Weekend Art Events: July 26-28 (FELA! The Concert, Waack To The Future, Brooklyn Roots Festival & More)
Take a break from the summer heat with some indoor and late-night events happening around Brooklyn this weekend! Check out a Waack/Vogue dance battle at House of Yes or browse the FAD Market at The Invisible Dog. Don’t forget to check out ongoing events including On the (Queer) Waterfront at Brooklyn Historical Society or the Summer Wellness Sunday Series at Brooklyn Botanical Garden—both end Aug. 4.
Bklyner Calendar has more events happening around town and you can list one of your own.
Friday, July 26
JIDENNA/ANIK KHAN/DJ MOMA at Prospect Park Bandshell, 7:30pm [Free]: As part of the BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival catch performances from a variety of artists. Friday’s show features rappers Jidenna and Anik Khan.
FELA! THE CONCERT at Ford Amphitheater at Coney Island, 8pm [Free]: Set against a soaring canvas of projected images, Fela! The Concert is driven by the electrifying rhythms from a live ten-piece Afro-beat band, with nine singers and dancers. Fela! The Concert features members of the original Broadway cast from the highly acclaimed Tony Award-winning production Fela!
Saturday, July 27
FAD MARKET at The Invisible Dog, 11am (+July 28) [Free]: FAD Market is a roving fashion, art, and design pop-up market that travels seasonally to unique venues in the Brooklyn area. Shop unique handcrafted jewelry, art, apparel, bath and body care, tableware and home furnishings at this weekend’s market.
FORT GREENE PARK JAZZ FESTIVAL at Fort Greene Park, 3pm [Free]: Local jazz legend Eric Frazier will again bring an all-star lineup of some of the finest musicians in New York City to Fort Greene Park. The Fort Greene Park Jazz Festival was developed by Frazier from a longstanding dream to have a Jazz Festival in his own neighborhood park.
KATRA FILM SERIES SUMMER SIDEBAR EDITION at HiO Store and VINE, 6pm [Tickets $12]: The Sidebar Edition is dedicated to showcasing outstanding works by talented filmmakers including underrepresented communities focusing on relevant issues, topics and stories. Audience members get to vote for the best work of the evening and the winner takes home $1,500 in prizes courtesy of 3636 Studios and the International Screenwriters’ Association.
WAACK TO THE FUTURE DANCE BATTLE: AFRICA at House of Yes, 5pm [Tickets start at $25]: Join DJ MikeQ for a night of dancing, spellbinding dance battles & performances as attendees compete in a vogue/waack dance-off. Omari Mizrahi will be the voguing judge and Nubian Néné will be the waacking judge. Plus, a portion of the proceeds benefiting Dancers Responding to AIDS.
NICOLE ZURAITIS & THE DAN PUGACH NONET at On Stage at Kingsborough, 8pm [Free]: The Dan Pugach Nonet is a nine-piece ensemble led by GRAMMY-nominated drummer, Dan Pugach, and features GRAMMY-nominated vocalist Nicole Zuraitis. This mini big band comprised of six horns and a driving rhythm-section features jazz arrangements, as well as original compositions by both Dan and Nicole.
Sunday, July 28
BROOKLYN ROOTS FESTIVAL at Lefferts Historic House, 12pm [Free]: Prospect Park Alliance and the Brooklyn Arts Council (BAC) present the Brooklyn Roots Festival. This folk arts festival celebrates Brooklyn’s traditional artists and immigrant communities through a daylong schedule of performances, workshops, interactive family activities, and more.
Ongoing…
ON THE (QUEER) WATERFRONT at the Brooklyn Historical Society, through August 4 [Free]: Co-curated by Hugh Ryan and Avram Finkelstein, this exhibition focuses on the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer history of Brooklyn in the 1800s and through World War II. Visitors can expect to see photographs, artifacts and more. Read more here.
SUMMER WELLNESS SUNDAY SERIES at Brooklyn Botanical Garden, 9am (through Aug. 4) [Tickets start at $30]: Connect with nature, yourself, and your community during these wellness mornings. Take part in 90-minute sessions prior to the Garden’s public hours including a 45-minute yoga class and 15-minute guided meditation, both led by Sarah Schumann, followed by a horticulture exploration led by BBG’s own staff.
THE PHOTOGRAPHS OF BUILDER LEVY: HUMANITY IN THE STREETS at Brooklyn Historical Society, through August 11 [Free]: A collaboration between the Brooklyn Historical Society and students from Pratt Institute, this new exhibit showcases a selection of images documenting everyday life in NYC from the 1960s to 1980s, through the lens of Brooklyn-bred photographer Builder Levy. Students from Pratt’s Spring 2019 Museology Class took on roles as curators, designers, publicists and more for the exhibition.
OSCAR @ THE CROWN at 3 Dollar Bill, through August 25 [Tickets begin at $25]: Directed by Shira Milikowsky, this performance combines sequins, reality television, and the complete works of Oscar Wilde. OSCAR @ The Crown is an immersive nightclub musical detailing the rise and fall of one of history’s most flamboyant characters.
CONEY ISLAND HISTORY PROJECT: SALVATION BY THE SEA at Coney Island, through Sept. 2 [Free]: View historic artifacts, photographs, maps, ephemera and films of Coney Island’s past and this year’s special exhibition Salvation by the Sea: Coney Island’s 19th Century Fresh Air Cure and Immigrant Aid Societies. This exhibit explores an era of Coney Island’s history by examining the role that the beachfront played in saving lives and providing a livelihood for the waves of immigrants who came to America between the 1870s and 1920s.