Courtesy of Egyptian Lover
Weekend Guide
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-May 7, 2026
Weekend Guide: Egyptian Lover, Swamp in The City, The US Air Guitar Championships, and More
Stacked to the brim with DJs, comedy, live music, and not one, but two Red Hook-based festivals
This weekend brings us Mother’s Day, and a happy one to all who celebrate. We here at the Weekend Guide have come up with plenty of guides over the years to help you determine where to eat and what to buy for that first special lady in your life. So, we’ll leave that alone this week and assume you’ve got it covered.
But if you’re looking for ways to spend the rest of the weekend, with or without a parent or child in tow, look no further. We’ve got a bunch of festivals (more than one of which is in Red Hook), DJs, comedy, live music, and more. And best of all, it’s the most Wonder-full time of the year, with DJ Spinna’s much-loved annual tribute returning, this time at Polygon Brooklyn.
Check it all out below.
Courtesy of Public Records
Thursday, May 7
Nate Rappaport Presents: Welcome To My Garden and The Primordial Sessions @ Shapeshifter Lab
7 p.m.
Drummer and composer Nate Rappaport gives us music from not one, but two new projects tonight. The first is the solo endeavor Welcome To My Garden which he calls “an immersive musical experience.” The second, The Primordial Sessions, is inspired by meditative traditions. For that one, he’ll be joined by Jon Madof on guitar and Jack Kaiser on synth and bass.
Swamp in the City Official Kickoff Party @ The Waterfront Museum
7 p.m.
Swamp in the City is the borough’s annual Cajun and Creole music festival, held along the Red Hook waterfront. The official launch starts with a dance lesson. Then accordionist Jesse Lége takes the stage, followed by The Revelers. For more information about everything going on in the festival, click here.
McDougall’s new book is Nonstop Bodies: How Dance Shaped New York City. It’s a cultural history of the dances that defined the city we love, from Prohibition dance marathons to Broadway hoofing to b-boys and b-girls. McDougall will read from the book, and then discuss it with fellow author Joshua Jelly-Schapiro.
Underground & Black: with Analog Soul, JADALAREIGN, and Ash Lauryn @ Public Records
Doors 10:30 p.m.
If Friday’s feeling more like a Saturday or Sunday this week, pull up for this late-night session with a stellar roster of selectors, sure to get the weekend revved up no matter where it responsibly starts for you.
Courtesy of Powerhouse Arts
Friday, May 8
Sojourners for Justice Press Presents: Black Zine Fair @ Powerhouse Arts
11 a.m.
This day-long affair at Powerhouse is presented by a Black abolitionist feminist publishing group, and will feature 10 workshops and more than 100 exhibitors for the indie pub curious and fateful. Perhaps best of all, it’s free with RSVP. Sign up today to secure your entry.
Silent Disco @ Commodore Barry Park
6 p.m.
Love to dance? Love parks? Love the weird moment of seeing a huge group of people dance to what appears to be no music at all? Then why not show up at this silent disco in that other park in Fort Greene?
Frida, Diego, and the Day of the Dead @ Green-Wood Cemetery
7 p.m.
There may be no more beautiful place in New York City to listen to opera than Green-Wood. This program is inspired by El Último Sueño de Frida y Diego, a new opera about Mexico’s most iconic artist couple, by composer Gabriela Lena Frank, with libretto by Nilo Cruz. The opera itself opens at the Met later this month, but you can get a sneak peak here. The program will include excerpts from the piece, alongside poetry, performance, and conversation based around the work’s themes.
Opening night of The Red Hook Film Festival: The Secrets of Barnacle @ Red Hook Cidery
7:30 p.m.
That’s right: it’s our second Red Hook-based festival of the weekend. The Red Hook Film Festival kicks off tonight and runs through the 17th. More info about what else they’ve got going on here. Directed by Charles Gay, The Secrets of Barnacle will open the festival with a chornicle of the Barnacle Parade, Red Hook’s annual commemoration of, and response to, the devastation of Superstorm Sandy.
Crossing Divides One Act Festival @ New Workshop Theater/Whitman Hall (Brooklyn College)
7:30 p.m.
Sure, why not another festival while we’re at it? This one consists of single-act plays that all explore the theme of, you guessed it, crossing divides. Tonight’s program consists of Henry St. by Kaye Hurley; Nadine, Nadine, Nadine by Zoë Geltman; and Pink Bunny Blue by Richard Hollman.
Courtesy of Xanadu
Saturday, May 9
Road to Pride Presents: Disco Crawl – Williamsburg Edition @ Oberon
2 p.m.
This is the second of three Road to Pride bar crawls. This disco-themed event will be hosted the GLAM Award-winning Essa Noche. It’ll pass through Oberon, The Exley, and Animal. Make sure to dress in your disco best!
Ross From Friends @ Elsewhere
4 p.m.
The British DJ is touching down in NYC for a pair of sets on Saturday. First, at this enclosed show at the far East Williamsburg venue, then shooting over to the Greenpoint/Williamsburg proper border for a run on The Lot Radio. Though, if you’re looking to experience him live and direct and without any lag or vulnerability to the weather, the Elsewhere show is the place to be.
Electro Prom: with Egyptian Lover, Get Free! Rose Kourts, and more @ Xanadu
7 p.m.
The Bushwick roller rink is hosting a formal of the highest voltage this weekend, gathering legends like Egyptian Lover and local hitters like Get Free! (aka TV on The Radio’s Jaleel Bunton) and Deo Jorge for “an 80s vision of the future that never happened.” And, frankly, that sounds delightful.
US Air Guitar Championships – Brooklyn Qualifier @ Barrow’s Intense Tasting Room
7 p.m.
Yes, this really is what it claims to be: an air guitar competition, complete with judges and commentary. The winner advances straight to the national finals in San Francisco. If you think you’ve got what it takes, sign up here to compete.
Rachel Tokar & Friends @ Union Hall
7:30 p.m.
Tokar is a comedian who makes absolutely hysterical Instagram videos. She’ll be hosting this night of standup, featuring Emily Bonani, Gabrielle Kennedy, Dylan Forgione, and Adam Bramson.
WONDER-FULL: An annual tribute to the music of Stevie Wonder with DJ SPINNA @ Polygon Brooklyn
9:30 p.m.
You undoubtedly don’t need to be told much about this one. DJ Spinna’s annual commemoration of the GOAT has been going for a full quarter-century. For this 25th anniversary bash, there’s a non-zero chance that the guest of honor will actually show up—he’s done it before.
Courtesy of Baby’s All Right
Sunday, May 10
Bugsy Malone @ Nitehawk Cinema Prospect Park
11:30 a.m.
A 1920s-set musical with a cast of child actors? What the hell was Disney smoking back then? Well, whatever it was, we’re left with this very bizarre ’70s treasure, featuring a batch of Paul Williams songs and a killer appearance by a young Jodie Foster.
SUNNYDAY Art Market @ 26 Bridge St.
12 p.m.
This art market has dozens of vendors selling prints, snacks, and pretty much everything in between. It begins on Saturday, with a completely different set of vendors, so both days should be more than worthwhile.
Samara Cyn @ Baby’s All Right
Doors 6:30 p.m.
In support of her new album, Detour, the LA-by-way-of-Tennessee singer is hitting the stage at the Williamsburg venue this weekend. Doors are at 6:30, with music set to begin not long after that.
Mike Agranoff House Show @ Jalopy’s Classroom at 319 Columbia Street
7 p.m.
We at BKMAG love to celebrate new venues. So we’re happy to tell you about the very first acoustic show at the Jalopy Theater’s new space, which they’re calling Jalopy’s Classroom. And who better to kick things off than Agranoff, a funny and entertaining acoustic guitar virtuoso and singer of great songs, both traditional and contemporary.
An Evening with The Wailers @ Brooklyn Bowl
8 p.m.
The reggae legends are on tour celebrating 50 years of Rastaman Vibration, their breakthrough 1976 album with Bob Marley. It’s a record that, as much as any other, brought reggae to the world.
