PHOTOGRAPHY
The world’s longest-running fair dedicated to photography returns with a show about exploring time, from the 1800s to today. For the first time, The Photography Show will also welcome video and new media, with nearly 100 galleries and publishers participating. There are 15 talks (separately ticketed), as well as three special exhibits including A Time for Reflection, curated by Elton John, and a collection inspired by the Black Panther movement. April 5-8, Pier 94, 711 12th Ave., $10-$60, aipadshow.com
FOOD
Komeeda Chef Showdown: Vegetarian
Komeeda is about bringing people together over food, but there’s no harm in mixing in a little healthy competition. The Chef Showdown series pits four self-made chefs against one another to showcase great ingredients, and this time past champs will compete to honor spring with all-vegetarian entries. Taste them all, and enjoy the wine and beer on tap, and help choose the winner at the Food Arts Center. April 5, 6-9 p.m., Food Arts Center, 210 W. 43rd St., $35, komeeda.com
MUSIC
It’s the 10th anniversary of the Brooklyn Folk Festival, which will be bigger than ever as artists from around the city (and beyond) come together to celebrate folk, traditional and vernacular skills from around the world. With music and dancing as well as workshops, film screenings, contests and the famous Banjo Toss, the fest features 40 bands in three days to highlight the cultural diversity and history of these oral, vocal and instrumental traditions. April 6-8, St. Ann’s Church, 157 Montague St., Brooklyn, $25-$85, brooklynfolkfest.com
PODCASTING
Podcasts come from your phone to the stage at Abrons Arts Center this weekend. Catch stars including Zach Braff and industry pros whose backgrounds range from tech and politics to TV and Broadway. They’re all taping live in an intimate setting, often with live music and other surprises. Shows this year include Pod Save the People, The Complete Guide to Everything, Inside the Closet and Applying It Liberally. April 6-8, 466 Grand St., $10-$15, nycpodfest.com
SPRING
Opening Weekend in Prospect Park
Spring is technically here — help bring it across the line at Prospect Park this weekend with dozens of events including a parade on Saturday followed by an 1860s-style ball game with the Brooklyn Atlantics. Sign up for yoga in the morning, then pick up a picnic from food vendors or the greenmarket. Later activities include a scavenger hunt and Campfire Conversations at sundown. Sunday includes nature walks and workshops, and of course Smorgasburg. April 7-8, Prospect Park, Brooklyn, free-$20, prospectpark.org
STRANGE AND UNUSUAL
The Power of Images: Life, Death, Rebirth
The Morbid Anatomy Museum is back — sort of. Taking over the Fort Hamilton Gatehouse inside Green-Wood Cemetery is their new exhibition, The Power of Images: Life, Death, Rebirth. Using its new home as inspiration, the show of art and artifacts explores the one experience all humans share: death, with personal, religious and historic perspectives on mortality. In the attic of the gatehouse, you’ll also find a library of books and objects all about the strange and unusual. Through June 24, Saturdays and Sundays, noon-5 p.m., 500 25th St., Brooklyn, free, morbidanatomy.blogspot.com
ILLUSTRATION
The Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art organizes the city’s largest independent gathering for illustrators, animators, cartoonists and other artists. Spanning two days, the MoCCA Arts Festival features over 400 participants with exhibits, workshops, signings, sketch nights, lectures, film screenings and more. Most will be held at Metropolitan West, with some programming down the block at Ink48 and Saturday’s After-Party at the Society of Illustrators. April 7-8, Metropolitan West, 639 W. 46th St., $7, societyillustrators.org
PERFORMANCE
Formerly a theater festival, the annual Downtown Urban Arts Festival has grown into an expansive five-week collaboration that also features film, poetry, music, visual art and more, all staged at venues in Downtown Manhattan. It kicks off with a concert by The Voice finalist We McDonald at Joe’s Pub; other highlights include Gay.Sex.Mafia with Joe Gulla on April 14, the Words Matter poetry slam on May 5 and the Mexican short film Songs of Wild Animals on May 10. April 7-May 12, various locations, $10-$30, duafnyc.com
SILLY
It’s all the fun of a sleepover with none of the awkward late-night confessions when Pillow Fight NYC returns to Washington Square Park. It’s free to join, and you can really get into the event by either wearing pajamas or dressing for the annual theme: Space Ponies. This year, you can choose to bring your own pillow (soft and feather-free) or donate $5 to the Mattress Firm Foster Kids program and pick one up at the Mattress Firm in NoHo. April 7, 3-5 p.m., Washington Square Park, Greenwich Village, Free, pillowfightday.com
DAVID BOWIE
Target First Saturdays at the Brooklyn Museum
Kick off your month of culture with Target First Saturdays at the Brooklyn Museum, offering a night of free music, art and entertainment. Activities for April tie into the current “David Bowie Is” exhibition, including a signing with Simon Critchley (“Bowie”), concerts by Mike Garson and Tamar-kali, a drag show by Bushwig, a photo booth, pop-up gallery talks, a film screening of Ziggy Stardust and more. Space is limited, and tickets to the exhibition are sold separately. April 7, 5-11 p.m., Brooklyn Museum, 200 Eastern Parkway, free, brooklynmuseum.org
DRINKS
Many great weekends are made better by the perfect bloody mary on Sunday, and this week can be better than ever with over a dozen variations at the Bloody Mary Festival at Brooklyn’s Grand Prospect Hall. Contenders will showcase their best boozy brunch drinks to judges and guests alike (with People’s Choice up for grabs), along with samples from the likes of Nue Vodka, SmashMallow, Bespoke Bacon and My/Mo Mochi, plus music from The Blue Dahlia. April 8, 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. & 3:-5:30 p.m., Grand Prospect Hall, 263 Prospect Ave., Brooklyn, $50, thebloodymaryfest.com
