we live in a city that is defined by impenetrably endless nights, relentlessly creative residents, limitless dance parties, and as an explorative urban biking paradise, but we are also lucky enough to live about an hour from some damn fantastic beaches. so you know what? fuck you LA. we aight here.
and to prove it, i’m bringing you an epic weekend guide that encompasses all of the magic and wonder that these streets can handle, from a full moon party of bali-esque reverence, a naked tribute through the dreamscapes of salvador dali, an immersive theater-dance-party experience in a 72 year old mansion where you’re guaranteed to get lucky, and a chance to travel back in time to sin and dance at studio 54.
it’s summertime baby. let’s make bad decisions in all the best ways.
THURSDAY
DIamond Pop-Up Dinner with Barba, in Greenpoint.
please repeat after me, out loud: mama mia! that’s a-one-a-spicy-meat-a-ball-a! i’m serious man, do it. trust me, it feels so good rolling off your lips… just like what will be rolling back into them tonight, at the diamond. it’s their weekly international-pop up dinner, and this week they welcome barba bk (a new little love child from the folks behind roscos pizza) bringing their down-home italian cooking right into your favorite neighborhood bar. you know what pairs best with meatballs? diamond dave’s perfectly-curated menu of draft beers. dinner starts at 7pm, so get there, have a ball, then #meetmeinthegondola. info here. 43 franklin st.
No Honeymoon and friends play at Cape House in Bushwick.
summertime was made for places like cape house… equal parts new england style clam shack, open-air outdoor bar, underground concert venue and debacherous disco den, you should be spending about 69% of your nights here. get started tonight as they host best behavior, today junior, no honeymoon, and the royal they to rock out from 8-11pm, before a late-night dance party. get there early for the food, stay for the show, dance your ass off all night and forget about friday, ok? just fucking forget about it. $10 tickets and info here, 2 knickerbocker ave.
FRIDAY
LoftOpera presents Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater, at the Muse in Bushwick.
nothing compares to the magic of seeing loftopera, an event that brings the grandiosity of opera and makes it approachable. to have performers giving such passionate and captivating performances so close is an experience that is truly unmatched. the series is a baroque piece and surrounds the complicated intimacy of two people as their love and lives fall apart on stage and our hearts break right along with them. I went last Friday and still can’t get it out of my head or off my heart. come see Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater, performed in brooklyn’s premier circus school (naturally) and featuring the costume designs of christian joy, whose portfolio boasts the adornments of karen O and childish gambino, just to name a few. be a part of it at the muse in bushwick for an intimate affair of truly heartbreaking and earth-shattering proportions in the only way an opera this intimate can be. tickets $30, available here. this is the last weekend, so GO. 350 moffat st. bet you’ll like it better than pirates of penzance.
oh, and do yourself a favor and grab tacos and margaritas at the deep end before the show. these guys are getting it oh-so-right by providing cheap and delicious tacos in a dynamic event space, plus the bartenders aren’t bashful with the tequila shots. 1080 wyckoff ave.
You Are So Lucky, an Immersive Experience from House of Yes, The Box and The Danger at a Secret Mansion.
what happens when house of yes, the box, and the danger join forces with over 125 performers, fire spinners, acrobats, djs, and global musicians, along with bob moses and queen of the night, and they all inhabit a 72-year-old mansion on the edge of the city? an event that you absolutely must not miss. you are so lucky, an extravagant soiree that meets an underground art party, is an immersive experience unlike anything you’ve been a part of in the city. you will be transported into a magical land and a story of fire, of granite and gorgeous nights, born from generations of artists, of seekers, of fearless creators, consummated in the darkness, on dance floors, and uponn the lips of strangers. tickets for the dinner performance friday, all-day experience saturday, and brunch exhibit on sunday are all available here. prices vary reasonably, if in doubt, please re-read above reverence and know that you are so lucky.
Enchantment Under the Sea Dance at Littlefield in Gowanus.
littlefield now counts themselves among the fantastic neighborhood institutions that courageously combatted gentrification and raised funds to keep their dream and space alive in our constantly-evolving ‘hood, and that means more events in a bigger space with a new, huge outdoor area. keep supporting them and have a hell of a time doing it, starting with tonight’s event. A Drinking Game NYC is recreating the Enchantment Under the Sea dance from back to the future, so all you nerds can come dressed as your favorite back to the future character or in that 50s prom get-up you’ve been dying for a chance to wear. 3 live bands (one of which is a buddy holly tribute band) will keep you grooving all night. tickets, $25 available here. a portion of proceeds go to benefit the michael j. fox foundation for parkinson’s research, so it’s a chance to #revelwithacause and feel good while being a little bad. 635 sacket st. #sackettomesackettomesackettomesackettome
SATURDAY
Full Moon Festival on Governor’s Island.
full moon festival, a day of worldly cultural sensibility with a new york swagger, brings all of the magic of up-and-coming artists and the pinnacle phase of the lunar calendar to governor’s island for one full day and night of music and revelry, under the bright beautiful full moon. so let’s all pretend we’re in bali and dance barefoot and make love to each other. which is obviously how it all happens in bali. prove me wrong, go ahead. (you don’t want to). come see 13 established and emerging artists all playing on a huge open field with plenty of other attractions and activities, plus, $1 of each ticket’s sale goes to reduce your carbon footprint so #revelwithacause and dance on carbon-light feet under the moonlight, all night. all right? noon-midnight. tickets are selling fast so get yours now here. it all happens on governor’s island.
The Persistence of Nudity: A Tribute to Salvador Dali Burlesque, in Coney Island.
because we live in brooklyn, our perception of attraction and seduction are peppered with an edge. we like our sex to be accompanied by strangers and costumes, our art to be immersive and interpretive, and our nighttime activities to be clandestine, persistent, and memorable. just like fucking salvadore dali (you choose if that fucking was used an an active verb or adjective…) his paintings are interpretive, addictive, sensual and subversive. and burlesque at the beach brings you a multi-sensory experiential tribute to his work that will open up all the corporal drawers of your subconscious to leave you breathless and misplaced, for the first time, again. it all happens saturday night, 1208 surf ave, tickets $15 right here. “Take me, I am the drug. Take me, I am hallucinogenic.” – the man. (you don’t have to ask me twice)
Bring Your Own Photo Show at the Bushwick Community Darkroom.
are we all photographers these days, in the age of such incessant media influx? well, no. no we are not. but for those that have an impenetrable eye at capturing beauty and life from behind the lens, they deserve a larger gallery than 4×4 pixelated squares and a better reception than hearts and thumbs-up. the bring your own photo show at the lovely Bushwick Community Darkroom lets photographers display their work among contemporaries, from novice to professional, and see how their work brings life to the eyes of observers. plus learn all the great ways the BCD is benefitting a community of creators by being among them, in their inspiring space. all info here, 7-9pm, 110 troutman st.
Studio 54 premier at Brooklyn Bazaar, Greenpoint.
disco ain’t dead baby, it’s alive and well and on the move, just like your hips will be saturday night. it’s the premier of Studio 54 at the brooklyn bazaar, which means three floors of disco, dancing, vogue-ing and secret back rooms, plus 8 djs bringin’ the funk all night. 10% of all door and bar sales go to benefit the gay men’s health crisis so #revelwithacause all night, and into the morning. 8pm-4am, tickets, $25 available here. 150 greenpoint ave.
SUNDAY
Tiki Disco at The Well, Bushwick.
a summertime Brooklyn institution. tiki disco, the keeper of our summertime souls and all of the funk we’ve ever brought and the memories we’ve strategically forgotten and the ones we’ll keep forever… this day party is not for the weak at heart. this is for you, brave heart. the tiki gods and lords of disco would like to come down to the well and extend their hand to shake yours and then never ever let go. dig? tickets are $10 right here, $15 at the door before 6pm, $20 after. sunday, 2-11pm, 272 meserole. tiki disco hits you like sneaky crisco™ (man that’s gross) (i don’t care.)
Pizza, Wine and Movie Night at Rooftop Reds in the Navy Yard.
summertime in the city means all the the goodness that’s kept indoors during the year hemorrhages out onto the sidewalk, into the streets, upon rooftops and across beaches, especially our cinemas. and if this week’s outdoor film finds itself set among the city’s only urban winery, and added pizza? well, that would make for the perfect way to end a beautiful brooklyn weekend. rooftop reds will be showing bridesmaids on its enchanting rooftop, and your ticket includes 2 slices of pizza from local favorite il porto pizzeria, one glass of wine (more available for purchase!) and a lot of laughs under a just-full moon. tickets $30 available here. rooftop reds is in the navy yard at 299 sands st, building 275. film starts at 7pm, arrive early to get in some hammock sitting and corn hole at sunset.
Harpoon Sriracha Blonde at Barcade in Williamsburg.
back by very popular demand after a 3 year hiatus, harpoon brewery has brewed another batch of harpoon sriracha blonde ale, and you can try one (or five!) at barcade starting sunday. this beer is in limited supply, so don’t miss your chance to sink your mouth upon this spicy blonde. which is what summer is made for. all info here, beers start at noon and go all day and all night. 388 union ave.
here’s to you and your summer, brooklyn.
<3L.
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