Skating, ‘scream-alongs’ and small businesses: 12 things to do this weekend

By Ethan Jakob Craft

The weekend is almost here, and it’s a three-day weekend at that! That is, if you’re one of the lucky few who actually gets to take Presidents’ Day off work.

And because we’re clearly the most interesting borough in the city, your weekend can be as chock-a-block with as many activities as you’re willing to indulge, from shopping Black-owned businesses in Flatbush to an old school roll-bounce-skate party to …. screaming along to My Chemical Romance in Gowanus. And that’s just the normal stuff.

Here’s your full run-down on what’s going on in your own backyard this weekend:

Friday, February 18

Take in a ‘drive-thru’ movie
Times vary
In celebration of Black History Month, Soft Firm’s “Drive-Thru” public art installation is making its annual return to the Plaza at 300 Ashland, right behind the Apple Store in Fort Greene, showcasing a series of original movies about urban life by Brooklyn-based filmmakers. This weekend’s showing is “Rhythm / Movement / Joy,” a new title filmed around Lafayette Avenue’s BAM Dance Africa Street Bazaar, though different films will be on rotation weekly through mid-April as part of the display.

Donate blood or plasma
By walk-in appointment
A slew of viral videos have been making the rounds on TikTok lately, purportedly showing one Brooklyn woman’s ability to make “up to $5,000 a month in NYC without having to work” by donating her blood plasma, obviously. We will not be linking to her but we will urge you to donate blood or plasma if you can—there is a national shortage. At the very least you’ll be paid in juice, cookies and the feeling of superiority over all your friends.

Support marginalized comedians
7 p.m.
At the upcoming Gimme The Light comedy show, a roster of comics who hail from BIPOC, LGBTQ+ and other underrepresented communities will bring their best jokes to the stage for a three-hour show that includes artists who’ve appeared on Comedy Central, “America’s Got Talent” and more. It’s taking place at Friends and Lovers, a Crown Heights bar and performance venue, with tickets going for just $5 each.

Dance to the music of R&B queens
10 p.m.
If you need occasion to get down to the music of Beyoncé and Rihanna, Quantum Brooklyn nightclub in Gowanus has you covered with their “Run the World” dance party this Friday that’ll feature both artists’ hits, plus the music of their contemporaries in pop and hip-hop from the ’90s to today. Running into the early hours of Saturday morning, remaining tickets for this “limited one night engagement” start at $20 per person.

Saturday, February 19

Participate in the ‘Great Backyard Bird Count’
7 a.m.
Whether you’re an avid birdwatcher or just feel like dabbling in another pandemic-era hobby, this weekend’s annual Great Backyard Bird Count is a stellar opportunity to dive deeper into the pastime, joining experts from the Feminist Bird Club at Shirley Chisholm State Park in East New York on a two-mile hike to learn about the city’s native and migratory avian species. Plus, it’s free to attend, and there’s another hike on Sunday if you find yourself indisposed on Saturday morning.

Attend a discussion on queer fitness
2:30 p.m.
For its first panel discussion of 2022, Red Hook Strengthworks’ Williamsburg location is inviting a handful of experts to break down the history of queer culture in the world of fitness and how LGBTQ+ representation can be achieved year-round, not just during Pride Month. This free-to-attend event is happening at the Strengthworks gym on Meeker Avenue; attendance is capped at 30 people, though there will also be a livestream available for those who can’t or don’t want to show up in-person.

Roll up to a skate party
3 p.m.
Tell your children to put down their Gameboys and Easy Bake Ovens, or whatever kids are into these days, and take them for some old-school roller rink fun at this Saturday’s glow-in-the-dark skate party. Sponsored by the Salvation Army, this event runs until 8 p.m. at Crazy Legs Skate Club in Bed-Stuy; admission is $10 if you bring your own skates, or $15 if you want rental skates, though each and every ticket comes with a glow-in-the-dark or light-up accessory.

Relive your emo phase with a ‘scream-along’
10 p.m.
If Beyoncé and Rihanna aren’t your scene, then maybe My Chemical Romance is? If so (or if you’re a die-hard fan of all three), head right on over to Quantum Brooklyn in Gowanus, which is hosting an emo tribute to every angsty high schooler’s favorite band with its My Chemical Romance Scream-Along event on Saturday night. Also featuring hits by Panic! at the Disco, Fall Out Boy, Green Day and more—plus “sexy EMO burlesque,” according to the event listing—this rager runs until 4 a.m. Sunday morning, so tell your parents not to wait up. Tickets are $20 each.

Sunday, February 20

Get your coffee (and tea) fix
12 p.m.
At the weekend-long Coffee & Tea Festival NYC, guests will be able to mix and mingle with some of the hottest (pun sadly intended) names in the beverage world, as award-winning exhibitors from all over the world converge to offer tastings, seminars and more. General admission tickets are $25 each, though there are also $35 VIP tickets available, which entitles you to access the event at the Brooklyn Expo Center two hours early.

Cheer the Harlem Globetrotters
12 p.m.
In what may prove to be the shortest leg of their 2022 World Tour—just a quick jaunt on the 2 or 3 train from Upper Manhattan to Atlantic Avenue, in theory—the Harlem Globetrotters will play at Barclays Center this Sunday against their perpetually losing arch-nemesis, the Washington Generals. The cheapest remaining tickets for the match-up start at $41, though if you want to get up close with the team’s basketball sorcery, player meet-and-greets and pre-show event tickets are also available for purchase.

Shop Black-owned businesses
12 p.m.
Black History Month may be in full swing, but we should all aim to support the borough’s finest Black-owned small businesses year-round. This Sunday, a Black History Month Pop-Up Shop with up to 20 local vendors will bring artisanal products, delicious food and dope tunes to the Cortelyou Annex in Flatbush, just a stone’s throw from the Cortelyou Road Q line subway stop. The pop-up is running until 6 p.m. Sunday evening, and entry is free.

Dance to the best Afrobeats around
9 p.m.
Jump N Funk, “America’s original Afrobeats party,” is marking its 20th anniversary with an all-out celebration of DJs and drinks at the House of Yes nightclub in Bushwick, which is promising “an immersive audio/visual dance experience like no other.” Priority tickets start at $10 and the party goes until 3 a.m. the following morning, though Monday is Presidents’ Day, so hopefully you’ll be able to sleep in after a raucous night out.