Weekend Guide: Afropunk is back and so is Summer Streets

By Joshua Encinias

This is it! The heat might linger like an unwelcome houseguest through October but the last unofficial full weekend of summer is here.

Friday brings The North Face Climb Festival to Brooklyn Bridge Park, Pier 5. Try your hand at climbing a 55-foot wall and/or fall in the watery North Face moat. Also on Friday, the Third Annual Kustom Kulture Brooklyn comes to Rockaway Beach with local and handmade creations.

AFROPUNK BLKTOPIA collabs with Celebrate Brooklyn! on Friday and Saturday with headliner Erykah Badu. Then head over to Coney Island for our free, location-appropriate screening of the 1979 Brooklyn classic, “The Warriors” by Walter Hill.

On Sunday afternoon, Green-Wood Cemetery welcomes you to explore the Revolutionary War’s largest battle. That evening, camp icon Alyssa Edwards brings the laughs to The Brooklyn Monarch.

Soak up the sun and enjoy the death throes of summer.

Friday, August 23

3rd Annual Kustom Kulture Brooklyn
Various times Friday through Sunday
Kustom Kulture Fest is a three-day festival focusing on custom-made art and everything handmade. Come for the live tattooing, stay for motorcycle builders, clothing designers, pinstripers and lowbrow art, printmakers, hair and make-up artists, machine builders, guitar makers, fabricators and builders of all kinds. There will also be an assortment of entertainment. Live burlesque shows, sideshows, live music, tattoo and motorcycle contests. Bar and food vendors abound. 153 26th Street. Tickets are $28.52.

Movies for the Class of ‘99 at Nitehawk
Various dates throughout August
Congratulations to The Class of ‘99! It’s been 25 years since you graduated and received what turned out to be one of the most iconic years in cinema of all time. Nitehawk invites you to look back on the films from 1999 that became instant classics (“Fight Club”), others that have brought immense joy over the years (“The Mummy”), and a few that are only recently receiving the love they deserve. The series runs the entire month at Nitehawk Williamsburg and Prospect Park.

Final Weekend of the Rockaway Film Festival 2024
Continues through Sunday
The Rockaway Film Festival is a moving-image celebration that brings affordable, inclusive, and enriching cinema and cultural programs to the Rockaway peninsula. Highlights include Zia Anger’s “My First Film,” featuring a Q&A with star Odessa Young and a post-screening DJ set by Andrew Vanwyngarden of MGMT. Screenings and events will be held at Averne Cinema and other local sites. 72-02 Gouverneur Avenue. While some events are free, you can buy a festival pass offering unlimited access to all events for $75.

Feast of Santa Rosalia
Ongoing through Sunday
Now in its 50th year, this annual festival is held in honor of St. Rosalia, the patron saint of Palermo, and features a variety of food and treats, carnival rides and games for all ages, live music and entertainment every night, and fun for the entire family. Sunday, August 25, will feature a procession through the streets of Bensonhurst at 2pm, followed by a Mass at St Domenic at 3:30 p.m. 18th Avenue between 68th Street and 75th Street/Bay Ridge Parkway. Free.

The North Face Climb Festival
Friday and Saturday at 10 a.m. on both days
The North Face Climb Festival invites climbing enthusiasts to test their skills by taking on identical routes on a 55-foot wall, with only a North Face-supplied moat to break their fall. The festival will be hosted by North Face athlete Alex Honnold and climbing legend Chris Sharma at Brooklyn Bridge Park, Pier 5. 334 Furman Street.

AFROPUNK BLKTOPIA at Celebrate Brooklyn!
Friday and Saturday from noon to 10 p.m. on both days
Afropunk is Afroback! The Afrofuturistic music and culture festival rolls into the Lena Horne Bandshell on Friday and Saturday for a celebration of Black culture, community and art that’s bound to be an unforgettable weekend. The First Lady of Neo Soul, Erykah Badu headlines, with Durand Bernarr, DJ Moma, Jenny Hates Techno, Hue, Phunky Nomads, Breezy Supreme, Rebelmatic, Winter Wolf and more. 141 Prospect Park W. Tickets are $45 to $95 for single-day passes and $95 to $175 for two-day passes.

Rooftop Shots: Closing Night
7:45 p.m.
The closing night of Rooftop Films’ Summer Series Rooftop Shots happens on Friday night with a program featuring short films in Green-Wood Cemetery. The night opens with live music from Brooklyn-based rock band Miranda and The Beat, and following the screening, there’s a Q&A with some of the night’s filmmakers. Stick around the screenings for an after-party. 500 25th Street. Tickets are $20.05.

Battle of the Boroughs
10 p.m.
Come to 3 Dollar Bill on Friday night for Battle of the Boroughs, hosted by Roque and Megami for the ultimate celebration of NYC drag. Each Borough is throwing down and showing why they are the baddest in the city. Come support Team Brooklyn because you know we can’t let Team Staten Island take the crown! 260 Meserole Street. Tickets are $24.64.

Saturday, August 24

Summer Streets
7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Summer Streets comes to Brooklyn on Saturday in collaboration with Selena Tornez and Disco Con Salsa, leading NY heritage dances, Mambo and Latin Hustle. Take part in Summer Streets with demos, lessons and dancing. Music sets begin at 8 a.m. and the final set begins at 2 p.m. Enjoy miles of streets closed to traffic for people to play, run, walk and bike. Eastern Parkway & Grand Army Plaza. Free.

The 2024 OnlyNY & Friends Invitational
Kickoff at noon, afterparty at 6 p.m.
Sixteen co-ed teams will face off at the annual soccer tournament by and for the New York City soccer community, presented by Shake Shack and supported by a roster of local brands and businesses. Come check out the play and head over to Brooklyn Brewery afterwards for a little party. Bushwick Inlet Park, Kent Avenue.

Battle of Brooklyn Remembrance Ceremony
12:30 to 4 p.m.
Old Stone House and Washington Park will commemorate the Battle of Brooklyn on Saturday afternoon with reenactments, battle strategy talks and daily life during the Revolutionary War, historical costumers, live music and a scavenger hunt along the Gowanus Road to The Green-Wood Cemetery (today’s 5th Avenue). 336 3rd Street. Free.

SOA Day Festival ’24
4 to 10 p.m.
Prepare for the ultimate Afrobeats experience at the Sounds of Afrobeats (SOA) Festival. The festival will have live performances by the hottest Afrobeats artists. Explore a hand-picked market featuring vendors offering food and drinks, as well as unique arts, crafts, and merch. 12 Park Street Brooklyn. Tickets range from $25 to $40.

‘The Warriors’ in Coney Island
6 p.m., movie starts at sundown
Brooklyn Magazine, in partnership with Paramount+ and BSE Global, continues our “Paramount+ Movie Nights in Brooklyn” summer series with “The Warriors” in Coney Island on Friday night. All showtimes are at sunset but come early with your friends and/or kids to scope out your spot. New for this year, complimentary popcorn is available for attendees at each screening with proof of event RSVP confirmation, which can be completed online here (first-come, first-served, while supplies last). Can you dig it??

Zopa in concert
7 p.m.
Whether you know Michael Imperioli from “The White Lotus” or the “Sopranos” (or even his wildly popular podcast about the latter), either is reason enough to come see his band Zopa play at Baby’s All Right on Friday night. 146 Broadway. Tickets are $26.42.

Gold Diggers at Sideshows by the Seashore 
9 p.m.
BLiXXBi Productions and circus legend Hovey Burgess presents Gold Diggers at Coney Island’s Sideshows by the Seashore. Come celebrate all your money-hungry blondes, starring Bambi the Mermaid,  Lil’ Miss Lixx and MC Wilfredo. Featuring a million dollar cast of burlesque icons Julie Atlas Muz, Dirty Martini , Jo Boobs, Peekaboo Pointe, Ashanti Doll, Tiny D, and comedy by Natalie Perlin. 1208 Surf Avenue. $25.

Sunday, August 25

The Battle of Brooklyn and The Meaning of Freedom
11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Every summer, Green-Wood Cemetery welcomes Brooklynites to its free exploration of the Revolutionary War’s largest battle, which happened on today’s cemetery grounds. Join in on Sunday for family events and history scavenger hunts led by the Center for Brooklyn History. 500 25th Street. Free.

Dream Factory of Brooklyn at the Brooklyn Cyclones
2 to 5 p.m.
All proceeds from ticket sales to the Brooklyn Cyclones game on Sunday afternoon will be donated to the Dream Factory’s Brooklyn Chapter. The Dream Factory is the largest wish-granting organization in the United States for children 3 to 18 who have been diagnosed with critical or chronic illnesses. Your ticket comes with a baseball hat and the feeling that comes with helping a child in need. Maimonides Park. 1904 Surf Avenue. Tickets are $25.

Sol Together at Harriet’s Rooftop
3 p.m. to late
Meet at Harriet’s Rooftop every Sunday for an electrifying rooftop experience featuring panoramic city views and sets from world-class DJs like this Sunday’s headliner, Yung Omz. Have a cocktail, take a picture for the ‘gram, and enjoy some summer tunes. 60 Furman Street. Tickets start at $40.

Alyssa Edwards: Glitz and Giggles
6:30 p.m.
Join Alyssa Edwards, RuPaul’s Drag Race icon and current Drag Race Global All Stars contestant, for an evening of sickening looks, laughs and fun. Alyssa will perform a gag-worthy opening and closing number with original comedy and storytelling. Hosted by Shuga Cain, Alyssa will be supported by a cast of local entertainers so bring your dollars to tip the queens! 23 Meadow Street.