Puzzles, pulled pork and primal parents: 13 things to do this weekend

By Ethan Jakob Craft

It’s the weekend, so you know the drill: Here are a few things to do to take your mind off the cold. If you need us, we too will be screaming into the void … indoors and alone.

Friday, January 28

Enjoy a psychic comedy show
7 p.m.
Clairvoyants and comics may not seem to have a lot in common, but Friday night’s “Vision Board” psychic comedy show will highlight their commonalities as more than half a dozen stand-up performers—many of whom profess to have “gifts” ranging from astrological knowledge to full-on extrasensory perception—take the stage at this silly-slash-spiritual show that invites you to “Come for the laughs, stay for the woo!!” It is happening at Pete’s Candy Store in Williamsburg and while it’s technically free, donations are appreciated.

Throw down some open mic rhymes
7 p.m.
The AM:PM Gallery on Williamsburg’s Marcy Avenue is open late on Friday, inviting guests for its first-ever after-hours open mic night that promises both poetry and good vibes, as well as a surprise lyrical artist showcase. The three-hour session goes until 10 p.m., with tickets available for $15.

Play drag queen bingo
8 p.m.
Yes, this event is exactly what it sounds like—and it’s not your grandma’s bingo hall. Going down at King’s Espresso Bar in Gravesend on Friday night, this event hosted by the borough’s own Donna Ria with special guest Franchesca Frose is just $35, and that includes five bingo cards, food, live music and, of course, drag queen performances (though don’t forget dollar bills for tipping during the show).

Nutcracker Rouge
8 p.m. on Friday
5 and 10 p.m. on Saturday
6 p.m. on Sunday 
The holidays were canceled for so many people that it only seems right that some folks are just wrapping up their celebrations now. This is the last weekend to catch Company XIV’s bold and brassy holiday-themed production “Nutcracker Rouge,” which mingles elements of ballet with burlesque, opera and circus (and a splash of Versailles vibes). Don’t despair if you can’t make it, because up next will be the troupe’s “XIValentine, a Virtual Variety Show.” Théâtre XIV is located at 383 Troutman Street. Tickets start at $85.

Saturday, January 29

Check out the Beer, Bourbon & BBQ Festival
12 p.m.
The 12th annual Beer, Bourbon & BBQ Festival is back this weekend at the Brooklyn Expo Center, so if you want to worship at the “Shrine of Swine,” snap up your tickets before they’re gone. General admission entry ($79 per ticket before taxes) starts at 2 p.m., but if you really want to strap on the ol’ feed bag, a VIP ticket ($129 each) that gives you access to the venue two hours early may be the way to go. But don’t worry, every guest will receive a souvenir glass for unlimited beer and bourbon tastings and will have access to all the same seminars, shops and smoked meats.

Attend an ‘Artist’s Eye’ talk
2 p.m.
If you’re a fan of modern gothic design, world-renowned furniture designer Norman Teague is coming to the Brooklyn Museum this Saturday to lead the next installment of its in-gallery “Artist’s Eye” speaker series, during which he’ll lead a walkthrough of the museum’s new “Modern Gothic: The Inventive Furniture of Kimbel and Cabus, 1863–82” exhibition. Tickets are $25 a head, or $20 for members, and include full admission to the rest of the museum.

Get jig-gy with it
5 p.m.
We are talking, of course, about jigsaw puzzles. Whether you’re a die-hard jigsaw fanatic or a more casual puzzler, all are welcome at Brooklyn’s next jigsaw puzzle meet-up this Saturday at Hart Bar, which just so happens to be on Hart Street, in Bushwick. Drinks will be flowing, and while there’s no formal entry fee, attendees are encouraged to bring a puzzle and be mindful that, as the event’s listing says, there will be puzzle swapping.

Take in the Dirty Circus Variety Show
Doors at 6:30 p.m.
Infamous Brooklyn venue House of Yes’ longest-running variety show, Dirty Circus is “dedicated to the raw and the raunchy” and is “not for the faint of heart,” according to the event’s online posting. Tickets for the three-act aerial performance, which includes a splash zone, start at $30 for general admission and go up to $50 for priority seating, though the club warns that seating is not guaranteed after the show starts at 7:30 p.m.

Listen to the Brooklyn Nomads
8 p.m.
For your fix of live music this weekend, check out the Brooklyn Nomads, a local group with roots in Middle Eastern and Arabic music traditions. The troupe, and their “special guest,” will be rocking the Sultan Room on Starr Street—just a couple of blocks from the DeKalb Avenue L line station—where tickets are priced at $30. This is a 21-and-over show, and masks will be required.

Sunday, January 30

Paint the city skyline
2 p.m.
Awaken the artist within you—hopefully an artist who’s not too hungover on a Sunday—and paint the New York skyline at this two-hour event hosted by Rise Radio. Rain, shine or snow, it’ll be happening at their cafe on the eastern edge of Williamsburg on Sunday afternoon; tickets for the class are $35 per person and include all instruction and materials.

Ring in the Lunar New Year
4 p.m.
To celebrate the upcoming year of the tiger, try your hand at making bánh tet, a traditional Vietnamese sticky rice cake that’s a rolled banana leaf often stuffed with mung bean and pork filling. At $20 per person, tickets will each include a drink and all the ingredients you need to make the tasty Tet treat—and don’t worry if you’ve never made one before, because this event at the Coconana Cafe in Prospect Heights will have experiences bánh tet makers on-hand to help you out.

Give the last two years a proper send-off
7 p.m.
At “Hindsight 20/21,” emcees Carolyn Castiglia and Zilla Vodnas host a line-up of comedians who’ll help you “laugh, cry and say goodbye” to the last two years of pandemic-infused nightmares. (Here’s hoping 2022 will be better, right?) This adults-only stand-up show is happening at the Brooklyn Comedy Collective’s space at 167 Graham Avenue, with tickets available for $10 each.

Parental Primal Screaming
9 p.m.
Speaking of which, if you can’t bottle it up any longer, an event dubbed “BoCoCa Parents Primal Scream” will be held at Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Pier 5 on Sunday night. What is it? It’s a group of who-knows-how-many parents screaming into the abyss. It’s free to attend and something like it happened in Boston last weekend … You should probably leave the kids at home.