Hillstock 2011, the festival I missed because Brooklyn was scary. (via Facebook)

As of Friday, summer is OFFICIALLY HERE, and it’s kicking off with the annual Hillstock Festival, which will be taking up residence in Clinton Hill from Friday to Sunday. The DIY music fest, run by the Never Break Down music collective, has been around for a while — when I first moved back to New York a few years ago, I remember hearing about it and wanting to go, but I lived uptown in Manhattan and Brooklyn was “far” and “scary” — but it’s been steadily gaining steam. (more…)

Pop quiz hotshot: where is this movie playing?

Holy moly, there sure are a lot of outdoor movies this summer. So many that you might have trouble keeping track of whether you’re supposed to be going to Coney Island or Red Hook, before realizing you should really be Fort Greene. So to help you keep track of it all, we’ve put everything from SummerScreen to Red Hook Flicks into a handy list so you’re never confused again. About where the movies are playing, we don’t know why you keep getting dumped either. (more…)

Team STooPS not on a stoop but at the next best thing: Simplicity Wine Bar, where they’re holding their afterparty on Saturday. Via STooPS Facebook.

Ever feel like it might be time to get out of your apartment, and you know, do something? Everyone knows that summer in Brooklyn is like an endless carnival of film festivals, readings, street fairs, and concerts…if you’re willing to travel to the right place. But what about opportunities for arts and music that are literally right in your backyard, or in this case, on your front stoop? For residents of Bed Stuy this Saturday, this fantasy is turning into a reality, thanks to the STooPS project, which is geared up and ready to bring Brooklyn artists right to your front door. Literally. (more…)

MMNY 2010 (via Facebook)

The Williamsburg Waterfront’s free concerts might be a washout this summer, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t more free music to be had on the streets of Brooklyn. This Friday marks the return of Make Music New York, a day packed with over 1,000 gratis musical performances from fabulous musicians all over the city. And, naturally, Brooklyn’s not being left out in the cold this year; our fair borough’s getting a good dose of the shows. Here are some highlights, organized by ‘hood. (more…)

Questlove, always looking towards that bright future

1. James Bond is flying in all the way to the Huckleberry Bar From Russia with Love and boy are his arms tired (Monday)

2. The Secret Science Club is hosting a discussion on the future of robots and their terrifying future in our society and how they’re going to replace bartenders. But probably not Lena Dunham (Tuesday)

3. The Book Report is a game at the Beauty Bar where you make up whatever you can about a book you’ve never read. So basically like the third through eighth grade (Tuesday) (more…)

The Brooklyn Castle team, on the chopping block. via Facebook

You’d think that being awesome at your given field and having a documentary made about you would make you safe from the city’s unyielding budget axe. Well, you’d be wrong and probably haven’t spent much time in city politics, because everyone’s worst fears about Williamsburg’s I.S. 318 losing their chess team, along with a ton of other schools losing their after-school programs could come true if the mayor’s budget is passed. Don’t want to see that happen? Rally ’round the team and after-school programs in general tonight in Williamsburg. (more…)

No need for violence, the movie’s free. via Facebook

1. Check out a play at the Irondale Ensemble in which the author claims that everything in life he needs to know he learned from zombies. Hopefully not full of diet tips (Friday)

2. Or watch some animated shorts at Videology and drink $3 Sixpoint beers. Don’t worry, it’s normal to see pink cartoon elephants in this case (Friday)

3. Use our badgeless Northside guide to get all the free music you can shake a stick at. And then put down the stick, it’s disconcerting (Friday – Sunday) (more…)

No need to do anything rash, there are enough movies for everyone

You can never have enough free summer movies. Well, maybe if we schedule two series in the same exact location and same exact time, like some kind of wacky sitcom, then yes, you can. But otherwise, no. And while it was looking for a second there like East River Park would have no free movies to speak of this summer, The Brooklyn Paper says that Neighbors Allied for Good Growth has done the neighborly thing and stepped in with some summer movies. (more…)

It doesn’t really help that he’s reading this post right now

For awhile, a bunch of the scandals sticking to the Obama administration were of the “paranoid delusion” variety. “Show us the Benghazi!”, the government taking your guns, hell, even the IRS targeting political groups is something that’d been happening for years. But now with the news that the NSA is basically reading your thoughts, and without a warrant no less, we have an honest-to-god scandal that makes the government look like the Eye of Sauron. So the question is, is this Obama’s fault? And if it is, does he have to go? One debate group will be talking it over tonight in Williamsburg. (more…)

See Drew Magary talk about dad stuff, curse, at Running Late on Wednesday

To us, the benefits of being a Brokelyn reader are pretty self-evident. But sometimes people like you guys so much that they’re willing to give you things just for showing up and hanging with them. Case in point: “Running Late” with Scott Rogowsky, which previously had a visit from Alex Karpovsky from Girls, will give you a free Grolsch beer when you go to this month’s show, just for telling them “Brokelyn sent me.” There is a terrible price to pay however… (more…)