Spring is but two weeks away. You’ve got this. And we’ve got your weekend plans.
Friday is your last chance to skate under Brooklyn Bridge Park for the season. The 10th annual Nitehawk Shorts Festival lifts off at both Nitehawk locations, and On Air Fest returns to the Wythe Hotel with Malcolm Gladwell, Sarah Koenig, Seth Meyers and many more.
The New York International Children’s Film Festival comes to the Alamo Drafthouse Brooklyn on Saturday through March 17. First Saturdays return to Brooklyn Museum, and the Booklyn Book Bodega makes its monthly visit to the Brooklyn Navy Yard Book Hub. “Avatar: The Last Airbender Live in Concert” comes to the Kings Theatre.
On Sunday, The New York Adventure Club tours sites from the Battle of Brooklyn, and BAM presents a performance of “The Other Side,” based on Jacqueline Woodson’s powerful picture book.
And if all this isn’t enough weekend for you, consider checking out a performance by experimental pop project U.S. Girls on Monday night at a multi-course dinner event hosted by creative agency The Wild Honey Pie at Le Fanfare in Greenpoint. Tickets here.
Friday, March 1
Final Day for Ice Skating at Brooklyn Bridge Park
The first-ever ice rink beneath the Brooklyn Bridge closes for the season today. Glide offers scenic views of Manhattan, food and drink selections, and a new spot for ice skating this winter. Discounts and free tickets are available for residents. See Glide’s website for details. Emily Warren Roebling Plaza 11201. Tickets are $10 for kids, $15 for adults.
The 10th annual Nitehawk Shorts Festival
Various times
Now in its tenth year, the Nitehawk Shorts Festival is the annual home for the independent short film community in New York. The 2024 program celebrates a vibrant group of emerging filmmakers, many of them local to New York City. You’ll see character study documentaries, boldly kinetic animations and narratives that run the gamut from daring humor to quiet reflection. The festival takes place at both Nitehawk locations. 188 Prospect Park West and 136 Metropolitan Avenue.
On Air Fest 2024
Various times on Friday and Saturday
At On Air Fest this weekend you can see your favorite podcasters live and in person on Friday and Saturday. Technically, On Air isn’t a podcast festival, but a “gathering of artists and creatives” who sell their wares aurally. You can watch luminaries of the field like Malcolm Gladwell, Sarah Koenig, Seth Meyers and many more at the Wythe Hotel. 80 Wythe Ave. Ticket prices vary, but single-day tickets begin at $175.
Book Sale at Park Slope United Methodist Church
Friday and Saturday
The Park Slope UMC Book Sale celebrates 30 years with two weekends of sales. Book lovers of every age will discover treasures of all kinds, prices at $3 and under. Peruse contemporary and classic fiction, poetry, plays, mysteries, essays, art, theater, bio and memoir, history, general non-fiction, philosophy, cookbooks, graphic novels, reference books and more. A children’s area will be stocked with hundreds of picture books, board books, chapter books, games, and puzzles. 410 Sixth Avenue. Entry is free.
‘Fashion Forward’ at ‘B’ Dry Goods
Now through March 30
A new exhibit at “B” Dry Goods in Crown Heights presents a wide-ranging celebration of the fashion arts, featuring original paintings and drawings by designers Yves Saint Laurent, Pierre Balmain, Hubert de Givenchy, Karl Lagerfeld, Alexander McQueen, Christian Lacroix, Antonio Lopez, Christian Dior and others, as well as original textiles, garments, ephemera and contemporary artworks which straddle or investigate the art and fashion worlds. The show also presents original garments and accessories worn or advertised by figures such as Josephine Baker, David Hockney, Frank Zappa, Maria Callas, Duke Ellington, Paul Newman and more. 679 Franklin Avenue, Crown Heights. Free
The Werk Room: Featuring Luxx Noir London
7 p.m. to 12 a.m.
Enjoy a night of charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent at The Werk Room with a “RuPaul’s Drag Race: Season 16” viewing party at Arlo Williamsburg on Friday night. This week only: star of “Drag Race” season 15 Luxx Noir London will be in attendance. Meet-and-greet pricing is available on Eventbrite. 96 Wythe Avenue. Tickets start at $12.
Linda Simpson’s ‘The Drag Explosion’
7 p.m.
Drag queen her-storian Linda Simpson presents her acclaimed slideshow “The Drag Explosion,” featuring her photos of NYC’s drag scene in the 1980s and ‘90s on Friday night at C’mon Everybody. The vivid time capsule harkens back to drag’s underground roots — a whirl of wild nightlife, queer activism and pop-culture breakthroughs. Linda’s photos are featured in a current exhibit about zines at the Brooklyn Museum (focusing on her own zine, My Comrade). Copies of her photo book, also titled The Drag Explosion, will be available for sale. 325 Franklin Avenue. Tickets are $12.
Saturday, March 2
New York International Children’s Film Festival
Saturday through March 17
This year’s New York International Children’s Film Festival has put together an incredible lineup for all ages, across all genres and styles. The only festival of its kind in the city, it’s a crucial space for fostering future cinephiles by screening a wide range of intelligent and engaging films and introducing young people to the theatrical experience. Alamo Drafthouse will be the festival’s Brooklyn home for the next two weeks! 445 Albee Square West, 4th floor.
Free Books from the Brooklyn Book Bodega
11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The Brooklyn Book Bodega has an excess of well-loved and overstocked books for kids and adults. You can register at the link above to attend their Brooklyn Navy Yard Book Hub. You will be allowed to browse for 45 minutes and select as many books as you can carry (maximum 100 books). Please bring your own bag or luggage. 141 Flushing Ave, Suite 407. Free, although registration is required and donations are appreciated. The event is for ages 10 and up.
Artland: Drop-in art making
12 p.m.
Take a trip to Artland: An Installation by Do Ho Suh and children at the Brooklyn Museum. During drop-in art-making hours, guests are welcome to imagine, create, and contribute their own figures and structures to the installation. 200 Eastern Parkway. Free with museum admission.
‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ live in concert
Shows at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.
“Avatar: The Last Airbender in Concert” blends a live orchestral performance of the iconic series soundtrack with an immersive two-hour special of the animated show’s three seasons on a full-size cinema screen. You have two chances to see it at Kings Theatre on Saturday. 1027 Flatbush Avenue.
First Saturday at Brooklyn Museum
5 to 10:15 p.m.
In the spirit of Copy Machine Manifestos: Artists Who Make Zines, honor the antiestablishment ethos of DIY with a gender-expansive lineup of artists and collectives. Experience a range of experimental genres, such as drag, punk, folk medicine, and alternative interventions into film and poetry. This program is free; registration is required and includes Museum general admission. Tickets are released on a rolling basis. 200 Eastern Parkway.
No Ring Circus: ‘Summer Land’
6 p.m.
Renowned for their work in ritual performance, circus sideshow, fetish, and body horror, the acclaimed No Ring Circus theater ensemble presents “Summer Land.” Featuring experimental music, ritual, and BDSM, Summer Land will whisk you into a sensual, mind-bending, and unforgettable netherworld of both fantasy and nightmare. $74.49 plus a two drink minimum per person for table service. Red Pavilion 1241 Flushing Avenue.
Hot Gossip Comedy Show
8 p.m.
Hot Gossip and is hosted by Jonathan van Halem (Clickhole, “Stephen Colbert Presents Tooning Out The News”), and for two years, the show was produced in the backroom of a Bushwick’s Pine Box Rock Shop. They’ve outgrown the space moved to Littlefield in Gowanus. Their first show features a stacked line-up, including Brooks Wheelan (SNL), Sam Jay (Pause with Sam Jay), Cat Cohen (The Twist? She’s Gorgeous), Aaron Chen (Edinburgh Fringe Festival) and Neill Lynskey (Just For Laughs). 635 Sackett Street. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 day-of.
Sunday, March 3
Bird watching at Green-Wood
6:45 a.m. to 8:15 a.m.
Before Green-Wood Cemetery’s gates open to the general public, birding expert Rob Jett leads a peaceful early morning walking tour on Sunday to discover the many birds that call Green-Wood home. For some bird species that migrate south after the breeding season, Brooklyn is their Miami during the cold months. 500 25th Street. Tickets are $20 and $15 for members.
‘The Other Side’ at BAM
11 a.m. and a sensory-friendly performance at 3 p.m.
In this moving dance performance from acclaimed choreographer Hope Boykin, a young girl named Clover is told by her mom that it isn’t safe to cross the fence that segregates their African-American side of town from the white side where her neighbor Anna lives. But when the two girls become friends, they find a clever way to get around the grown-up rules together. Twenty years after its first publication, Jacqueline Woodson’s powerful picture book “The Other Side” comes to life on stage in an enthralling program of dance about overcoming the barriers that keep us apart. Q&As with Boykin, Woodson and the company follow the performances. 321 Ashland Place. Tickets are $18.
Exploring the Battle of Brooklyn Sites
1 p.m.
In 1776, from Denyse Point under the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge to Brooklyn Ferry at the foot of Fulton Street, the Battle of Brooklyn raged across much of the area occupied by present-day Brooklyn. Join the New York Adventure Club on Sunday as they explore the sights and stories of the battle from the vantage point of the highest subway station in New York, with a focus on the vital part played by the geography of Brooklyn in the conflict. Smith 9th Street Subway Station (inside station past turnstiles). 9th Street 11231. Tickets are $36.
Steve Martin Presents
7:30 p.m.
SNL’s Andrew Dismukes and Michael Good’s long-running variety show of the city’s best comedians comes to Union Hall on Sunday night. No, Steven Martin isn’t involved. Sunday’s lineup includes Marcia Belsky, Amelia Ritthaler, Zahid Dewji, Harrison Hammonds, Britt Migs, and Julio Diaz. 21+. 702 Union Street. Tickets are $12.
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