Weekend Guide: Theo Parrish, Soulection, Small Business Saturday, and more

By Shawn Setaro

It’s Thanksgiving, and we’ve got you covered. Not only for where to eat, but also for what to do when you’re occasionally not eating. If you’re feeling active, we’ve got running, ice skating, and dancing. If you’re more contemplative, there’s stargazing and moviegoing. Plus, DJs galore, of course. Oh, and there’s plenty of shopping, since Thanksgiving weekend also brings us Small Business Saturday, a holiday made up out of whole cloth by a credit card company back in 2010. However you spend your holiday, though, we hope it’s a great one.

Check out all the listings in the Weekend Guide below.

Courtesy Red Hook Turkey Trot

Thursday, November 27

Red Hook Turkey Trot @ Pioneer St. and Imlay Street
8 a.m.
There’s no better way to pre-burn all those Thanksgiving calories (that’s a thing, right?) than with this 5K race. There’s no registration required, and no fee to enter. Just show up and be ready for the run to start promptly at 8:10 a.m.

Thanksgiving at the Laundromat @ Laundromat
12 p.m.
Acclaimed chef Brock Middleton is preparing a family-style menu with his own twist on Thanksgiving classics. A vegetarian option is available if you put in your request 48 hours in advance. The price is $174/guest plus tax.

Planes, Trains & Automobiles @ Alamo Drafthouse Brooklyn
4 p.m.
The ultimate (only?) Thanksgiving movie classic gets a screening on the most appropriate day. Whether you’ve seen it a million times, haven’t watched it in years, or only know the “Those aren’t pillows!” bit, the film is definitely worth a watch.

Courtesy of Nowadays

Friday, November 28

Ice Skating @ Roebling Rink
12:30 p.m.
It’s skating rink season! This one, in Brooklyn Bridge Park, allows you to lace up right underneath the bridge itself. And admission is less than fifteen bucks.

Lightscape @ Brooklyn Botanic Garden
4:30 p.m.
The Lightscape is an absolutely can’t-miss holiday event. It only runs until early January, so you might as well see the spectacle early and often.

Soulfecta with JADALAREIGN, Niara, Shawn Dub, and more @ Dead Letter No. 9
7 p.m.
Work off that Turkey Day meal with multiple rooms of rhythm at Dead Letter No. 9 on Friday night. The evening gets started with a screening of the documentary How It Feels To Be Free, followed by myriad denominations of disco, house, techno, and genres yet to be named, provided by JADALAREIGN, Niara, Shawn Dub, Merlin Bobb, and more.

Levity Presents: LASERSHIP @ Brooklyn Paramount
8 p.m.
The electronic trio Levity have been killing it since forming in 2019. Now, they’re hitting the road with what they’re calling “the biggest production we’ve ever done.” It’s all with the audience in mind on this tour, reducing the capacity of the venues, so you’ll have more room to dance.

Theo Parrish All Night @ Nowadays
10 p.m.
Detroit techno champion and Nowadays resident Theo Parrish will be going the distance late Friday night, well into Saturday morning, honoring the foundational elements of dance music with his blessed blends of soul, jazz, funk, afrobeat, techno, house, and everything in between.

Joe Kay with Special Guest Gia Fu @ Knockdown Center
10 p.m.
Gia Fu will be helping Soulection chief Joe Kay close out his Knockdown Center residency for the year. Expect a vibrant dance floor moving at variable speeds to new cuts and classics culled from the West Coast camp’s catalog.

Legends of Hip Hop: featuring DJ Enuff, Stretch Armstrong, and Tony Touch @ Xanadu
11 p.m.
Yes, we know that Project Pat just played here last week. But it’s not our fault that a skating rink in Bushwick has some of the best hip-hop shows in the city. Check out three absolutely legendary DJs. And there are two options for tickets: come at 7 for a pre-show skate, or just show up at 11 to get down.

Courtesy of HOLO

Saturday, November 29

Small Business Saturday with The Lay Out Holiday Pop Up Market @ Atlantic Terminal
1 p.m. 
The ground floor of Atlantic Terminal will be home to a holiday market celebrating some of the borough’s best Black-owned small businesses. It’s the perfect chance to begin your holiday shopping while keeping it local.

Christmas Tree Lighting @ The Tom Kane Theatre, Industry City
2 p.m.
‘Tis the season, and one of the best ways to commemorate that is by attending a Christmas tree lighting. This one has carolers, kids’ activities, hot cocoa, and some great Small Business Saturday shopping.

Brazilian Girls with special guest Sophia Urista: One Night, NYC @ The Sultan Room
7 p.m.
Brazilian Girls have been doing their inimitable thing, on and off, since 2003, but they haven’t performed at all in around five years. So it’s sure to be a treat to see them in such an intimate setting.

Night of Kora with Baba Moussa and Yacouba Diabate @ Barzakh Café
10 p.m.
Moussa, a renowned percussionist and expert in the talking drum, and Diabate, a kora virtuoso, will be providing a night of West African music. The concert promises, and is sure to deliver, “an evening of Kora, drums, and energy.”

DJs Against Apartheid with Omar Hamad, DJ Haram, Acamol, and more @ HOLO
10 p.m.
Just over the borough’s borders, this Saturday night will be for standing (and definitely also dancing), in solidarity with survivors in Gaza, with four exquisite selectors spinning, two Palestinian organizations getting needed support, and a number of advocacy groups tabling all night long, raising money for those in need.

Benji B and Lovie, Jenifa Mayanja, and D’Sean @ Public Records
11 p.m.
Benji B, by no means a stranger to these shores, is returning to Public Records to hold it down in the Sound Room at Public Records. He’ll get some support from Lovie in that corner of the venue, but if you’re one for wandering the premises (and we highly recommend taking a lap at some point), you’ll find Jenifa Mayanja in the Atrium, and D’Sean going in upstairs.

Courtesy of Superior Ingredients

Sunday, November 30

Paul van Dyk: Sunday Sessions @ Superior Ingredients
2 p.m.
Van Dyk’s Saturday night set at 99 Scott is already sold out. So if you want to see the legendary German DJ and producer, this is your best shot. It’s an afternoon event that runs for a full eight hours, until 10 p.m.

Jim Rama & Alan Cave: Kompa Zouk Love Experience @ LK Lounge & Event Hall
4 p.m.
The two Caribbean legends are joining forces for an unforgettable afternoon of music. Kompa innovator Cave and zouk love star Rama will make sure you have the best of both styles.

Couplet: Honey Honey Moon Moon @ Union Hall
5 p.m.
The duo Couplet, who specialize in comedy songs, are a married couple. What better way to commemorate their sometimes disastrous, sometimes touching, and always funny trip to the altar than to write an entire musical comedy about it? Honey Honey Moon Moon killed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and now it’s our turn to experience it.

Astronomy: Autumn Sky @ Salt Marsh Nature Center in Marine Park
7 p.m.
There’s nothing quite like looking up at the night sky—though thanks to the millions of people in NYC and their light pollution, it can be tough to get a good view around here. So head on out to Marine Park to get a lecture on astronomy from the Urban Park Rangers, and then take a look, through telescopes and binoculars, at what’s up above.