Juneteenth is on Wednesday, June 19, and Brooklyn is pulling out all the stops with early celebrations all weekend long. You’ll find events for kids and adults in our weekend round-up below.
An exhibit about Brooklyn’s own seven-term congresswoman Shirley Chisholm comes to The Museum of the City of New York on Friday. You can savor the final weekend of Photoville’s pictographic delights in Brooklyn Bridge Park. Later on Friday night, C’mon Everybody celebrates a decade of queer debauchery and fun.
Saturday morning brings the Juneteenth Food Festival, celebrating African-American cuisine from the South, as well as from all regions of Africa and the Caribbean, at Weeksville Heritage Center. Cardi B will appear at Coney Art Walls on Saturday afternoon for a performance and party, while We Outside! A Brooklyn Juneteenth, Vol. II features a full afternoon of arts, food, and culture at The Plaza at 300 Ashland. In Flatbush, the popular gay podcast Las Culturistas brings its Culture Awards Show to the Kings Theatre for the first time.
Sunday is for Dad. Montague Open Streets celebrates Father’s Day with an afternoon of events for the whole family. Sungold inside Arlo Williamsburg is also hosting a Father’s Day Brunch Trivia for Dad and friends (and/or family). There’s a fun Juneteenth Rollerskating Cookout Party at The Brooklyn Monarch on Sunday afternoon and Dragon Fest comes to Brooklyn all day with Chinese cuisine for every tastebud. And don’t sleep on the Lay Out’s epic Juneteenth party in Fort Greene Park.
Have a great weekend.
Friday, June 14
‘Changing the Face of Democracy: Shirley Chisholm at 100’
Open from June 14 through July 20
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.
Photoville’s final weekend
Runs through June 16
Brooklyn Bridge Park is once again the hub of this annual two-week event photographic extravaganza, which winds down this weekend, with free open-air exhibitions, interactive workshops and those iconic shipping containers repurposed as mini-galleries. Art is for sale and food will be available from the Smorgasburg Pop-Up. See Photoville’s website for more details about this weekend and beyond. Emily Warren Roebling Plaza inside Brooklyn Bridge Park. Check out our preview. Free.
‘Love Labor’s Lost’ at Carroll Park this June
Shows are Thursday to Sunday through June 23
While Shakespeare in the Park at the Delacorte Theater takes a pause this summer, theatergoers can head to Brooklyn’s Caroll Park for a free month-long run of its 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.
Vanderbilt Avenue Open Streets
Every weekend from May through September.
Fridays from 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, and New York Blood Center blood drives, and more. Vanderbilt Avenue between Atlantic Avenue and Park Place. Free.
InfraSound & ChamberQUEER
7:30 p.m.
ChamberQUEER performs a collection of newly composed works throughout the weekend at MITU580, Theater Mitu. On Friday night, acclaimed harpist Parker Ramsay presents an evening of new works for harp and electronics by Lucy McKnight, Janet Sit, and Kennedy Dixon, all created specifically for him. This concert will be performed in three sets, with a curated wine pairing by Heather Meyer of Winemonger Imports and Black Cat Winery. 580 Sackett Street #Unit A – Ground Fl, 11217. Tickets start at $23.
Tiger Daughter, Or: How I Brought My Immigrant Mother Ultimate Shame
Friday and Saturday at 8:30 p.m.
Charlene Kaye, a rising star known for her work in “Starkid,” “Succession,” and “SNL,” is bringing her new one-woman show, “Tiger Daughter,” to the Brooklyn Comedy Collective on Friday and Saturday nights ahead of its Edinburgh Fringe premiere this August. The show explores her hilarious rebellion against her immigrant mother’s ambitions for her to be a classical musician, opting instead to become a slutty shredder in Guns N’ Hoses, an all-girl Guns N’ Roses cover band. Expect laughter, tears, and a relatable story about family, identity, and defying expectations. As Kaye says: “You don’t need to be Asian to understand the show; you just need to have a mother.” 167 Graham Avenue. Tickets are $17.
C’mon 10: Celebrating 10 Years of C’mon Everybody
10:30 p.m.
Nightlife isn’t a moment, it’s a decade of moments. Join C’mon Everybody on Friday night as they celebrate 10 years! There will be performances by Midnight Magic, Lollise and DJ sets by That Matt, and a lot of sweaty bodies celebrating C’mon Everybody’s 10 trips around the sun. 325 Franklin Avenue. Tickets are $19.
Saturday, June 15
Juneteenth Food Festival
11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The Juneteenth Food Festival with Weeksville Heritage Center will host 40+ food vendors and artisans, curated by Black-Owned Brooklyn. Enjoy barbecue, fried fish, a crab boil, red beans and rice, red drinks and red velvet cake, as well as flavors from regions of Africa and the Caribbean. The Festival will also feature a marketplace of apparel, accessories, records, and books, all from Black brands. 158 Buffalo Avenue. Free.
Juneteenth Family Fun Day Festival
8:30 a.m.
The Juneteenth Family Fun Day Festival will be held on Saturday at Linden Park/Gershwin Park. The organization Juneteenth NY has planned a day filled with music, dance, poetry, skits, and fun for the entire family. Vendors will have food for sale representing Black culture, there will be a community art project, a fashion show, and an award dinner. Linden Blvd & Vermont Street, 11207 Free.
Cardi B at Coney Art Walls
3 to 10 p.m.
Cardi B will appear at Coney Art Walls on Saturday to perform a few songs and party with the crowd. That’s all we know! 3050 Stillwell Avenue. Tickets are $45.50.
Ukulele Cabaret: Shipwrecked on Ukulele Island
5 to 9 p.m.
The Ukulele Cabaret is back for Shipwreck’d, a Pride Month Under the Sea style event featuring comedienne and Ukulele player D’yan Forest, who holds the Guinness World Records title for Oldest Working Female Comedian in the World. You’ll see 20 ukulele-playing pirates, sexy sailors, mermaids and creatures from the deep performing nautical tunes at Brooklyn’s Gowanus Dredgers Boathouse. The event is free to join, and beer and wine will be available by donation to support Dredger’s mission to waterfront access and education about shoreline neighborhoods. 165 2nd Street. Free.
We Outside! A Brooklyn Juneteenth, Vol. II
2 to 8 p.m.
Brooklyn’s premiere organization for the African Diasporic arts, 651 ARTS, is returning for its Fourth Annual Juneteenth Celebration in collaboration with the popular outdoor music concert series The Soapbox Presents entitled “We Outside! A Brooklyn Juneteenth, Vol II.” This year’s theme is “Individual Expression” and they’re spotlighting the spirit of Black creativity. The event will feature live performances and experiences throughout the day. There will also be a Juneteenth workshop where participants are invited to share the stories of their neighborhoods, cities, countries, and cultures through dance, a special tribute to HBCU culture, “Melanated Notes” spotlighting spoken word and performed by local poets, and the highlight will be The Soapbox Presents: Stoop Sessions, Freedom Songs, a journey through Black protest music to a party of radical joy. Additionally, Brooklyn Pop-up will curate a marketplace experience for the day composed of Black-owned businesses and Black vendors and artisans. The Plaza at 300 Ashland. Free.
‘Las Culturistas’ Culture Awards
8 p.m.
Get ready for a night of totally irreverent fun at the Kings Theatre with Bowen Yang, a Saturday Night Live cast member, and Matt Rogers, a star of the movie “Fire Island” and the comedy special “Have You Heard of Christmas?” The Las Culturistas Culture Awards pinpoint the highs and lows of pop culture with over 100 distinct winning categories celebrating the people, places, and vibes that truly mattered, ranging from “Best Animal on the Farm” to “The Little Mix Award for Being Absolutely Fierce Boots.” 1027 Flatbush Avenue. Tickets are available for resale at StubHub.
Sunday, June 16
The Lay Out presents Juneteenth 2024: The Five on it Edition
10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Join the Lay Out as they commemorate their fifth anniversary/family reunion, Father’s Day and Pride. The Lay Out provides avenues for authentic expression for the Black community, drives impact though non-profit partnerships and fosters cooperative economics — and their annual Fort Greene party is the stuff of legend with DJs, dancing, games and more. Fort Greene Park. Free.
Dragon Fest
10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
New York City’s premier Chinese food and culture festival Dragon Fest is coming to Brooklyn on Sunday. Visitors can expect over 100 varieties of traditional, popular and rare Chinese foods, including soup dumplings, dragon’s beard candy, lotus root sandwiches, sugar-coated chestnuts, grilled cold noodles, iron plate tofu, fried skewers, milk cap tea, and many more. 267 7th Avenue. Free.
Seventh Heaven Festival and street fair
Noon to 6 p.m.
The annual Fathers’ Day street fair returns to Park Slope with arts, crafts, food, music, antiques, shopping and a classic car show. Seventh Avenue from Lincoln Place to 14th Street.
Montague Open Streets celebrates Father’s Day
Noon to 5 p.m., every Sunday through June 30
The Montague Street Business Improvement District presents Open Streets again this summer season. This weekend’s events celebrate Father’s Day, Super Soccer Stars, Street Curling with Brooklyn Curling Center, GTHR Yoga, and special Father’s Day menus at participating restaurants. Each Sunday features different 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.
Father’s Day Brunch Trivia
1 p.m.
Get your team of dads together for Father’s Day Brunch Trivia at Sungold inside Arlo Williamsburg on Sunday. Your team will go five rounds in the ring, answering questions about movies, television, sports, pop-culture, history, current events, literature, fads, geography, music and total randomness. Make your free seat reservation at the link above (but brunch isn’t free). 96 Wythe Avenue.
Juneteenth Rollerskating Cookout Party
4 p.m. to late
Celebrate Juneteenth with RollerWave NYC and GoodVibes-Worldwide for the ultimate cookout experience. This epic rollerskating cookout dance party (skating is optional) happens at The Brooklyn Monarch on Sunday with indoor and outdoor activities. There’s a $10 entrance fee if you RSVP and other ticket options are available at the link above. 23 Meadow Street.
The post Juneteenth, Cardi B and Father’s Day weekend: 19 things to do appeared first on Brooklyn Magazine.
