Being entertained is wonderful—and certainly one of the main focuses of the Weekend Guide. But sometimes, entertainment alone is not enough.
That’s why this week, we’re bringing you multiple day-long conferences, summits, and meetings about philosophy, women’s issues, and even the connection between plants and community. But don’t worry: there’s plenty of straight-up fun to be had as well, including celebrations of artistic heroes past and present. We’ve got tributes of one sort or another to Lady Gaga, R.E.M., and two artists gone far too soon: actress Michelle Trachtenberg and Brooklyn’s finest, the Notorious B.I.G.
See all of this week’s listings and a whole lot more below.
Friday, March 7
Plates & Crates with Max Glazer @ Damballa
7 p.m.
When Max Glazer decides a recent haul of Jamaican 45s deserves a proper live showcase, you can rightfully assume there’s some heat heading for the decks. And you should run, not walk, to witness it. This marks the first installment of the Federation Sound DJ’s Plates & Crates event, which will hopefully become as regular as his trips to the Caribbean. There are two seatings: one at 7 p.m. and another 8:30 p.m., each of which requires a reservation.
Pathogenic, Leylines, Loss Becomes, Hell They Raise @ The Wood Shop
6 p.m.
Sometimes, you need to be like Billy Joel and go to extremes. This bill of four very, very heavy metal bands will meet that need. The headliners, Boston’s Pathogenic, are the perfect group to see if you’re angry enough that only a song that begins, “Spill the blood of your enemies” can reach you—and who among us hasn’t felt that way, especially recently?
Stargazing with Amateur Astronomers Association @ Floyd Bennett Field
6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Every month, the Amateur Astronomers Association holds a free session at Floyd Bennet Field to help you get in touch with the cosmos. This month, it happens today. It’s open to the public, so you don’t even have to be an AAA member.
Deviant Matter: Ferment, Intoxicants, Jelly, Rot — a Talk, and Tasting, with Kyla Tompkins @ Brooklyn Institute for Social Research
7 p.m.
Kyla Tompkins’ new book Deviant Matter looks at how the way we categorize unpleasant food relates to how we talk about people who deviate from societal norms. If that sounds too heady, there will also be a Jell-O tasting at this talk-through with the author.
Mayhem: The Album Release @ 3 Dollar Bill
10 p.m.
If you’ve been waiting for Lady Gaga’s first solo album of original songs since 2020 as rabidly as other Little Monsters, this is the event for you. The borough’s “premiere queer nightclub, live music & performance venue” is hosting an album release party that is sure to be a blast.
Saturday, March 8
Ja Ja Ja with Equis, Ushka, and Oscar Nñ @ Rodeo
9 p.m.
Oscar Nñ, host of and contributor to Papi Juice, is bringing a few friends along for a night sure to provide ample vibes, natural wines, and all the dance floor fodder your heart (and feet) can bear. Also, a free DJ night that will likely push well past 2 a.m. is not to be slept on. Pull up, have a glass, and stay a while.
Making Brooklyn Bloom 2025 Conference @ Brooklyn Botanic Garden
10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
If you want to learn anything about gardening in Brooklyn, this is the place to be. The day-long event features a keynote speech by The Light Eater author Zoë Schlanger. But you can also get answers to your plant-related questions at the Botanic Gardens’ Ask-a-Gardener table, learn about dozens of local groups devoted to greening, and discover all there is to know about community gardening and composting.
Meet the Moment @ Brooklyn Museum
12 p.m. – 6 p.m.
In an event appropriately scheduled on International Women’s Day, this all-day summit, run by The Meteor, features “ideas, inspiration, and conversation with some of today’s most influential women and nonbinary leaders.” Speakers will include Diane von Furstenberg, Amber Tamblyn, Glory Edim of Well-Read Black Girl, former director of the White House Gender Policy Council Jen Klein, Ms. Marvel director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, and more.
Night in the Library @ Brooklyn Central Library
7 p.m. – 2 a.m.
The good folks at the BPL are bringing back their Night in the Library event for the ninth year. This year’s version is titled “The Sky Above Brooklyn – The Philosophy of the Sublime.” It provides hours’ worth of programming that they promise will “introduce fresh ways of thinking about how to navigate the world around us with renewed attention, sensitivity, and curiosity.” Among the highlights are a dance performance by Baye and Asa, who deal with issues of race and justice in their performances; a talk by Edwidge Danticat; tarot readings; and their popular Ask A Shrink sessions. You can see the whole schedule here to mark it down on your own Weekend Guide.
Michael Shannon & Jason Narducy and friends play R.E.M.’s ‘Fables of the Reconstruction’ and more @ Brooklyn Steel
8 p.m.
Michael Shannon and Jason Narducy, alongside some top-notch musician friends, have lately been hitting the road to play classic R.E.M. albums in their entirety. In 2024, it was Murmur, and now it’s 1985’s Fables of the Reconstruction. They must be doing something right, because the actual members of R.E.M. just joined them onstage in Athens, GA.
Sunday, March 9
Courtesy of Public Records
Rhythm Section with Bradley Zero and Serenda @ Public Records
3 p.m.
If you follow Rhythm Section‘s various tendrils, you know it is and can be many things all at once. Is it a label? Yes. Is it a cross-continental event series? Also, yes. Is it a long-running NTS Radio program? Sure is. And this Sunday, it returns to another familiar forum, namely Public Records, where Rhythm Section founder Bradley Zero will launch his club residency, spinning back-to-back with UK electronic producer Serenda at a daytime party in PR’s gorgeous Atrium space.
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm @ Nitehawk Cinema, Williamsburg
11:15 a.m.
Many aficionados will tell you that the 1993 animated flick Batman: Mask of the Phantasm is the best Batman movie. In fact, here’s an article from last year arguing just that. But regardless of where it stands compared to the other obvious contender Batman Returns, there’s no denying Mask of the Phantasm is in the absolute top tier of stories about the character—so you shouldn’t miss the chance to see it on the big screen.
Shuffleboard League Playoffs @ Royal Palms Brooklyn
12 p.m. – 6 p.m.
If you think shuffleboard is just a game for retirement communities, you’ve obviously never been to Royal Palms Brooklyn. They’ve got shuffleboard courts, a bar, and even on-site food trucks for when you get hungry. On Sunday, you can turn the game into a spectator sport by watching their league playoffs.
Eargasm: A Notorious Tribute @ 66 Greenpoint
5 p.m.
As Canibus reminded us long ago, “The greatest rapper of all time died on March 9th.” So it only makes sense for Biggie’s home borough, the one he shouted out from his earliest demos, to hold a party for him on that infamous day. The event promises a live band, a DJ, a gallery of Big-themed art, hip-hop trivia, food, drink, and more.
Michelle Trachtenberg Double Feature @ Baby’s All Right
6 p.m.
Actress Michelle Trachtenberg, of The Adventures of Pete & Pete, Gossip Girl, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer fame, sadly passed away late last month at 39. Baby’s All Right is paying tribute to Trachtenberg by showing two of her best films. On opposite ends of the appropriate-for-children spectrum are the 1996 family comedy Harriet the Spy and Gregg Araki’s haunting, disturbing, and brilliant tale of childhood sexual abuse, Mysterious Skin.
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