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Weekend Guide: Black Punk Juneteenth, Flatbush Comedy Fest, and a Prospect Park Soiree
Plus, the Caribbean Heritage Festival, an EDM rooftop party, and a morbid Father’s Day movie
We’re now five years into Juneteenth being a national holiday, and somehow you-know-who still hasn’t taken it away despite his endless War on Woke. So we’ve got plenty of Juneteenth-themed events for you on this holiday weekend. But that’s far from everything on the list. Comedy, dance, film, even new interpretations of “America the Beautiful”: If you can imagine it, we’ve got it. Check it all out in this week’s Weekend Guide.
Thursday, June 18
NYC Queer Dance Through the Decades Panel! @ Greenlight Bookstore
7:30 p.m.
The authors of three books NYC, dance, nightlife, and queerness get together for a discussion. Participants are Christian John Wikane (A Night at the Disco), Michael Roberson (Ballroom: A History, A Movement, A Celebration), and Hugh Ryan (My Bad: A Personal History of the Queer Nineties and Beyond). The discussion will be followed by a book signing and, of course, a dance party, with music picked out by the panelists.
Flatbush Comedy Festival (Day 2) @ YUME
8 p.m.
The Flatbush Comedy Festival runs Wednesday through Saturday. It’s at a bunch of great venues—a different one every night. The festival is meant to spotlight “the untapped potential of Flatbush Avenue as a rising comedy corridor,” so you can laugh and play a part in the neighborhood’s future at the same time.
America / Beautiful 250 @ The Green-Wood Cemetery Catacombs
6 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.
Pianist Min Kwon commissioned dozens of composers to write variations on “America the Beautiful.” She’s getting ready to release a recording of all 76 variations, and to celebrate, she’ll be performing many of them in a one-of-a-kind setting.
Friday, June 19
Juneteenth Book Signing & Lecture with Prof. Gerald Horne @ Sistas’ Place
12:30 p.m.
Horne is the author of a number of essential books about American slavery and imperialism, including the absolutely seminal The Counter-Revolution of 1776: Slave Resistance and the Origins of the United States of America. Join him to hear him talk about the importance of Juneteenth (and to get your books signed).
Juneteenth Closing Celebration @ Center for Art and Advocacy
2 p.m.
The Center for Art and Advocacy is throwing a closing party for its exhibition A Language We Share: Beverly Price and Gordon Parks. So show up and dance to DJ Sevyn, get pictures from the pop-up photobooth provided by photographer Ruvan Wijesooriya, and take a last look at Price and Parks’ work in dialogue.
Black Punk Juneteenth @ Empire Stage
8 p.m.
Since you’ve got the day off, you might as well rock out. Suzuki Methyd, Keefchamber, Burn Babylon, and Kräd will make sure that you come into work on Monday with a neck sore from headbanging.
Toast & Jams Juneteenth Edition @ Friends and Lovers
10 p.m.
Meka and Donwill turn your favorite Crown Heights spot into hip-hop/funk/R&B/soul/dance Ground Zero in this holiday-themed edition of the returning event. Tickets start at $5, so there’s really no better deal in town.
Saturday, June 20
Red Bull Midsummer New York City @ Sunset Park Rooftop
10 a.m.
Red Bull Midsummer is a 28-hour-long, worldwide electronic music event that travels around the globe. There will be a broadcast feed linking all the locations. NYC’s 14-plus-hour slice of the party features a mind-blowing list of DJs, including Andre Power, Anastazja, BAMBII, and UNIIQU3 B2B Shekdash. But best of all, the pioneer Juan Atkins will be behind the decks as well.
Caribbean Heritage Festival @ Shirley Chisholm State Park
1 p.m.
Shirley Chisholm State Park is one of the most beautiful places in the five boroughs. So it only makes sense to use it as the location for a festival that celebrates its namesake’s heritage. There will be food, face painting, the opportunity to make your own Carnival mask, and of course live steel pan.
Prospect Park Soiree @ The Peninsula, Prospect Park
5 p.m.
This year’s version of the annual outdoor dinner-and-dance gala features a drumline performance by Brooklyn United and a dance party with DJ Suga Ray. Plus, you are encouraged to show up in your best outfits—check here for inspiration from past years.
The Klezmatics: New York Hometown Show @ Crown Hill Theatre
7 p.m.
The Klezmatics have been doing their thing for 40 years now. They’re celebrating with a protest-themed new album, We Were Made for These Times, and a tour to go with it. Come watch them tear up their hometown with special guests Sofía Rei and Janis Siegel.
Sunday, June 21
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off @ Nitehawk Cinema Prospect Park
11:30 a.m.
Sure, we have depressing movies today, too (see below). But you’ve also got a chance to catch a matinee screening of one of the greatest and most fun comedies of the ’80s. The film will be preceded by Nick Canfield’s short OH YEAH!—a film about Yello’s hit song that played such an important part in Bueller.
Celebrate the birthday of one of the greatest science fiction writers of all time at this event. There will be a writing workshop inspired by Butler’s very first published short story, “Speech Sounds,” as well as a conversation about her writing more broadly.
Sole’d Out: A Sneaker and Cocktail Party @ Gems Bar & Lounge
7 p.m.
Content creator BKSheDevil is throwing herself a sneaker-themed party. Show up in your best pair of kicks, and if it’s good enough, you just might win the night’s Best Sneaker contest. If you don’t make the cut, there will be drink deals and special guest appearances to cheer you up.
Father’s Day at Spectacle: A Burning Star @ Spectacle Theater
7:30 p.m.
Commemorate Father’s Day in true morbid movie buff fashion: by watching a Japanese documentary in which director Kenji Onishi documents his own father’s funeral and cremation. The movie is thought of as “notorious,” and is rarely screened. That makes it all the more crucial to get to the theater tonight.
