Photo by Michael Gonik
Weekend Guide
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-Apr 16, 2026
Weekend Guide: Record Store Day, Pre-4/20 Shenanigans, Donuts Are Forever, and More
These next few nights provide myriad opportunities to get (and stay) elevated
This is the last weekend before Earth Day, which happens next Wednesday. So, of course, we’re bringing you some very Brooklyn ways to celebrate, by spending time in a few of the borough’s finest outdoor locations: Fort Greene Park, Albee Square, and Maria Hernandez Park. But that’s far from everything going on this weekend. There’s also the return of Record Store Day on Saturday and what will likely be a bit of a warm-up for 4/20, each of which doubles as a fantastic opportunity to support some local businesses. If you’re looking for a not terribly typical source for your wax allotment, or a dispensary that’ll get you sorted in a hurry, we’ve got you covered on both fronts.
These next nights also feature avant-garde noise and rappers with jokes, Dilla commemorations and comic book celebrations, and so much more, in the latest edition of the Weekend Guide. See the full listings below.
Courtesy of Roulette
Thursday, April 16
Cassette Duplication Workshop @ Secret Riso Club
6 p.m.
Part workshop, part collective mixtaping project, this event encourages attendees to submit tracks, shows them how the art and science behind tape manipulation, and sends them home with a cassette of all the cuts collected throughout the evening (and maybe even a new hobby).
2J3BD: The Saga Continues @ The Bell House
7:30 p.m.
2J3BD (for “two Jews and three Black dudes”) is a podcast by ItsTheReal, the comic brother duo of Eric and Jeff Rosenthal, and Yonkers hip-hop legends The Lox. The odd-couple friendship works wonders, and the show by now is a well-oiled machine of hilarious movie reviews and recurring bits, including one where the Rosenthals try to determine if Jadakiss is secretly Italian. The whole crew is coming to The Bell House to tape a live show.
Everyone Is Lying to You for Money with Live Q&A @ Alamo Drafthouse Brooklyn
7:45 p.m.
Ben McKenzie has moved on from The O.C. to crusading against crypto. He co-wrote a book about it in 2023, and now he’s followed that up with a documentary. McKenzie will be on hand in person to answer all your questions about why crypto sucks.
?!: New Works 2026 – Night 7 @ The Brick
8 p.m.
The Brick’s ?!: New Works series has a ton of boundary-pushing shows of all types, so be sure to make it out to at least one of its 15(!) nights. This one features work by Kat Sotelo, Cori Diaz, Nico Krell (whose Nineteen/Ninety/One is adapted from text by the seminal East Village artist David Wojnarowicz), and Max Mooney and Connor Nielsen.
Jeff Mills’ Cinemix of Metropolis @ Roulette
8 p.m.
Not that Fritz Lang’s nearly century-old cinematic masterpiece needs it, but if you’ve ever watched Metropolis and thought, This would go nuts with a drum machine and synth beds behind it, producer Jeff Mills has just the treatment in mind for you. He’ll be accompanying a projection of the 1927 film with a live score at the Downtown Brooklyn venue. Doors are at 7 p.m., and the show starts at 8.
Courtesy of Rodeo
Friday, April 17
Rhythm in the Kitchen Festival 2026 Night 2 @ Main Drag Music
6 p.m.
This annual celebration of improvised and avant-garde music continues with a ton of great performances. The evening caps off with Hans Tammen’s Third Eye Festival All-Star Band.
Frog @ Elsewhere
7 p.m.
Check out the long-running indie band, whose new album Frog for Sale drops on the very night of this show. Olivia O. and DJ Silky Smooth open.
Veteran bassist Melvin Gibbs is everywhere these days. He’s just released a new book, How Black Music Took Over the World, and now he’s got a multi-part residency to bring it to life. This performance will pay homage to Gibbs’ Gullah-Geechee ancestors.
Shadowbanned Magazine Issue 04 Launch Party @ Rodeo BK
10 p.m.
Shadowbanned is an independent leftist magazine devoted to diverse perspectives and collective liberation—both concepts that are needed now more than ever. They’re celebrating the launch of their issue themed around grief, but don’t let the issue concept fool you into thinking the party will be a downer. Just the opposite—the theme is “Bimbofication Ball,” and it even comes with a Bryan Noem look-a-like contest.
Courtesy of Good Room
Saturday, April 18
Earth Day Festival @ Fort Greene Park
11 a.m.
Celebrate the one habitable planet we’ve got with workshops, crafts, and games. All the fun can be found at the park’s Monument Plaza.
Downtown Brooklyn Car-Free Earth Day 2026 @ Albee Square and Albee Square West
12 p.m.
Who says there’s only one way to celebrate Earth Day? This event takes over downtown Brooklyn with music, poetry, art-making, snacks, live entertainment, and even a chance for the 5-14-year-olds in your life to learn how to ride a bike.
Ende Tymes 16: Feat. Raven Chacon & Iggor Cavalera, and more @ Pioneer Works
8 p.m.
If you didn’t get enough avant-garde music last night, you can continue the fun at this festival of “noise and sonic liberation,” with performances by Raven Chacon & Iggor Cavalera, Pedestrian Deposit, Jeph Jerman, Relay For Death, Las Sucias, and Shot Dog.
Rare Form + Building Beats present: DONUTS ARE FOREVER 20 @ BRIC House
8 p.m.
This annual tribute to the late musical innovator James “J Dilla” Yancey is unmissable every year, but especially this one. DJs include Questlove, DJ Spinna, DJ Tara, and DJ Bles-sed.
The Lot Radio x Kiosk Radio @ Good Room
10 p.m.
What’s better than one online radio platform programming a night at the club? Two, naturally. And Saturday will be a rare opportunity to see and hear them join forces behind the decks and on the floor in the many good (and bad) rooms of the East Williamsburg compound.
Courtesy of Xanadu
Sunday, April 19
Brooklyn Independent Comics Showcase @ The Box Factory
11 a.m.
Independent comics artists, writers, and publishers will all be on hand for this two-day convention, which starts on Saturday. There are signings, panels, classes, and mixers. Check out the whole schedule here.
Spoons Toons & Booze Says No To Drugs @ Nitehawk Cinema Williamsburg
11:15 a.m.
In this iteration of the long-running movie series, the folks at SecretFormula put together a program of anti-drug PSA cartoons from the ‘80s through the aughts. You can see the cringe-worthy craziness while partaking in the free cereal bar and sipping on cereal-inspired cocktails.
Yiseul LeMieux: Die Cute @ Center for Performance Research
2 p.m.
LeMieux puts together an “imagined funeral” in this performance. She uses cuteness (like a bunny choir, which is too adorable to even think about for very long), to disarm the audience and guide them through grief.
Terroir at Maria Hernandez Park @ Maria Hernandez Park
2 p.m.
A pair of selectors are posting up for a free all-day party in the park, blasting wax through a supercharged U.V.A. sound system.
Burning Spear @ Brooklyn Bowl
8 p.m.
The reggae legend is doing two nights at Brooklyn Bowl this weekend, so you’d better make it to at least one of them. LawGiver the Kingson and DJ Amy “Night Nurse” Wachtel open up.
Stoned on Wheels with Lexi Love @ Xanadu
8 p.m.
Get rolling and, of course, stoned, at this free pre-4/20-proper skate session at Xanadu hosted by Lexi Love of RuPaul’s Drag Race fame, with drag performances, DJs, and strains galore.
