If you can somehow work your connections to score a ticket to the sold-out Afropunk Fest this weekend (or pony for StubHub tickets), you should do that by all means. But if you don’t want to shell out over $100 to see Erkyah Badu and Janelle Monae (and many more headliners), you can head to one of the more affordable Afropunk After Dark after parties, like the one at Brooklyn Masonic Temple on Saturday night, which promises a special guest.
The rest of us slackers will need to find our fun elsewhere. Luckily, the Jazz Age Lawn Party is back at Governors Island on both days this weekend, which means that you can fill your Saturday with Art Deco design, period costumes, live performances of jazz and vaudeville, and, of course, lots of cocktails. The twice-annual event is consistently recognized as one of the best things to do in NYC in the summer, so why not grab a friend or two and check it out for yourself? Tickets are $45 and it all starts at 11am. Later that evening, Industry City is hosting Rooftop Films’ last event of the season in the courtyard starting at 7:45. As is custom, the Closing Night program will consist of a selection of short films about things coming to an end and will be accompanied by live music, a Q&A following the screening, and a boozy afterparty. Tickets are $16.