independence Day Parade takes place early this year, happening on Sunday morning in Sunset Park. And last but absolutely not least, Spike Lee celebrates the 35th anniversary of “Do the Right Thing” with a block party in Bed-Stuy on the very streets where the movie was filmed. And that’s the truth, Ruth.

Have a great weekend and come back early next week for our Things to Do on July 4!

Friday, June 28

The 2024 Dumbo Dance Festival
Friday through Sunday at various times
White Wave Dance celebrates its 23rd Anniversary season of the Dumbo Dance Festival, the most anticipated four-day festival of contemporary dance in the greater New York City region. Committed to developing dance as an important art form, White Wave scours the globe in search of the most innovative of today’s dance makers, both emerging and established, and brings them to Brooklyn for one extended weekend. Friday through Sunday, dance lovers will experience the best of contemporary dance at the Mark Morris Dance Center. 3 Lafayette Avenue 2B. Prices vary; see the website linked above for details.

‘Family Portrait’ opens at Metrograph
Various showtimes
Brooklyn-based writer/director Lucy Kerr’s spellbinding, award-winning feature debut “Family Portrait” is being released at Metrograph on Friday. Kerr will be in attendance at the 8:10 p.m. showing to introduce the movie and stay for a Q&A afterward. It will stream exclusively on Metrograph at Home starting on July 5 for a limited engagement. The movie straddles the line between experimental, indie and magical realism. Watch the trailer here. 7 Ludlow Street. Tickets are $17.

Vanderbilt Avenue Open Streets
Every weekend through September
Fridays 5 to 10 p.m., Saturdays 12 to 10 p.m. and Sundays 12 to 5 p.m.
Vanderbilt Avenue’s Open Streets in Prospect Heights has activities and art for the entire community, including recurring programs like Skate Everything Skate School, Salsa Salsa Dance Studio, Shambhala Yoga & Dance Center, New York Blood Center blood drives and more. Vanderbilt Avenue between Atlantic Avenue and Park Place. Free.

‘But I’m a Cheerleader’ in McCarren Park
6 p.m., movie starts at sundown
Brooklyn Magazine, in partnership with Paramount+ and BSE Global, continues our “Paramount+ Movie Nights in Brooklyn” summer series with “But I’m a Cheerleader” in McCarren Park on Friday night. See the full summer lineup here. All showtimes are at sunset but come early with your friends and/or kids to scope out your spot. New for this year, complimentary popcorn will be available for attendees at each screening with proof of event RSVP confirmation, which can be completed online at www.bkmag.com/movies (first-come, first-served, while supplies last).

The Public Theater: ‘The Comedy of Errors’ in Prospect Park
Friday at 6:30 p.m. and Saturday at 5:30 p.m.
The Public Theater presents Shakespeare’s “The Comedy of Errors,” adapted by director Rebecca Martínez and composer Julián Mesri.” This performance embraces contemporary music styles from Latin America in a tale of separation and reunion. Featuring live actor-musicians, this modern musical adaptation brings a vibrant energy to an age-old tale of two sets of twins separated by stormy seas as they overcome a baffling case of mistaken identity and the mayhem and hilarious confusion that follows. The Peninsula at Prospect Park, Well House Drive, 11215. Free.

LadyLand Festival
Friday at 7 p.m. through early Sunday morning
LadyLand is part queer music festival, part Pride party and part intimate concert. This year’s headliner is Tinashe and you can see the full line-up on the festival’s website linked above. The event takes place at Under the K Bridge Park, located near the intersection of industrial Williamsburg and Greenpoint, directly beneath the renovated Kosciuszko Bridge. Come kick off Pride weekend with the very best queer talent and gay icons! The entrance of the park is at The Arm at Van Dam St. Meeker Avenue, 11222. GA tickets are $95.

Os Mutantes at Brooklyn Bowl
8 p.m.
Masters of Brazilian music, Os Mutantes (“The Mutants”), bring their influential psychedelic rock to Brooklyn Bowl on Friday night. The band is linked with the tropicália movement of the late 1960s and combine influences from the Anglo-American music world including The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix and Sly & the Family Stone with bossa nova, tropicália, samba and the cultural legacy of the Brazilian art vanguards from the modernist movement. Check out their trippy sound and see them at the Brooklyn Bowl on Friday. 61 Wythe Avenue. Tickets are $43.

‘Stone I’ at Green-Wood Cemetery
8:30 p.m.
Eiko Otake, the world-renowned interdisciplinary artist, returns to the Green-Wood Cemetery this week with a new evocative, immersive performance art piece, “Stone I.” The site-specific performance will be held at Historic Chapel on Friday and Saturday, combining video, live performance and audio for a meditative, thought-provoking experience. 500 25th Street. Tickets are $30 and $25 for members.

Saturday, June 29

Kayaking at Pier 2 in Brooklyn Bridge Park
Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Sunday from 12 to 2:30 p.m.
Glide along the water this summer with free public kayaking at Pier 2 in Brooklyn Bridge Park. All levels are welcome including first-time kayakers — life vests and all equipment provided, as well as instruction. Children under 18 must have an adult guardian present. Advance registration is required; make a reservation here.

Brooklyn Pup Pride Parade
11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
March in the Brooklyn Pup Pride Parade on Saturday in downtown Brooklyn. Strike a pose at the pop-up photo booth, get temporary doggy tattoos and strut that pup for the last weekend of Pride. Abolitionist Place, 11201. Free. And while you’re out, come by the Barrow’s Intense NY Tasting Room to meet your newest family member at the Hearts & Bones Rescue Dog adoption event from 12 to 2 p.m. in Sunset Park. 86 34th Street.

Pils & Love 2024
12 to 7 p.m.
Threes Brewing hosts Pils & Love on Saturday, a celebration of all things pilsner, for the first time in Brooklyn. The one-day-only festival, now in its fifth year, boasts an impressive line-up of over 50 lager brewers, offering an extensive tasting experience focused on the iconic beer style. 50+ participating lager brewers from around the country and world. Tickets include unlimited pilsner pours and a commemorative Pils & Love glass. A portion of the ticket proceeds will be donated to The Bowery Mission, which serves New Yorkers in need. 333 Douglass Street. Tickets are $83.

Fishbone at BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn!
7:30 p.m.
A legendary force born out of the Los Angeles ska-punk rock scene, Fishbone brings unparalleled energy to BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn!’s first foray into punk. Their electrifying opener, Son Rompe Pera, infuses traditional marimba music with garage-punk fervor. It’s sure to be a loud and furious night at the Lena Horne Bandshell in Prospect Park. 141 Prospect Park W. Free with registration.

Sunday, June 30

Brooklyn American Independence Day Parade
10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Celebrate an early 4th of July at the Brooklyn American Independence Day Parade. Taking place in Sunset Park, the parade promises to showcase the spirit of American independence with vibrant floats, marching bands and colorful costumes as they make their way through the heart of Brooklyn. 5 Avenue, Sunset Park. Free.

‘Do the Right Thing’ 35th Anniversary Block Party
12 to 6 p.m.
Join Spike Lee for the 35th Anniversary of “Do the Right Thing” on the streets where his seminal movie was filmed in Bed-Stuy. The block party is free and open to the public. Do The Right Thing Way, between Lexington Avenue And Quincy Street, in Da Peoples Republic Of Brooklyn. Free.

Final Sunday of Montague Open Streets
12 to 5 p.m.
The Montague Street Business Improvement District presents Open Streets this summer season with different events every Sunday. See their website for the complete schedule of events. Montague Street will be closed to car traffic between Clinton to Henry and Henry to Hicks Streets from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Free.

Disco Dom presents INFERNO: Roller Revolution
7 p.m.
Put on your furs and platform shoes and head over to Xanadu for a night filled with glamour and electric disco grooves as Disco Dom takes you to Boogie Wonderland. Xanadu is Bushwick’s newest multi-use venue, and on Sunday, French producer and DJ Dombresky transforms into his sequined alter ego, Disco Dom. Come sing along and dance the night away. 262 Starr Street. Tickets are $40.