Get your groove on at Afropunk Fest this weekend.
Credit: Afropunk Fest
GAMES
Hudson Common Open
Aug. 21, 7 p.m.
Hudson Common
356 W. 58 St.
Free, www.hudsoncommonnyc.com
The U.S. Open begins on Monday, but most of us are probably more familiar (not to mention comfortable) with its less space-intensive cousin, ping-pong. If you’re feeling the competitive spirit,check out the second annualHudson Common Opendoubles ping-pong tournament tonight beginning at 7. Sixteen co-ed teams will vie for the glory of bragging rights and fourtickets to the U.S. Open.
ART
Never Too Young
Aug. 21-Sept. 7, 6 p.m.
No Romance Galleries
355 Broadway
Free, 212-343-4249
www.mintandserf.com
See NYC through the lens of four self-taught photographers, from street life to nightlife. Tonight’s opening reception will feature drinks by Stolen Rum while you take the first look at pieces from PJ Monte, Mike Krim, Osvaldo Chance Jimenez and Harry McNally.
FILM
Lebowski Fest
Aug. 22-23, 8 p.m.
Various locations, Manhattan
$20-$30, www.lebowskifest.com
The Dude abides — for 48 hours to celebrate the 1998 Coen brothers classic. Night One has unlimited bowling and shoe rental at Lucky Strike (just don’t f— with the Jesus). Night two features a musical performance by Cover Me Badd — not covering The Eagles — and a screening of “The Big Lebowski” at Gramercy Theater.
MUSIC
Arcade Fire
Aug. 22-24, 7:30 p.m.
Barclays Center
620 Atlantic Ave., Ft. Greene
$30, 917-618-6700
www.barclayscenter.com
The Canadian seven-piece indie act is back in Brooklyn, going strong with the success of their fourth studio album, “Reflektor.” A little more disco and a little less rock on this one, with co-production by LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy and the occasional backing vocal by some rock guy named David Bowie.
Afropunk Fest
Aug. 23-24, Noon
Commodore Barry Park
226 Nassau St., Ft. Greene
Free, www.afropunkfest.com
In its 10th year, Afropunk brings art, locally made fashion and live music — on the roster this year are Bad Brains, Body Count, Fishbone, SZA, A Tribe Called Red, and many more. Admission is free with a suggested donation.
BOOKS
Fort Greene Park Summer Literary Festival
Aug. 23, 2 p.m.
Fort Greene Park Martyr’s Monument
Myrtle Avenue, Ft. Greene
Free, 718-246-0200
www.greenlightbookstore.com
Maybe you’ll catch the next budding Allen Ginsberg as young writers ages 6-18 read alongside established poets, artists and fiction writers in the park. WFMU’s DJ Gaylord Fields will emcee, and all attendees are welcome to a wine-and-cake afterparty at Greenlight Bookstore.
TOUR
T.A. Brooklyn Tour de Las Bicicletas
Aug. 23, 11 a.m.
Bartel Pritchard
Prospect Park Southwest at 15th Street, South Slope
Free, www.bikenyc.org
Mexican artist Gilberto Aceves Navarro designed 122 bike sculptures that have been spread throughout NYC, turning our cityscape into a sculpture garden to explore. Join this bike ride from Prospect Park through Manhattan and back to Brooklyn to check out each artwork, ending at the Red Hook ball fields for some post-riding lunch.
Cultural Landscapes of Greenwich Village
Aug. 27, 6 p.m.
Greenwich Village
Location TBA
$25, www.ideasmyth.com
Edward Hopper, Willa Cather, Dawn Powell, Marcel Duchamp and Bob Dylan are just a few of the names you’ll hear Francis Morrone mention on this walking tour exploring the singers, artists, writers and architecture that give Greenwich Village its artistic appeal. Other topics include the opening of the Whitney, the history of village coffee houses and more. Where else can you be part of history by grabbing a cup of joe?
COMEDY
The B-Side (Method Man edition)
Aug. 23, 11 p.m.
The People’s Improv Theater
123 E. 24th St.
$10, 212-563-7488
www.thepit-nyc.com
Celebrate the Wu-Tang Clan’s legendary Method Man with a cast of characters who may not have cool names like Ol’ Dirty Bastard and Ghostface Killah, but hope to entertain you just as much as if they did. Song parodies by Richie Alfson (NorthCoast), stand-up from BET’s April Brody, sketches by The Anthology Players and more. Also, enter a rap battle/trivia game for a chance to win some denomination of Benjamins.
Forty-Five Candles
Aug. 22, 8 p.m.
Union Hall
702 Union St., Park Slope
$8, 718-638-4400
www.unionhallny.com
The rest of the event’s title is “An Evening of Fiction in Which John Hughes Characters Grow the F— Up,” so you know where this is headed. It’s been 30 years since “Sixteen Candles” and it’s about time we get an update on the lives of Long Duk Dong and “The Breakfast Club”’s Claire Standish. And what about Ferris Bueller’s pal Cameron? Find out what John Hughes’ beloved characters have been up to.
SCIENCE
Astronomy Live: Life on Other Worlds
Aug. 26, 6:30 p.m.
Hayden Planetarium Space Theater
81 Central Park West
$15, 212-769-5100
www.amnh.org
Take a digital voyage to nearby solar systems, and explore new worlds, their potential for life and vistas you could never imagine while just sitting in our tiny corner of the universe.
COMING UP
Fool’s Gold Day Off
Sept. 1, 2 p.m.
50 Kent
50 Kent Ave., Williamsburg
$15-$30, www.foolsgoldrecs.com
Hey, if your job’s not giving you Labor Day off, play hooky at this all-day party featuring the best dance music and hip-hop in town. Danny Brown, French Montana, Nick Catchdubbs, GrandeMarshall and plenty of surprise special guests are in store.
