Pop-ups and pumpkins: 10 things to do in Brooklyn this weekend

October 24, 2019 Scott Enman

Pumpkin. Image via Pexels

1. Head to the Arctic

The Arctic Refuge Experience: Step in Step up, is a sensory explosion of sights, textures and smells that can all be found in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Eagle photo by Paul Frangipane

A new pop-up in Williamsburg is bringing Brooklynites to the endangered lands of Alaska in an effort to raise awareness about the dangers that face this undeveloped wilderness, which will soon be open to oil drilling.

Thursday through Sunday at various times. at 25 Kent Ave. $10. More info here.

2. Listen to jazz

Inside Park Slope’s Made in NY Jazz Cafe. Photo courtesy of Made in NY Jazz Cafe.

Park Slope’s newest music venue “Made in NY Jazz” will be celebrating its official grand opening this weekend with sets from Cyrus Chestnut, Lenny White and Buster Williams. Owner Michael Brovkine opened the spot with the goal of bringing high-quality jazz, normally heard in Manhattan, back to the Brooklyn neighborhood where the genre once thrived.

Friday and Saturday at various times at Made in NY Jazz Cafe. From $20. More info here.

3. Paint pumpkins

A joyous pumpkin. Photo by Dan Gold on Unsplash

Head down to the Sixth Avenue Triangle to celebrate the North Flatbush Fall Festival, hosted by the North Flatbush Business Improvement District. There will be trick or treating for Unicef, pumpkin decorating and lots of programing from the likes of Barclays Center and the Brooklyn Public Library.

Saturday from noon to 6 p.m. at the Sixth Avenue Triangle. Free. More info here.

4. Dance till your drop

The Great Hall at The Cityfox Halloween Festival 2018 at Avant Gardner. Photo by Bryan Kwon

Two city blocks in East Williamsburg will be transformed into an eight-room, five-stage party for CityFox’s annual Halloween party. Expect hauntingly good techno and house music until 9 a.m. DJs include Lee Burridge, Bedouin and Art Department and many more.

Saturday Oct. 26 from 9 p.m. to 9 a.m. at Avant Gardner. From $60. More info here.

5. See some dogs — dressed in costume

This chihuahua attended last year’s Great PUPkin contest dressed as a bunch of grapes, which are toxic to dogs. Eagle file photo by Liliana Bernal

Objectively, the very best Halloween tradition is watching dogs prance around in costumes. We rounded up some spots in Brooklyn where you can do just that.

Saturday Oct. 26 and Sunday Oct. 27. Various times. Free. More info here.

6. Tour a cemetery

Nightfall. Photo courtesy of Green-Wood Cemetery

At Green-Wood Cemetery’s Nightfall, attendees will only have moonlight and flickering candles guiding their way through the winding paths of Brooklyn’s most famous graveyard. Expect the unexpected at every turn. This carnival-like affair will feature musicians, performers, moving images and storytellers.

Saturday Oct. 26 from 8 to 11:30 p.m. at Green-Wood Cemetery. $85. More info here.

7. Celebrate women

Celebrate all of the extraordinary women in Congress — including the first woman speaker of the House; the first female combat veteran; the first Native American women; the first Muslim women; and the first openly gay member of the Senate — with the book launch of “The Women of the 116th Congress.” The project is a collaboration between New York Times photo editors Beth Flynn and Marisa Schwartz Taylor and photographers Elizabeth D. Herman and Celeste Sloman.

Saturday at 6 p.m. at powerHouse at the Archway. Free. More info here.

8. Celebrate more women

The Center for Fiction opens today in Fort Greene, joining other big-name cultural institutions like BAM and the Mark Morris Dance Group. Photos courtesy of the Center for Fiction — The Center for Fiction. Photo courtesy of the Center for Fiction

The third annual Well-Read Black Girl Festival is coming to the Center for Fiction this weekend. Join Well-Read Black Girl founder Glory Edim and LGBTQ poet and spoken-word artist Staceyann Chin for the kick-off party.

Friday at 7 p.m. at the Center for Fiction. $10. More info here.

9. Go for a fall stroll

This brick row includes creamy-hued 110 Bergen St. (at right) and red-brick 112 through 118 Bergen St. Eagle photo by Lore Croghan — Bergen Street. Eagle photo by Lore Croghan

The weather is looking mighty fine this weekend, so why not take part in Eye on Real Estate’s latest walking tour down Bergen Street where you’ll pass by stylish pre-Civil War brick rowhouses, beautiful churches and Romanesque Revival homes. Bring comfortable shoes as you’ll be walking from Boerum Hill to Brownsville.

Multiple times. Free. More info here.

10. Eat delicious food

Dubbed “The Woodstock of Eating” by The New York Times, head down this weekend to Brooklyn’s iconic open-air food market, Smorgasburg, to indulge in ramen burgers, ice cream, oysters and everything in between.

Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. in East River State Park, and Sunday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. in Prospect Park. Free entry. More info here.

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