The Mermaid Parade and NPR’s Tiny Desk in Brooklyn: 18 things to do this weekend

By Joshua Encinias

Friday sees the monthly return of Myrtle Avenue Summer Nights. Join the fun at Myrtle Avenue Plaza for free crafts and games, where you can buy from local vendors. The Ulysses Quartet returns to Green-Wood Cemetery to perform Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 15, Op. 132 … in the catacombs. It’s a spooky Friday night at Green-Wood, but at Coney Island, you can scare off any specters or ghosts at the first Friday Night Fireworks.

The 42nd annual Mermaid Parade comes to Coney Island on Saturday, with kick-off at 1 p.m. If mermaids aren’t your thing, the Pollinator Week Celebration at Brooklyn Botanic Garden is another way to celebrate the warm weather, and our pollinator friends, who keep gardens everywhere green. Top off your day outside with a visit to the Brooklyn Wine Fest at the Brooklyn Navy Yard Waterfront Promenade, where you can sample vino from around the world. Or check out NPR’s stellar Tiny Desk lineup at Celebrate Brooklyn!

The City of New York has declared June 23rd as Brooklyn Natural Hair Fest Day, so come to Historic Restoration Plaza for an afternoon celebrating Brooklyn’s influential hair culture. And while you’re at it, visit Brooklyn Steel for The Cheesemonger Invitational, where you can sample your favorite stinky (and perfectly nice smelling) cheese.

Here are 18 ways to beat the summer heat this weekend around the borough.

Friday, June 21

Final weekend of ‘Love Labor’s Lost’ in Carroll Park
Friday through Sunday
While Shakespeare in the Park at the Delacorte Theater takes a pause this summer, theatergoers can still catch Brooklyn’s Caroll Park’s own outdoor Shakespeare production of “Love Labor’s Lost” by Smith Street Stage — the mainstage production for their 14th season. With its mission to present Shakespeare in new and accessible ways, this production places the work from the 1590s to the summer of 2024, delving into the nuances of gender and sexuality against a backdrop of guilty pleasures of our reality TV and social media world. Carroll Park is located at Court Street and Smith Street, between Carroll Street and President Street. Free.

‘Changing the Face of Democracy: Shirley Chisholm at 100’
Open through July 20, 2025
The Museum of the City of New York will exhibit “Changing the Face of Democracy: Shirley Chisholm at 100,” opening on Friday. As the first major museum presentation dedicated to Brooklyn’s legendary Shirley Chisholm, it will delve into the life and legacy of the trailblazing legislator, the first Black woman elected to Congress whose contributions to our nation’s public policy endure today. She represented New York’s 12th congressional district in Bedford–Stuyvesant, and she served for seven terms from 1969 to 1983. The exhibit is presented in collaboration with the Shirley Chisholm Project on Brooklyn Women’s Activism at Brooklyn College. 1220 Fifth Ave at 103rd Street in Manhattan.

Hot Sounds of Summer
4 to 8 p.m.
In celebration with Make Music New York, the North Flatbush Avenue BID will host Hot Sounds of Summer, a music-filled party on the longest day of the year. Welcome summer with sun, song, and dance with performances by Salvo Musica, J.A.W., and Hot Club of Flatbush. 8th Avenue Triangle at Flatbush Ave & St. John’s Place

Myrtle Avenue Summer Nights
5 to 8 p.m., and again on July 19 and August 16
Myrtle Avenue Summer Nights are back on Friday! Happening one Friday a month all summer long, join local business owners and artisans along the avenue for free activities for kids and adults. Myrtle Avenue Plaza is your hub for most events including crafts, games, caricature drawing, tarot card reading, wine tastings, raffles and a DJ playing a different decade of your favorite hits. Myrtle Plaza and along Myrtle Avenue. Free.

Angel’s Share: Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 15, Op. 132
Performances at 6 and 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday night
On Friday night, you can hear one of Beethoven’s timeless works, played by one of today’s top ensembles, in the vaults of Green-Wood Cemetery’s Catacombs. The Ulysses Quartet returns to Green-Wood, which Beethoven wrote after recovering from a terrible illness, titling it a “Hymn of thanks to God from one who is healed.” In times of despair and division, the beauty of this music remains a balm to the soul and a reminder of how we can find strength in our darkest moments. 500 25th Street. Tickets are $85.

Friday Night Fireworks at Coney Island
Every Friday night through August 30 at 9:30 p.m.
Still haven’t made the trip down to Coney Island? Kick off your weekend with Luna Park’s dazzling and free fireworks show. For the best views, make sure to stand on the Boardwalk between West 10th Street and West 23rd Street.

The Zoo: Frociaggine Awareness Night
10 p.m.
Head over to The Rosemont on Friday for Frociaggine Awareness Night, an evening celebrating all things related to Pope Francis’s favorite slur. You will not get more frociaggine anywhere else! Free entry before 11 p.m. if you are a f (slur) or if you look like one, says the party promoters. 63 Montrose Avenue. Tickets are $18 after 11 p.m.

Saturday, June 22

The 42nd Coney Island Mermaid Day Parade
10 a.m. assembly, 1 p.m. parade
The annual boardwalk bacchanal is back! The legendary Mermaid Day Parade, which dates back to 1983, is Brooklyn’s unofficially official start of summer. More than 1,500 dancers, musicians, painters, sculptors and costumed weirdos from all over the five boroughs and beyond participate in the mythological seaside merriment. 21st and Surf Avenue.

Pollinator Week Celebration at Brooklyn Botanic Garden
10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s summer garden theme, Natural Attractions, celebrates the plant-pollinator love story through the lens of BBG’s vast and varied collections and the native insects to which they are inextricably linked. Join BBG as they celebrate Pollinator Week on Saturday with family-friendly programming including children’s events in the Discovery Garden, chalk drawing with Chalk Art NYC, and tours by BBG gardeners and Garden Guide volunteers. Don’t miss site-specific installations like the Pollinator Lounge at Oak Circle and exhibits in the Discovery Garden and Conservatory Gallery. 900 Washington Avenue. All programs are free with Garden admission.

Gay Trivia benefitting the AIDS Memorial
12 and 2 p.m.
Llama Inn celebrates Pride season with its annual drag brunch and fundraiser, which will benefit NYC Aids Memorial on Saturday. Queens Svetlana Stoli, Boyish Charm, and Miss Bushwig 2019 Serena Tea host a dragged up brunch with queer trivia alongside a $40 prix fixe. 50 Withers Street. Trivia tickets are $10 and the 3-course prix fixe meal is $40. Make your reservations here.

3rd Annual PLG Arts Fest
1 to 5 p.m. on Saturday and 2 to 7 p.m. on Sunday
A free weekend of art and music returns to BKLYN Commons for the third annual PLG Arts Fest on Saturday and Sunday. PLG Arts has recruited 35 local visual artists to showcase and sell their work on June 22, accompanied by family art-making activities. On June 23, a music series hosted at Gaia NoMaya will feature performances by local artists. This event is a tribute to the rich artistic community of Prospect Lefferts Gardens, aiming to support local artists by providing a platform to connect with peers, offer affordable artwork to collectors, and inspire the next generation of creators. 495 Flatbush Avenue on Saturday and 510 Flatbush Avenue on Sunday.

Brooklyn Wine Fest
Session 1 at 1 p.m. and Session 2 at 6 p.m.
Travel the world of wine at the Brooklyn Navy Yard Waterfront Promenade on Saturday at the Brooklyn Wine Fest. Guests can choose from two start times to enjoy wine samples for the entire session paired with live entertainment, food and games. Your ticket includes a souvenir sample cup and samples of wine. Tickets start at $80.

Purgatory’s Big Queer Street Day Pride Party
2 to 8 p.m.
Have you been stretching/eating/hydrating? We hope so because Purgatory’s Big Queer Street Day Pride Party is on Saturday, where you can boogie in the streets all afternoon to tunes by NYC’s Las Mariquitas, a queer and trans salsa band. Big Girl will also be on hand to blend groove-infused rock, raw intimacy, & playful punk vibes for a larger-than-life live set. See these and many more acts at the Day Pride Party. You can expect local vendors, non-profits, DJs, and local drag queens as well. 675 Central Avenue. Big Queer Street Day is a free event and everyone is welcome, but donations from those who can afford it are appreciated.

BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn!: NPR Tiny Desk Contest On The Road 
Doors at 6 p.m., show at 7 p.m.
BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! is partnering with NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Contest for the third year in a row! Join us for a night of musical discovery headlined by Thee Sacred Souls and their musical tapestry-weaving that blends ’60s soul with ’70s R&B. Adi Oasis opens the night with her soaring vocal chops and lively blend of soul, funk, and R&B. Also featuring a set by this year’s Tiny Desk Contest winner, The Philharmonik. Lena Horne Bandshell in Prospect Park. Free.

Eli Paperboy Reed’s Soul Revue 
8 p.m.
The Brooklyn-based singer, multi-instrumentalist, producer and DJ plays his own backyard on Saturday and brings with him special guests the Harlem Gospel Travelers and soul legend Bobby Harris. A can’t miss night of righteous soul and roof-raising gospel. Brooklyn Bowl, 61 Wythe Avenue. $28.90.

Sunday, June 23

Brooklyn Natural Hair Fest 2024
12 to 6 p.m.
Brooklyn Natural Hair Fest is a celebration of natural hair and beauty taking place at Historic Restoration Plaza on Sunday afternoon. Featuring transformative hair styling by Magic Fingers Institute, expert brow shaping by Blackshere Beauty, intricate henna designs and an array of Black-owned female hair brands for exclusive shopping. This year, the City of New York has honored the festival by declaring June 23rd as Brooklyn Natural Hair Fest Day, acknowledging the profound impact the hair culture has in Brooklyn. 1368 Fulton Street. Free.

The New Smith Street Music + Arts Festival
12 to 9 p.m.
The Smith Street Alliance and the South Brooklyn Local Development Corporation joined forces to reinvent the yearly street fair held on Smith Street in Brooklyn on a Sunday late in June. Moving away from a model that brings in outside vendors to create a shopping and eating experience, the groups created an event that supports local businesses. Smith Street restaurants will extend their seating outside their establishments, replacing the food trucks that commonly participate. Live Music and a Mini Circus will offer free activities for everyone. Outside vendors will participate but will be focused on the arts, crafts, and small Brooklyn makers. Smith Street between Bergen and Union. Music and circus are free, but vendors and restaurants will charge.

The Cheesemonger Invitational
3 p.m.
This all-you-can-eat smorgasbord of cheese at Brooklyn Steel features some of the finest cheesemongers from around the world. From cheddar to gruyere, it will be there, but will you? Sample grilled cheese, fondue, raclette, and “perfect bites” of cheese created by the participating cheesemongers, so pace yourself, but come hungry. 319 Frost Street. Tickets are $94.