Saturday, Sept. 25
Look at some Lichen: Trek over to Green-Wood Cemetery to learn about Lichen, the peculiar colorful fungi coating many of the cemetery’s older grave markings, trees and rocks. Green-Wood is hosting a walking tour led by Nova Patch, a member of the New York Mycological Society, who will teach attendees about identifying and appreciating the more than 50 species of Lichen that call Green-Wood home.
Sept. 25 at 500 25th St., 11 am. $25 tickets here.
Great Irish Fair: The Coney Island boardwalk will fill with the sons and daughters of the Emerald Isle on Saturday, when the Great Irish Fair of New York returns to the People’s Playground. The fair will feature performances from traditional Irish acts including Gaelic Storm, The Brooklyn Bards, and The Canny Brothers Band.
Sept. 25 at noon at the Ford Amphitheatre, 3052 West 21st St. in Coney Island, $20 tickets here.
Sunday, Sept. 26
Coney Island Brewery Record Fair: Zip on down to the People’s Playground where the Coney Island Brewery is hosting its first record fair since 2019. The fair features 20 tables of vinyl vendors offering thousands of records for sale and 10 different craft beers for sale.
Sept. 26 at 11 am, 1904 Surf Ave. in Coney Island, free admission, proof of vaccination required.
Brooklyn Book Festival: For the bookworms among us, the Brooklyn Book Festival kicks off on Sunday ahead of the weeklong hybrid festival of author talks and literary events. Sunday’s kickoff will feature a walking tour led by the Poetry Society’s executive director Matt Brogan along the society’s public art installation featuring a Richard Wright Haiku. It also features a celebration of young readers at the Read 718 in Bedford-Stuyvesant, and a virtual conversation with on death co-presented by the Old Stone House and Green-Wood Cemetery.
The Brooklyn Book Festival runs from Sept. 26 to Oct. 4 at various locations.
All Weekend Long
Downtown Brooklyn Arts Festival: One of the many festivals taking place this weekend, the Downtown Brooklyn Arts Festival will feature both virtual and in-person programming, with live performances spread out across Downtown. This weekend will see a Latin jazz performance on the plaza at 300 Ashland on Friday, the Soul Summit Dance Party on Saturday, and the NYC Ska Orchestra among dozens of other shows.
All weekend long at various venues downtown, details here.
See the Obama portraits: Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald’s portraits of Barack and Michelle Obama have been the talk of the town since they landed at the Brooklyn museum while on a five city tour. The portraits are the first presidential portraits painted by Black artists, and feature the former president posing in front of a background of flowers, and first lady in front of a light blue background.
At the Brooklyn Museum at 200 Eastern Parkway until Oct. 24. Tickets here, proof of vaccination required.