Weekend Guide: Kiefer, The NYC Coffee Festival, and a Stoopfest in Greenpoint

By Shawn Setaro

It’s October, so the air is getting a little crisper, the pumpkin spice drinks are getting a little pumpkin spicier, and Halloween events are somehow already underway. We’re celebrating all of that this week with the opening of a haunted house, a couple of fantastic neighborhood fairs, and film festivals. But if autumn leaves don’t do it for you, there’s also Brecht plays, the legacy of The Band, movies great and (very) bad, and a whole lot more. Check it all out in the latest Weekend Guide.

Courtesy of Cafe Erzulie

Thursday, October 1

Haunted Mansion BK (Opening Night) @ La Casita Brooklyn
5 p.m.

This immersive, themed haunted house experience makes you a part of the story. You move through multiple rooms, encountering both scares and clues to the mystery. It’s 18+ and runs all month long.

The Last BBQ: A MeatHook Party @ MeatHook
5 p.m.

The Brooklyn butcher shop is closing out the season with one last block party and BBQ, slinging burger, tacos, and beers until sold out and some presumably some moving through the crisp, newly autumnal air.

The Helm Family Band Returns to Industry City @ Industry City Bandshell
7 p.m.

Amy Helm, daughter of the late Levon, vocalist and drummer of The Band, has been living up to her heritage by leading the Helm Family Band. The group performs songs from The Band, of course, but also puts together a whole rock and roll revue. They’ll be performing two sets tonight, rain or shine.

Giveton Gellon + Quinette @ Cafe Erzulie
7 p.m.

Erzulie’s free weekly jazz series returns with sets from Bahamian trumpeter Giveton and DJ Quinette, who will give way to a late-night “Soundoff” jam session on Bed-Stuy/Bushwick border. RSVP via Posh at the link above.

GALILEO by Bertolt Brecht @ Waterfront Museum
8 p.m.

Brooklyn Stage Company is putting on this production of Brecht’s 1943 show about the great Italian astronomer and the controversy caused by his discoveries. It’s a brand new adaptation by Robert Francis Cole.

Courtesy of TV EYE

Friday, October 2

Teddy Swims: The Ugly Tour @ Barclays Center
7 p.m.

Swims is in the middle of an epically long tour, which began back in April at Coachella and continues through mid-November. He’s bringing along Freak Freely as his backing band. Mac Ayers and Marclo open up. Tickets (including right up front in the pit) are still available as of this writing.

Bad Poly: An Open Mic & Fundraiser for Messy Queer, Trans & Poly Stories @ Hive Mind Books
7 p.m.

We all love hearing about other peoples’ messy love lives, and all the more so when the stories involve multiple partners. This open mic will explore all of the chaos, the joy, and the bad planning inherent in polyamory. All of the proceeds from the night will go to G.L.I.T.S. and the Immigrant Defense Project.

Her Voice Film Festival: Night 1 @ Brooklyn Art Haus
7 p.m.

This unusual and much-needed film festival exists to “celebrate and amplify the music of women and non-binary film composers.” It runs all weekend. Opening night features a lineup of seven short films, plus a filmmaker Q&A.

Kiefer @ Elsewhere
7 p.m.

The LA-based pianist, producer, and recent Blue Note signee is blessing the better coast at The Hall. Expect to hear plenty from his new album, Memory Bomb, but also selections from a wide catalog of solo, group, and collaborative work over the last decade.

SUREWHYNOT CIRCUS: The Final Goodbye @ Rubulad
8 p.m.

After almost a decade and a half, the party is coming to an end. To say goodbye to the world, SUREWHYNOT CIRCUS is throwing one hell of a going-away event. There will be entertainers and curiosities of all stripes, plus DJs and even a brass band.

Love 2 Love: A Donna Summer Disco Party @ TV Eye
11 p.m.

Is TV Eye technically in Ridgewood? Yes. Is Ridgewood spiritually some twisted variant of a bygone Brooklyn era? Yes. Is a Donna Summer dance party that celebrates “a decade of disco decadence” a splendid way to cap or start a night if you happen to be in that part of town? Also, yes.

Courtesy of Rodeo

Saturday, October 3

NYC Coffee Festival @ 100 Dobbin St.
9 a.m.

The top makers of coffees (and teas) in the city share their wares. Best of all, tasting from the coffee vendors is included in the cost of your ticket. You can even bring your own favorite mug.

Consumption, Extraction, Resistance: The DRC and Us @ 292 N. 8th St.
3 p.m.

This free film screening engages with the question, “How do our consumption habits connect us to the Democratic Republic of the Congo?” To that end, they’ll be showing Saul Williams and Anisia Uzeyman’s superb 2021 feature Neptune Frost alongside Petna Ndaliko Katondolo’s documentary short from last year, Lwanzo (Cobalt). Both deal with the DRC’s mining—how what comes out of the earth over there powers our phones, computers, electric cars, and more. Who exactly does that mining, and under what conditions (words like “subhuman” and “horror show” are used a lot), are more important to think and learn about now than ever.

A Queer Gaming Night in Brooklyn @ Game Chamber Studios
5 p.m.

This queer game night has got it all. There are separate rooms for PS5 (VR headset inclusive) and Nintendo Switch; board games; cards games; and even a chance to get a flash tattoo or a tooth gem. Drinks are also included with your (very reasonably priced) ticket.

Tootsie’s Video Vault 7 @ Littlefield
7:30 p.m.

About three months ago, a bunch of filmmakers got selected to make a three-minute short film. Tonight, you’ll see the results. But it’s not just passive watching. You’ll get to see awards not only for normal things like acting and directing, but also categories like “Most Editing,” “Least Serious Film,” and “Best Kiss,” or “Best Dressed” and “First One To Show Up” for attendees.

Ja Ja Ja: Libra Edition @ Rodeo
9 p.m.

Oscar Nñ’s recurring Rodeo party returns this week with a very special “Libra edition,” toasting to birthdays in the roster of DJs assembled for this installment, but also Ja Ja Ja’s two-year anniversary. Pull up and pour out.

Courtesy of Frog Wine Bar

Sunday, October 4

Arts & Crafts Fair @ Nook
10 a.m.

The sidewalk and patio of the coffeeshop Nook will be full of local artists and craftspeople selling their wares. If you want to find the perfect one-of-a-kind gift—and you haven’t yet OD’d on coffee from Saturday’s coffee festival—this is the place to be.

Bush Cook Festival @ Restoration Plaza
11 a.m.

The entire African diaspora will be celebrated in force during this day-long event, across multiple locations on the plaza. Food classes and tastings, a market featuring Black creatives and entrepreneurs, DJs, and much, much more will keep things rocking until 10 p.m.

Greenpoint StoopFest @ Lorimer between Nassau & Norman
1 p.m.

Celebrate the neighborhood that brought us both Mae West and Pat Benatar (imagine the duet!) This “wanderable neighborhood festival” has (free) food, music, shopping, and all kinds of activities, including a mural, DIY art stations, dancing, a photobooth, and lots more. Plus, there will be a closing party starting at 5 p.m. at the McCarren Parkhouse.

Baby Oyster Pop-Up @ Frog Wine Bar
5 p.m.

The roaming seafood lover’s pop-up is pit-stopping in Bed-Stuy this weekend at what our readers claimed was the best bar in Brooklyn last year. They’ll be serving ceviche, presumably some type of bivalve, and wine, of course, while supplies last.

Die Laughing at Hellraiser: Hellworld @ Flop House Comedy Club
7 p.m.

The first two Hellraiser films are true classics. After that, it’s a little hit-and-miss. One of the entries toward the “miss” end is Hellraiser: Hellworld, a movie made mostly as a contractual obligation and not originally meant to be a Hellraiser film at all. So this event, where the film is screened MST3K style, with live commentary by comedians, makes perfect sense.