20 Things You Must See And Do This Summer
JUNE
02
The Magic Flute opens
Brooklyn’s favorite local opera company, Regina, finishes its 42nd season with four performances of this Mozart singspiel, performed in English.
Regina Hall, 3pm, $25,
1230 65th Street, Bensonhurst
07
Chuck Klosterman
The pop-culture essayist-turned-novelist celebrates the paperback release of his latest work of fiction, The Visible Man, with a reading and signing.
BookCourt, FREE,
163 Court Street, Cobble Hill
09
Yasiin Bey (né Mos Def) with The Brooklyn Philharmonic
Our hometown orchestra closes its ambitious season with this centerpiece of its Bed-Stuy series, which will feature Beethoven, Beethoven remixes, Mos Def arrangements, and a tribute to Lena Horne by Leslie Uggams.
Restoration Plaza, 8pm, FREE,
1368 Fulton Street, Bedford-Stuyvesant
14
Northside Festival Begins
Our sister publication The L Magazine kicks off its annual festival by taking over North Brooklyn with a week of concerts (350 bands!), gallery shows (100 artists!), and film screenings (40 movies!), plus a few entrepreneurship panels.
All over North Brooklyn at all times
16
European Vacation
Staycation with the sounds of the continent as the Brooklyn Wind Symphony plays band arrangements of Tchaikovsky, Wagner, Holst and more..
Grand Street High School Campus, 2pm, FREE,
850 Grand Street, Bushwick
20
BAMcinemaFest begins
This is the major NYC launching pad for independent American films, both from the festival circuit (which works its way eastward starting in the beginning of the calendar year) and from the city’s increasingly fecund low-budget scene.
BAM Rose Cinemas,
30 Lafayette Avenue, Fort Greene
21
Denis Johnson
The Pulitzer Committee might have snubbed him, but that doesn’t mean you should! As part of the Eat, Drink, & Be Literary series, the price includes dinner, wine, tax and tip.
BAMCafe, 6:30pm, $50,
30 Lafayette Avenue, Fort Greene
21
Small Black
The pop-music experimenters, who may or may not hate being called “Chillwave,” finish off the museum’s Audiophile series, which showcases buzzy Brooklyn bands, with a concert also featuring Lemonade (the “alternative dance band,” not the refreshing beverage). Free with museum admission.
Brooklyn Museum, 7pm, $12,
200 Eastern Parkway, Prospect Heights
23
Mermaid Parade
This saucy parade, now in its 30th year, pays tribute to the old Coney Island Mardi Gras and kicks off the summer season.
Surf Avenue, 2pm, FREE,
East from W. 22nd Street, Coney Island
27
Literary Upstart Grand Finale
The L Magazine’s annual competitive short-fiction reading series climaxes by pitting all the previous semifinal winners against each other in a reading royale.
Wythe Hotel, 7pm, FREE,
80 Wythe Avenue, Williamsburg
29
WNYC’s Kings County
Studio 360’s Kurt Andersen hosts this regular showcase of performers, this time with comedian Kristen Schaal, most recently of 30 Rock. Their guests will include stand-up and comedy writer Jessi Klein, as well as indie rocker Eleanor Friedberger, now almost as praised for her solo work as for that with Fiery Furnaces.
Galapagos Art Space, 7pm, $10,
16 Main Street, DUMBO