Weekend Guide: TV on The Radio, The Smashed Burger Block Party, and a Circus on The East River

By Shawn Setaro

With the approach of fall, we’re getting very close to the end of outdoor event season. To that end, we’ve got a number of outside options for you this week. So whether you’re into rooftop dancing, outdoor concert going, or learning how to play a game that’s so old it’s become new and trendy again, we’ve got you covered. Check out all of those options, and more, in our Weekend Guide below.

Thursday, September 11

The Waters Knew the Language of the Flames (Opening Reception) @ Welancora Gallery
6 p.m.
Ryan Cosbert’s new solo exhibition “The Waters Knew the Language of the Flames” will be running at Welancora until early November, but there’s no better time to check it out than during the opening reception. The artist drew from her Guyanese and Haitian heritage to create the works in this show. True to the title, she explores it through the elements of water, fire, earth, and air.

CBH Talk | The Erasure of Black History: Battling For America’s Narrative @ Center for Brooklyn History
6:30 p.m.
This administration’s determination to silence Black history has made its way to the very top of the president’s agenda with his targeting of the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Our borough is doing what it can to fight back, with the Center for Brooklyn History teaming up with the Dayton Literary Peace Prize to bring in authors of books on the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921, George Floyd, and Thurgood Marshall’s defense of the Groveland Boys. They will discuss “the current backlash against racial justice narratives, how truth is being rewritten, and why it matters now more than ever.”

So Bam Fun x Sungold: American Mahjong Lesson @ Arlo Williamsburg
7 p.m.
You’ve undoubtedly heard of Mahjong before, but be honest: Do you know how to play? Are you even entirely sure what it is? At this event, you’ll learn the basics of the game—here it’s American Mahjong, a variant of the Chinese version. While you’re being instructed, you get drinks, food, and music to make sure the vibe is perfect while you’re discovering your favorite new hobby. Plus, as the Washington Post informed us over the summer, it’s trendy now.

There’s No Place Like The Inside of My Head: Suicide Awareness Month Fundraiser @ Homerun
7 p.m.
The good folks at Homerun are kicking off a four-day fundraiser for Suicide Awareness Month tonight in their East Williamsburg brick and mortar. The first night features speakers and poetry readings from Damian B., Sloth, Josh Gordon, and others; Friday you can find an art exhibit by Dakota Bleu Barber running from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.; and this weekend proper, there’s music, 5k’s, an indie zine fair, a BBQ, a film screening, and so much more, to be found open to close on Saturday and Sunday.

Pat Lok, Matt FX, okDUNC, Alivia Tabb, and More @ Jupiter Disco
8 p.m.
Get a jumpstart on the weekend with a blast of house and assorted dance music from a mean, lean roster of local selectors, including the borough’s own Matt FX, who just launched his new label Non-Friction Records.

Friday, September 12

Flotsam! River Circus @ Pebble Beach, Brooklyn Bridge Park
6 p.m.
This is one of those things that is exactly what it sounds like: a circus (musicians, circus artists, puppeteers) that travels around on a raft, performing whenever they hit dry land. On this tour, they’re sailing hundreds of miles on the Erie Canal and the Hudson River. Make sure to get there early in order to get a good spot for the family-friendly show.

Anysia Kim & Tony Seltzer + JADALAREIGN and dj blackpowder @ Public Records
7 p.m.
To celebrate the arrival of their collaborative album, Anysia Kim and Tony Seltzer are taking over Public Records Friday night with 10k labelmates MIKE (under his DJ and producer handle, dj blackpower) and JADALAREIGN in tow. Pull up to preview their new project, Purity, through one of the best systems in town.

Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale Fancy Dress Screening @ Alamo Drafthouse Downtown Brooklyn
7:15 p.m.
Whether you’ve watched every episode or don’t know Downton Abbey from Abbey Road, get out your best 1920s British aristocratic gear—or your best guess at what that might be—and watch the finale of the TV series that defined the 2010s (and 2020s) for Anglophiles and PBS viewers alike.

Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me Presents: Comedy Grab Bag with Josh Gondelman! @ The Bell House
7:30 p.m.
The long-running NPR quiz show “Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me” is only nominally about the questions. Devoted listeners know that the real fun is listening to the panelists crack wise. Now, you have a chance to see that for yourself, with this night of comedy and more hosted by frequent WWDTM guest Josh Gondelman, and featuring several other show regulars including Joyelle Nicole Johnson and Hari Kondabolu.

Sparks – Mad! Tour @ Kings Theatre
8 p.m.
The long-running fraternal pop duo Sparks were all over the place a few years back, with a well-regarded documentary about their (at that point) 50-year run as a band, as well as the soundtrack (and story) for the absolutely stunning movie musical Annette. Since then, the brothers Mael have continued going. They’re out on tour supporting their latest album Mad! and an upcoming EP called, appropriately, Madder!

New York Art Book Fair Afterparty @ Purgatory
10 p.m.
This weekend, Printed Matter’s annual New York Art Book Fair is touching down at MoMA’s PS1 outpost. And while there will surely be ample pages to turn and bindings to explore over there, back in Brooklyn, Anti-Bone Press is presenting ’an “extremely unofficial disgustingly queer” afterparty for the show, complete with tarot readings, meme matchmaking, “cheeky chess,” and music provided by Bradley Sinanan.

Saturday, September 13

2nd Annual Small Press Small Fest! @ Books Are Magic
10:30 a.m.
Support your favorite small indie presses while experiencing readings, signings, special guests, and of course lots and lots of books! New Directions, Verso, Graywolf, and many more will be represented.

Omar @ 333 Stagg
4 p.m.
333 Stagg, the new-ish venue in East Williamsburg, welcomes Jersey producer and DJ Omar to the wheels on Saturday night for a “journey across global rhythms, creating an intentional soundtrack from sunset into night.” And what better way to watch the moon come up over the borough than from the raised outdoor patio of a converted industrial space, now fit with booming speaker stacks and a dance floor.

TV On The Radio Presents: There Goes The Neighborhood @ Under the K Bridge Park
5 p.m.
This show is billed as “a celebration of Brooklyn through the eyes of TV On The Radio,” so you know we had to recommend it. Joining the band to celebrate will be Flying Lotus, Moor Mother, Sudan Archives, and SPELLING. The event will be hosted by another Brooklyn staple, comedian Hannibal Buress.

AC15 The Day Fest + Secret Night Fest @ Dad’s Dojo
5 p.m.
Alt Citizen, the independent music publication/live show promoter/zine, is turning 15, and they’re going all out to celebrate with six days’ worth of shows, the details of which you can find here. Saturday’s gig, which takes place in the backyard of a dojo, might be the best of the bunch. It starts at 5 and goes until, well, who knows? The stacked bill includes Gnarcissists, The Beats Inc, Rebounder, Truman and the Frequent Flyers, and many, many more.

Goodie Bag Animation Festival @ Littlefield
7 p.m.
Local, indie animation of all sorts will be on display this evening. The festival, started by Amelia Johnson and Cam MacConnell, gets its name from the fact that, as its website explains, “Animation is all about diversity, and like with a goodie bag, you never know what to expect with it!”

Sunday, September 14

Smashed Burger Block Party 2025 @ BK Backyard Bar
11 a.m.
If you’re a smash burger connoisseur, this is going to be the highlight of your year. Six of the best burger spots in the city are going to battle for the right to claim they have NYC’s best smash burger. There will also be burger samples, tastings, demos, live music, a hot dog eating contest, and a whole lot more.

Second Sundays @ Pioneer Works
12 p.m.
It’s the middle of the month, and that means Pioneer Works is opening up the studios, galleries, and exhibits for another round of Second Sundays. September’s installment of the long-running series features stargazing, film screenings, an exhibition scavenger hunt, a comic workshop with illustrator MetOpera, and a plant sale pop-up from the Lower East Side Cactus & Succulent Society.

Latin Food Fest NYC 2025 @ Industry City
12 p.m. – 7 p.m.
NYC’s Latin Food Fest starts on Saturday and closes today. No matter which day you show up, you’re guaranteed great food, stellar music, art, and wild activities, including a Bad Bunny lookalike contest and something billed as a “hot sauce challenge.”

718 Sessions-The Rooftop Party 2025 @ LoHi
3 p.m.
This is the final outdoor party of the summer for the 718 Sessions party, featuring resident DJ Danny Krivit. If you are among the first 100 people to arrive before 4 p.m., it’s only $5 to get in! Dancing on a BK rooftop on a late summer afternoon: what could possibly be better?

Brooklyn Book Festival: The Weather Report with Andrew Ross @ Word Is Change
7 p.m.
The Brooklyn Book Festival kicks off on Sunday, and this panel is likely to be the highlight of day one. Three of the leading writers on climate change (Ross, Jaskiran Dhillon, and Ashley Dawson) will discuss how we got here, and what we can do next.