event roundups

Top 20: The best cheap things to do in Brooklyn this weekend, cherry blossom edition

Get colorful with the Brooklyn Gypsies (#4)
Get colorful with the Brooklyn Gypsies (#3)

1. Put on your diamonds and pearls and head to Prince Movie Night, pt 1, a double-feature of Purple Rain and Graffiti Bridge in a fancy loft. (Friday, Gemini & Scorpio, $10 suggested) (For our ongoing Prince events listing, go here.)

2. See some real weird cinema at the fourth annual Bad Film Fest: “the worst of the best and the best of the worst.” (Friday through Sunday, Cloud City, $8/film)

3. Take in some slick lyrics at Ghetto Hors D’oeuvres: Colors, a poetic theatrical performance by the Brooklyn Gypsies. (Friday & Saturday, Bushwick Starr, $15)

4. Mellow out to the classical music stylings of the Halcyon Chamber Series, tonight presenting The Ulysses Quartet. (Friday, Scholes Street Studio, $15)

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It's the prettiest prettiest pink day at BBG (#) (pic by vishpool/Flickr)
It’s the prettiest prettiest pink day at BBG (#5) (pic by vishpool/Flickr)

5. Get out into nature with the 35th annual Sakura Matsuri Festival, welcoming spring and the cherry blossoms with 60+ events and performances showcasing Japanese culture. (Saturday & Sunday, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, $25)

6. Or stay indoors and celebrate International Tabletop Game Day with a rousing RPG, board, or card game. (Saturday, Brooklyn Strategist, FREE)

7. Cheer on some manic cyclists at the Red Hook Crit, a seriously speedy bike race and party with food and booze vendors aplenty. (Saturday, Red Hook, FREE)

8. Show your love for literature at Indie Bookstore Day, with events and discounts at a bunch of rad BK bookstores, including Word, Archestratus, powerHouse, Greenlight, Community, and Terrace. (Saturday, FREE)

9. Or show your delight for discs at the WFMU Record Fair, with 200+ vendors hawking LPs, 45s, CDs, DVDs, and books. (Saturday & Sunday, $7)

10. Get immersed in art at Greenpoint Open Studios, with more than 300 North Bk artists throwing open their doors to show you what they’re working with. (Saturday, Greenpoint, FREE)

11. Deepen your understanding of today’s Brooklyn at Anthology: Crown Heights, a performance combining oral history, music, dance, poetry, and film. (Saturday & Sunday, Weeksville Heritage Center, $10 suggested)

12. Talk social politics at the May Day Eve panel discussion with authors and editors Joshua Clover, Jodi Dean, Maryam Monalisa Gharavi, and Tyler Reinhard. (Saturday, Verso Books, FREE)

13. Yuck it up at live talk show Not Quite Midnight, with guests Sarah Tollemache, Lucas Connolly, Ariel Elias, Madonna Refugia, and Auggie Lutz. (Saturday, Pine Box Rock Shop, FREE)

14. See some wild art at Media Land: The Mind Ocean, with brainwave sensor music, indoor gardens, installations by Zhen Zhen Qi and Yang Wang, and performance by DV-i, Moon Bear, BBYBANGZ, and more. (Saturday, Bruce High Quality Foundation, FREE)

15. Become your best bizarre bachelorette at Cheryl’s wild and weird dance party Penis Straws, with lots of Cosmos and top hits by DJ Nick and DJ Grandma Internet. (Saturday, C’mon Everybody, $10)

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Zena the Warrior DJ will party up your brunch (#16)
Zena the Warrior DJ will party up your brunch (#16)

16. Grab your gals and head to Ladies First Champagne Sunday Day Party, with tunes by DJ Michelle Q, DJ Ari Grooves, and Zena the Warrior DJ, plus live art, photography, and food and drink specials. (Sunday, Velvet, FREE)

17. Promote women of color at the Free Black Women’s Library: Foodie Edition, featuring a talk, demo, and tasting by author and chef Nicole Taylor. (Sunday, Halsey Community Garden, FREE)

18. Get spiritual at the Shamanic Art Fair, showcasing and selling art from the Peruvian Amazon along with indigenous musical instruments. (Sunday, The Ark, FREE)

19. Cheer for social justice at the May Day Celebration, a block party with film screenings, cooking demos, and a big community dinner with friends and comrades. (Sunday, Mayday Space, FREE)

20. Go wild for a good cause at Queers for Flint, a drag show and dance party to support the First of May Anarchist Alliance, on the ground delivering water to Flint jails. (Sunday, Silent Barn, $10)

Want more? Check out our full events calendar and add your own event today!

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