Weekend Art Events: April 28-30 (Cherry Blossoms, Save Sunny’s & More)
It’s the last weekend of April! Where has the month gone?
There’s lots going on this weekend—Cinco de Mayo skeletons, cherry blossoms, acrobats, fundraisers, and more!
BRIC OPEN Festival
When: Thursday, April 27 through Sunday, April 30
Where: BRIC Arts | Media House, 647 Fulton Street, Fort Greene
What: This four-day event focuses on the power of inclusive and participatory arts & media programming to question who makes and consumes culture; whose voices and stories sit at the center of artistic creation; and how communities can come together to reshape the future.
How Much: All events are free with RSVP
Brooklyn Folk Festival 2017
When: Friday, April 28 through Sunday, April 30
Where: St. Ann’s Church, 157 Montague Street, Brooklyn Heights
What: A three-day musical event showcasing 40+ bands performing various genres—bluegrass and blues, country, gospel, ragtime, as well as Indian classical, Balkan vocal music, and more. There will also be swing dance classes, lessons on building your own instruments, and a banjo toss—where participants hurl banjos into the Gowanus Canal.
How Much: Tickets $20-$25, 3-Day Passes $85
Cherry Blossom Festival |Sakura Matsuri
When: Saturday, April 29 and Sunday, April 30, 10am to 6pm
Where: Brooklyn Botanic Garden, 150 Eastern Parkway, 455 Flatbush Avenue, 990 Washington Avenue, Crown Heights
What: The popular annual event features the beautiful cherry blossoms at peak bloom along with more than 60 events and performances celebrating Japanese culture.
How Much: Tickets $30
Cinco De Mayo Art Exhibit
When: Saturday, April 29 to Sunday, May 7, 2pm to 9pm
Where: 539 9th Street (between 8th Avenue and Prospect Park), Park Slope
What: Check out local artist Gabriel Rivera’s vibrant art exhibit celebrating Cinco de Mayo on display on his front stoop.
Excelsior Fundraiser For The Ali Forney Center
When: Saturday, April 29, 10pm to 2am
Where: Excelsior, 563 5th Avenue (between 15 & 16th Streets), Park Slope
What: A fundraiser for the Ali Forney Center, a non-profit providing housing, food, medical care, and other services to LGBTQ youth. DJs will spin house, disco, classics, and more!
How Much: $15 suggested donation
In The Heat Of The Night
When: Saturday, April 29, 8pm
Where: Kingsborough Community College, Leon M. Goldstein Performing Arts Center, 2001 Oriental Boulevard, Manhattan Beach
What: Adapted from the award-winning book, the play examines racial tensions in a small Alabama town in 1962. A discussion with the artists will follow the performance.
How Much: Tickets $32 – $37
Gay Graves Tour
When: Saturday, April 29, 1pm to 3:30pm
Where: Green-Wood Cemetery, 500 25th Street, Greenwood Heights
What: This specially-developed tour guides visitors to the final resting places of famous (and not-so-famous) gay men and lesbians, their friends, supporters, and even some detractors. Highlights include visiting the graves of four composers—Louis Moreau Gottschalk, Leonard Bernstein, Paul Jabara, and Fred Ebb, and learning about the groundbreaking lesbian artists, Violet Oakley and Emma Stebbins.
How Much: Tickets $30
Here Lie The Secrets Of The Visitors Of Green-Wood Cemetery
When: Saturday, April 29 and Sunday, April 30, 12pm to 5pm
Where: Green-Wood Cemetery, 25th Street & 5th Avenue entrance, Greenwood Heights
What: The launch of world-renowned French multi-media artist Sophie Calle’s 25-year installation where she invites visitors to write their secrets onto a slip of paper and insert them into a marble obelisk she designed. She will return every few years for the next quarter century to collect the secrets and cremate them in a ceremonial bonfire.
How Much: Free
6th Annual Brooklyn Folk Arts Day 2017
When: Saturday, April 29, 10am to 5pm
Where: New York Foundation for the Arts, 20 Jay Street, Suite 740, DUMBO
What: A day-long summit where participants and artists can engage in group exercises and conversations to find creative solutions for problems in the community. The event will end in a celebration with artists showcasing their work and performances.
How Much: Tickets $10
South Slope Open Studios
When: Saturday, April 29 and Sunday, April 30, 1pm to 6pm
Where: Various locations
What: Take a stroll through the neighborhood and visit the 40+ participating artists—check out their work, chat, and support the arts.
How Much: Free
Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters: An African Tale
When: Saturday, April 29, 2pm
Where: Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts, Walt Whitman Theater at Brooklyn College, 2900 Avenue H, Midwood
What: About to be presented to a king as possible wives, Nyasha and Manyara embark on a journey through a mystical jungle where they encounter a number of situations that test their compassion and strength of spirit. Their story is presented with authentic African drumming, colorful staging, and powerful choreography.
How Much: Tickets $15
The Golden Dragon Acrobats
When: Sunday, April 30, 3pm
Where: Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts, Walt Whitman Theater at Brooklyn College, 2900 Avenue H, Midwood
What: This Chinese touring company of athletes, actors, and artists performs traditional dance and amazing feats of acrobatics accompanied by ancient and contemporary music.
How Much: Tickets $25
We Wanted A Revolution: Black Radical Women, 1965-1985
When: Exhibit on view from April 21 through September 17
Where: Brooklyn Museum, 200 Eastern Parkway, Prospect Heights
What: This exhibition focuses on the work of black women artists examining the political, social, cultural, and aesthetic priorities of women of color during the emergence of second-wave feminism.
How Much: $16
Sunny’s Forever Art Auction
When: Monday, May 1, 6pm
Where: Sunny’s Bar, 253 Conover Street, Red Hook
What: Several local artists have donated work to be auctioned in a fundraiser to help keep the beloved bar from shutting down/being sold. Check out the art and bid online!
