[Ed note: Reminder, we now have a separate roundup for activism-focused events, which we encourage you to check out here.]
1. Start your weekend off chill at Friday Night Zen, where participants “connect and explore how meditation and mindfulness relate to daily urban living.” (Friday, Brooklyn Zen Center, FREE)
2. Peep plenty of photos at Quimby’s Group Photo Show, with a half-dozen photographers’ works on display, plus sculptures, collage, and taxidermy. (Friday, Quimby’s Bookstore, FREE)
3. Get smarter at Nerd Nite, with lectures on the history of late night talk shows, the twisted story behind the creation of one of the world’s bestselling video games, and more. (Friday, Littlefield, $10)
4. Be dazzled by daring dance at Norte Maar’s CounterPointe, featuring new work by women choreographers and their collaborating artists. (Friday through Sunday, Actors Fund Arts Center, $25)
5. Make like Willy Wonka at Junxion and the Chocolate Factory, an all-night dance party with tunes from Nickodemus & 2Melo, Tasha Blank, Kellam, Tony, and Jimmy Lopez Percussionist. (Friday, Fine & Raw, $20)
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6. Get your buns to the beach for the Official Opening of Coney Island, including the annual Blessing of the Rides, free spins on the Wonder Wheel for the first 97 people, a new virtual-reality ride, and plenty more. (Saturday, Coney Island, FREE)
7. Sip fancy suds at the 4th annual Saison Day, with a wide variety of Saison-style beers from Allagash, Transmitter, LIC Beer Project, Suarez Family, and more. (Saturday, Threes Brewing, FREE)
8. Shop strange at the Full Moon Market, with lots of unusual goods from vendors like The Crystal Mind, Asc Alchemical, Hissyfit Cvlt, and Necronomicharm. (Saturday, Precious Metal, FREE)
9. Have a whimsical afternoon at The Cupcake Show, a collection of three-minute theater pieces created by circus artist Adam Kuchler with live music by Ellia Bisker. (Saturday, Jalopy Theater, $12)
10. Revel in verse at the Grand Champion Poetry Slam, where 10 poets will compete for a $500 grand prize; plus pre- and post-slam workshops and mixers. (Saturday, Weeksville Heritage Center, FREE)
11. Bop around to big band sounds at Brass Tacks Brass Band Series, with Lowdown Brass Band and New Sound Brass. (Saturday, Industry City Distillery, $10)
12. Solve a circus mystery at Sherlock Holmes and the Sapphire Night, a tale of missing young girls and a stargazing cult. (Saturday & Sunday, The Muse, $20)
13. Delight in dulcet tones at PhiloSonia’s The Composer as Redeemer, which explores “how composers facing death find solace and redemption in the immortality of their works.” (Saturday, South Oxford Space, $20)
14. Make music at Bushwick Book Club, where a host of performers write original tunes inspired by a work of literature; tonight’s is Negin Farsad’s How to Make White People Laugh. (Saturday, Little Skips, FREE)
15. Bend all the genders at Switch n Play, featuring drag and burlesque from K.James, Zoe Ziegfeld, Vigor Mortis, Michelle Wynters, Mina Minou, Olive d’Nightlife, and Satine S’allumer. (Saturday, Branded Saloon, $7–$20)
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16. Buy yourself something spring-ish at Greenpointers Spring Market, with 60+ vendors, rooftop yoga, henna tattoos, live music, mezcal palomas, and more. (Sunday, Greenpoint Loft, FREE)
17. Go deep into one of Brooklyn’s best ‘hoods at the Obscura Society’s History Hiding in Plain Sight, a Bushwick scavenger hunt where you’ll use vintage cartography to make unusual discoveries. (Sunday, Nurture Art, $25)
18. Take a musical journey with the Brooklyn Symphony Orchestra, which will perform Igor Stravinsky’s “Firebird Suite” and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Scheherazade.” (Sunday, Brooklyn Museum $20)
19. Immerse yourself in art at the Pioneer Works Second Sunday, with open studios, live music by Combo Chimbita, a DIY bag boutique, art interventions, and more. (Sunday, Pioneer Works, $10 suggested)
20. Be bewitched at the Evil Hour Reading Series, featuring Kaiama L. Glover, Liesel Schillinger, Kim Barker, Magus Magnus, and Stefanie Sobelle. (Sunday, The Owl Music Parlor, FREE)
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