event roundups

The 20 best cheap things to do this weekend, cherry blossom edition

1. Have your needle on the pulse at the WFMU Record Fair, with over 200 record dealers selling vinyl, CDs, LPs, and 45s, including $1 LP and CD tables, live performances, and live WFMU broadcasts. (Fri-Sun, Brooklyn Expo Center, $10-25)

2. Listen closely at the Beach House Listening Party in the Sonos Room for an exclusive first listen to Beach House’s new record titled 7, two weeks before release. (Friday, Rough Trade, FREE)

3. Rock out at the Rock Collection Closing Party and join artist Ben Sisto for the finale of his quirky display featuring a grid of specimens, amateur glue jobs, and DIY type-setting, with rock music (get it?) and beer. (Friday, City Reliquary, $5)

4. Get your geek on at The Nerdlesque Fest, the first-ever festival dedicated to nerd and pop culture related burlesque with 26 of the best nerdy burlesque performers from around the globe, hosted by Miss Coney Island 2016: Fancy Feast. (Fri-Sat, Coney Island USA, $30-45)

5. It’s techno a go-go at Endangered, a full sensory experience that explores ‘near end of the world’ scenario through space-y, dystopian decor and visuals, and live interactive performance artists set to techno DJs. (Friday, secret location, $20-25)

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Be blown away by the glass makers at the UrbanGlass open house (#9). Photo via Facebook.

6. Transport yourself to Japan for Sakura Matsuri, offering nearly 60 events and performances that celebrate traditional and contemporary Japanese culture while strolling along the grounds of newly bloomed cherry blossom trees. (Sat-Sun, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, $25-30)

7. Engage with the city from the ground up at Understory: Plant Lab & Urban Ecology Event through hands-on workshops, makers’ bazaar, citizen science fair, tours, and plant sale for an interactive showcase of living local economies, urban ecologies, and botanical explorations. (Sat-Sun, 99 Scott Ave, $15)

8. Turn green at the Spring Plant Sale and support a local community garden at a pop-up shop for plants and herbs, seeds collected from the garden, plus baked goods, used books, and more. (Saturday, Hollenback Community Garden, FREE)

9. Blow away at UrbanGlass Open Studios and participate in hands-on activities and tour the incredible (and usually closed to the public) space, with live demonstrations including glassblowing, flameworking, and neon tube bending. (Saturday, UrbanGlass, FREE)

10. Give your support at the Mayday Festival of Resistance with live musical acts (all fronted by women of color) in an outdoor celebration of Bushwick’s local community and grassroots groups fighting for justice. (Saturday, Maria Hernandez Park, FREE)

11. Help those helping others at Pride & Loss, a group exhibition consisting of South African visual activists and photographers who produce, educate, and disseminate information for the LGBT community and marginalized people. (Saturday, Jenkins Johnson Projets, FREE)

12. Don’t hide your laughter at Camouflage: A Comedy Show with chill vibes and free pizza, featuring laughs from Corinne Fisher, Anthony DeVito, Martin Urbano, and more funny people. (Saturday, GAMBA Forest, $5)

13. Dance, dance, dance at NY Night Train Record Hop and join Jonathan Toubin and Todd-O-Phonic Todd for free pizza and an epic dance party with live music by Brower, go-go by Anna Copa Cobanna, and more DJs than you can shake a stick at. (Saturday, Diviera Drive, FREE)

14. Sun’s out, fins out at Dolphin Party: Dolphins Gone Wild with visuals worth taking your aviators off for, music to dance in your speedo to, and cocktails to double fin. (Saturday, Rubulad, $5-10)

15. Have a varied night out at Young Adult Friction, a dance party celebrating indie and alternative music: spinning classic and new, indie pop, alt rock, dance punk, brit pop, oldies, and more. (Saturday, Brooklyn Bazaar, FREE)

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The WFMU Record Fair is open all weekend (#1). Photo via Facebook.

16. Connect with comic fans at Jewish Comic Con, featuring a full day of comic creators who will be drawing sketches, art for sale, panel discussions on diverse themes, connecting comics and Judaism, and engaging with fans. (Sunday, Congregation Kol Israel, $20)

17. See the galleries of the streets on the Street Art Bike Ride covering Williamsburg and Bushwick, including NYC highlights, history and social implications of street art. (Sunday, Time’s Up, FREE)

18. What’s old new again at Swapgasm: Clothes & Costume Swap. Bring your quality costumes, fashions, accessories, fabrics, craft supplies, and art stuff to swap it out for new (to you) pieces. (Sunday, House of Yes, $5-15 donation or a bag of clothes)

19. Dust off the VCR for the Video Armageddon VHS Swapwith people selling and swapping weirdo flicks on outdated media plus other weirdo collectibles and zines. (Sunday, The Gutter, FREE)

20. Grease up your ‘stache for Cartoon Carnival 66: Bad Guys for a hefty batch of archival 16mm (no digital) animated cartoons from the 1910s to the 1940s with some of the slimiest scoundrels, plus live ragtime accompaniment for silent-era ‘toons. (Sunday, Rubulad, $10)

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