There's a whole lot of fun stuff going on in Williamsburg this weekend, and so far, the L is only planning on making a little bit of your life a living hell, and the sun will be out in full force. Here's how to make the most of everything that's going on, which includes the car-free Williamsburg Walks and our own mini SXSW, Northside Festival.
Williamsburg Walks: On Saturday from 2-8 p.m., cars will be banned from Williamsburg's main drag, Bedford Ave from North 4th St up to McCarren Park. There's a whole slew of local businesses doing special events for the throngs of pedestrians filling the street—everything from live music to free food to life-sized board games. A full schedule of activities can be found here, but here are some highlights:
Human Scrabble: on Bedford between North 5th and North 6th Sts, ongoing throughout the day.
Tiny Taste of Williamsburg: on Bedford between North 6th and North 7th Sts, sample-sized tastes from local restaurants every hour, on the hour.
Screen Printing: on Bedford between North 7th and North 8th Sts, ongoing throughout the day, hosted by Artists & Fleas and Polluted Eyeball Screen Print Studio.
Savage Severe's Radio Show: On Bedford between North 8th and North 9th Sts, 4-7 p.m., Savage Severe hosts a live, "very unusual" radio show from the street.
Northside Festival: This weekend-long music/film/arts festival kicked off last night, but there are plenty of shows and events over the next 72 hours to keep you satisfied. All-festival badges are sold out, but tickets to individual shows are still available—check the full schedule here, but here are some highlights:
Frankie Rose, Brilliant Colors, Sherlock's Daughter, Regal Degal: get dreamy with ex-Vivian Girl Frankie Rose's vintage-sounding girl pop, an Academy Records favorite.
Friday at Glasslands Gallery, 289 Kent Ave, doors at 8:30, $8-12, tickets here
Dom: Go big or go home with Dom's "sunburned guitar pop with fat hooks and stargaze synths," on display at what promises to be a fun show.
Friday at Brooklyn Bowl, 61 Wythe Ave, doors at 6, $5-7, tickets here
Guided By Voices, Wavves, Surfer Blood, The Babies: One of the biggest acts at the Festival is the revival of old-school, beloved grunge rockers GBV, who are being backed up by a slew of reverb-heavy younguns who've been making, ahem, waves in the Brooklyn indie scene.
Saturday at McCarren Park, gates at 3, $30-35, tickets here
Asobi Seksu, Air Waves, Blair, Cookies, Doris Cellar: Get dream-poppy and shoegazey with Asobi Seksu's multi-layered sounds, with opening acts from sunny female-fronted acts like Air Waves, not be confused with that other Wavves.
Sunday at Glasslands, 289 Kent Ave, doors at 7:30, $12-15, tickets here
YACHT, The Miracles Club, Midnight Magic: Put on your dancing shoes and prepare for a fun night of electro-tinged pop with a relentlessly playful beat.
Sunday at Music Hall of Williamsburg, 66 North 6th St, doors at 8, $16-18, tickets here
"Copper Octopus" at the Crest Hardware Art Show (Photo Theo Coloumbe)
Other fun stuff: In addition to Williamsburg Walks and Northside, swing by the Crest Hardware Art Show and stuff yourself silly at Brooklyn Flea's Smorgasburg.
