Weekend Guide: Benson Boone, Underground Art, Natural Hair Fest

By Shawn Setaro

For once, the biggest event in NYC is not happening in Brooklyn, or even in Manhattan. Jay-Z is doing a pair of concerts at Yankee Stadium, celebrating two of his classic albums. (Personally, this writer is holding out for 30th anniversary shows for Vol. 3 sometime in 2029.) 

Regardless, we’ve got plenty of non-Hov-related events (and one pre-concert warmup) to fill up the rest of your weekend. From fashion history to an adult version of recess, underground art to computer hacking, we’ve got everything you could possibly want—and some things you didn’t even know you wanted. Check it all out in the Weekend Guide.  

Thursday, July 9

The Power of the Story: Neighbors Share How Brooklyn Fought Deed Theft @ Weeksville Heritage Center 
5:30 p.m. 

City Council Member Chi Ossé (who has taken a very public stand about the issue of deed theft) and Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams have partnered up with the City Planning Office to help present this discussion about deed theft and Black homeownership. The night begins with a tour of the Historic Hunterfly Road Houses. Then there will a public conversation about deed theft with community members and advocates.   

Black Joy Film Fest: Versailles ’73: American Runway Revolution @ Restoration West Plaza 
5:30 p.m. 

The “Battle at Versailles” was a seminal moment in American fashion: a battle between French and American designers, at the Palace of Versailles. The Americans, who used 10 Black models—an unprecedented number for the time—ended up stealing the show. Among the models walking at the show was a young Bethann Hardison. Gather with friends and neighbors to watch a documentary about this amazing piece of history. 

Pancakes & Booze Underground Art Show @ The Brooklyn Monarch
7 p.m. 

The tastiest art show of the year is back. Come see work from over 100 local artists, live audio performances, body painting, and more. And yes, there really will be all-you-can-eat pancakes, for free.   

Cyrano de Bergerac: Adapted for the Modern Clown @ The Makers’ Space (also Fri.)
7:30 p.m. 

Everyone’s favorite impersonator story gets a makeover in this production. While the structure of the classic story remains the same, clowning gets added to help make the tale both heartfelt and absurd.  

Friday, July 10

Summercon 2026 @ Littlefield
10 a.m. 

Friday and Saturday bring us Summercon, the country’s longest-running hacker conference. It’ll be split among three locations: Littlefield, Ornate Studio, and Lucky 13 Saloon. Both days also feature an afterparty.  

The Play Hooky Experience Brooklyn New York (Jay-Z Weekend) @ Bk Backyard Bar
11 a.m. 

This is the immersive adult recess you’ve always wanted. Think of your summer camp field day, but this time with grown-ups. Plus live music, DJs, and vendors.  

Office Writers Panel | NYC Student Film Festival 2026 @ AbelCine 
2:15 p.m. 

For the aspiring comedy scribes among us. Here’s a chance to learn how to write funny (and how to make it in TV) from two writers from The Office, Jennifer Celotta and Warren Lieberstein. 

January 6th the Musical @ Brooklyn Art Haus
7 p.m. 

This show focuses on best friends Kiely and Jessie, whose joint birthday is ruined when they are falsely suspected of involvement in the attempted coup at the Capitol. Will they be able to free themselves via some powerhouse songs? We’ll just have to see. 

Benson Boone: Wanted Man Tour 2026 @ Barclays Center 
8 p.m. 

Do you like sequined jumpsuits and backflips? Well, sadly, the next Olympics aren’t until 2028. But if you’re going through withdrawal, you can get your fill of both of those things—and some powerful vocals besides—at Benson Boone’s show, which hits Barclays Center on Friday and Saturday. Olivia O’Brien opens up.

Saturday, July 11  

Father @ Elsewhere
7 p.m. 

Atlanta’s Father, one of the most entertaining and funny rappers out there, is coming to town. This writer, for one, will never forget hearing him introduce and play his 2018 classic “Thotnite,” which turned an otherwise staid magazine office into the hottest party in town for two and a half minutes. Imagine what he can do with a full concert. Boygirl and Mijita open up. 

NightWav – A Synthwave/Darksynth Party (GOST Tribute | 9 Year Anniversary) @ The Wood Shop
11 p.m. 

James Cody Lollar, known to synthwave fans the world over as GOST, died this past April at 46. This party will pay tribute to him and his legacy, and at the same time celebrate nine years of the NightWav party—an event that his music helped inspire.   

Hola Hovito: A Jay-Z & Roc-a-Fella Tribute @ The Deia
2 p.m. 

The Jay-Z concerts this weekend are of course in the Bronx and thus not eligible for this calendar. But this event should serve as the perfect warmup if you’re going to the Blueprint 25 show. Sean Falyon and DJ Ny Giant will play Roc-a-Fella album cuts, songs that were interpolated and sampled for classic Hov records, and everything else that went into the making of one of the greatest LPs of any genre of the last quarter-century.  

Telula & T3LULA @ Public Records
7 p.m. 

Telula is a killer four-piece funk/disco band with catchy tunes. T3LULA is the same musicians, minus their singer, playing fusion-style compositions that groove hard. Come see both incarnations at the same event.

Sunday, July 12

Natural Hair Fest New York City @ Sheraton Brooklyn
10 a.m. 

This fest devoted to “natural beauty, healthy haircare practices, and community empowerment” will be jam-packed with product demos, discussions, showcases, networking, fashion, live DJs, and a whole lot more. It runs all day, from 10 a.m. to midnight. Note that a separate ticket is required for evening admission. 

Flatbush Avenue Street Fair @ Flatbush Ave. from Parkside Ave. to Cortelyou Road
12 p.m. 

We may well be biased due to living just a few blocks away, but this is one of the best street fairs in the borough. The rides, music, food, and vendors are all on point, and of course the whole thing will have, as advertised, “Caribbean flair.” 

Positive Deviance NYC presents All Vinyl, All Love @ Gabriela
4 p.m. 

Bobbito Garcia has been very public about the fact that COVID isn’t over. So it’s no surprise that he will be DJ’ing (along with DJ Suce) at this event with a mask-required dance floor. Organizers will even have sip valves, so you’ll be able to drink while you’re getting your groove on—and keep yourself and everyone else safe from infection at the same time.  

Craig Finn & Patterson Hood: Devil in the Details Summer 2026 Tour @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
8 p.m. 

The frontmen of The Hold Steady (Finn) and Drive-By Truckers (Hood) have a decades-long history, one that Finn recounts here. They also happen to be two of the best rock and roll songwriters currently working. So to see them on the same bill is going to make for one hell of an evening.