Photo by Scott Lynch
Weekend Guide: Soul Summit, Pride, Los Thuthanaka, and More
Jumping into the first weekend of Pride Month with day-long parties, all-night sets, stand-up, comic book and zine fairs, and so much more
It’s a music-heavy weekend here at the Weekend Guide. Whether you’re in the mood for ‘70s spiritual jazz, modern long-form hypnotic compositions, corridos, electronic jams, soca, or just tunes from years that end in the number 6, we’ve got you covered.
On top of all that, there’s a documentary about the creation of Industry City, films about the AIDS crisis, a comic book fair, and of course the best place in town to watch the Tonys. Check it all out in the latest edition below.
Courtesy of Xanadu
Thursday, June 4
The Music Nerds: Crew Love/Iconic Groups @ St. James Libations
6:30 p.m.
The Music Nerds, a “social club dedicated to Black folks who love music,” is putting on a themed event celebrating groups and collaborations from years ending in 6. The club’s chief nerd, Scene Serene, will be handling 1976, 1986, and 2006; Antoinette Isama will be spinning songs from 1996; and Swank will take on 2016. In addition to the tunes, there will be a collectors’ swap table, a vinyl raffle, and more.
Los Thuthanaka @ Elsewhere
7 p.m.
The duo Los Thuthanaka put out one of the most critically beloved albums of last year, with their self-titled project getting raves from Pitchfork, Stereogum, Paste, The Wire, Resident Advisor, you name it. So, you’d be a fool to miss their instrumental lo-fi genius in-person.
Experiment as Method, Care as Practice: Four Decades of HIV and AIDS Shorts @ e-flux Screening Room
7 p.m.
The Film-Makers’ Cooperative, Visual AIDS, and MIX NYC have joined forces—as well as their archives—for this event, which screens a dozen experimental films and videos that span almost the entire length of the AIDS crisis, from 1986 to 2024. Filmmakers include Lawrence Brose, Michelle Handelman, Charles Lum, Lourdes Portillo, and more.
Josh Gondelman, Jean Grae, & John Hodgman’s “In Alphabetical Order” @ Union Hall
7:30 p.m.
Gondelman, Grae, and Hodgman (along with singer/drummer Ruby Laks) will be doing stand-up separately (and occasionally together) at this loose, fun, and very funny show, their second in a short residency.
The Illustrious Blacks with Razor n Tape @ Xanadu
8 p.m.
Pull up for an Illustrious Blacks single release party and stick around to see hometown label Razor N Tape take over the CDJs at the Bushwick roller rink tonight. Doors are at 8, with music starting not long after.
Courtesy of House of Yes
Friday, June 5
Rave for Lebanon @ 314 Scholes St.
4 p.m.
This all-day, all-night affair with a dozen DJs can be experienced multiple ways: as a sunset rooftop party, a late-night rave, or even both if you’re feeling up to it. Every ticket you buy helps displaced families in Lebanon.
VHOOR, MoMA Ready, and sixx4sixx @ Elsewhere’s Rooftop
6 p.m.
Get the most out of these still tolerably cool late-spring nights with a trio of sets cracking the seal on roof season, an honorary sub-genre of every good NYC summer since time immemorial, from up high, naturally, in the club corridor of East Williamsburg.
Back in 1972, the Mtume Umoja Ensemble, led by James Mtume, put out an album called Alkebu-Lan: Land of the Blacks (Live at the East). Recorded at a long-gone Bed-Stuy jazz club and community space, the project has an outsized reputation as a classic of ‘70s spiritual jazz—a reputation that led to a grey-market European vinyl reissue of the hard-to-find and not-on-streaming project about a decade ago. Now, you can hear the album for yourself, on vinyl, in a thoughtful and immersive group setting.
Emergent City screening, with directors Kelly Anderson and Jay Arthur Sterrenberg @ UnionDocs
7 p.m.
Directors Anderson and Sterrenberg, along with producer Àvila-Hanna, will be on hand for a screening of their documentary Emergent City. The film deals with the struggles around the creation of Industry City.
House of Grooves: Eli Escobar All Night and Sissies of Mercy @ House of Yes
10 p.m.
Eli Escobar will be commanding the main chamber at House of Yes all night for the first Friday of his month-long residency, which happens to be the gateway to the very first weekend of Pride month. In the Onyx Room, find Sissies of Mercy overseeing the overflow space with potent blends of 80s pop, house, acid, and footwork fodder.
Brooklyn Carnival @ Littlefield
11 p.m.
A late-night dance party that promises only the best soca, reggae, and dancehall. Doors close sharply at 1 a.m., but the party keeps going until 4.
Courtesy of Honey’s
Saturday, June 6
Brooklyn Pride Comic Book Fair 2026 @ Brooklyn Community Pride Center Crown Heights
12 p.m.
This is exactly what it sounds like: a celebration of both LGBTQIA+ community, local comic creators, and, of course, their intersections. There will also be an afterparty at Anyone Comics, just a short walk away.
Going In: The Bunker’s Long-Form Durational Music Festival @ Pioneer Works
12 p.m.
Everyone is complaining about how attention spans are being destroyed by technology. This weekend, we’ve got the antidote. This is a 12-hour-long program all about “immersive listening,” with long-form compositions dedicated to taking you on hypnotic journeys. Performers include Abby Echiverri, Ami Dang, Chloe Alexandra Thompson, Christina Wheeler, Gamelatron, Imaginary Softwoods, Infinity Machine, Keith Fullerton Whitman, Kelly Moran, Kroba, Omar Ahmad x DJ Haram, and The Transcendence Orchestra.
Soul Summit and Hunny Bunny Backyard Bash @ Roberta’s
3 p.m.
The Bushwick pizza palace is opening up the yard for an early-summer preview of Soul Summit, the institutional Fort Greene party, making its debut proper later in the season. Stop by for coal-fired pies, cold ones, and a free day party, soundtracked by a legendary collective of selectors.
Ghost City Queers Present; Trans Creatives Meetup and Zine Launch @ Hive Mind Books
7 p.m.
Ghost City Queers, a collective of trans disabled artists, make zines “about the things that keep you going when you’re a queer ghost in the city.” They’re about to release issue number 4, so this event serves as both a release party and a way to meet other trans and queer creatives.
Xenia Rubinos @ The Sultan Room
7 p.m.
Cuban singer, songwriter, and professor Xenia Rubinos will be toasting to ten years of her breakthrough 2016 album Black Terry Cat, with assistance from Brooklyn via Botswana artist Lollise.
NO TE ENAMORES FEST 3 – Corridos v Reggaeton @ Brooklyn Warehouse
10 p.m.
This event promises “no love, just corridos.” And honestly? That’s about the best way we can think of to spend an evening.
Courtesy of Good Room
Sunday, June 7
55th Annual International African Arts Festival Opening Libation @ The Billie Holiday Theatre
4 p.m.
The International African Arts Festival isn’t happening until later this summer (July 3-5, to be exact). But celebrations around it are already kicking off in earnest. This bill includes Sipho Kunene & Woza Masekela, Bambara African Dance & Drum Ensemble, and Entre Almas – Rachiim Ausar-Sahu, Dir., feat. Joyce Brandon.
Soul Slam: Prince Edition with DJ Spinna @ Good Room
6 p.m.
We all know DJ Spinna’s famous tributes to Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson. But his celebrations of The Purple One are equally essential. This one at the Good Room is not to be missed.
Travis Sullivan’s Bjorkestra @ ShapeShifter Lab
7 p.m.
Travis Sullivan’s Bjorkestra has been doing its thing for over 20 years, reimagining the iconic Icelander’s whole catalog through the lens of jazzy big bands (a configuration the avant-garde singer’s quite familiar with and fond of), and this is a fantastic opportunity to catch them live and direct.
The 2026 TONY Awards viewing party @ Brooklyn Art Haus
7:30 p.m.
Brooklyn Art Haus and their attached Mediterranean restaurant, The Mouth, are teaming up for a watch party of Broadway’s Biggest Night. The restaurant provides dinner and drinks, and your fellow theater/theatre lovers will provide the drama.
