After April’s abundance of showers, May is finally showing us the flowers! This weekend, anticipate warm temperatures, sunny weather and the perfect opportunity to get outside and embrace spring fun.
In this week’s newsletter, find fun, free, outdoor events like the Brooklyn Bridge Kite festival, Montague Street’s first Open Streets event and more.
—Mandie-Beth Chau
Do you have an upcoming event in Brooklyn? Email [email protected] to have your event highlighted in BKLYN LIVE.
Arts and culture news:
A Brooklyn-based photographer captures local newsrooms for her latest project.
The Brooklyn Museum’s UOVO prize recipient, Keisha Scarville, unveiled an outdoor exhibit, “Keisha Scarville: Where Salt Meets Black Water,” which is on view through October.
Brooklyn Public Library’s Macon Branch celebrated Mother’s Day with its 10th annual Mom-a-thon, giving all mother figures a special day with activities and gifts.
The Acting Company brings a modern take on “Hamlet” to New York City Public Schools ahead of its May 20 opening at the Sheen Center.
Events:
Lefferts Historic House kicks off its summer programming on Thursday, May 14, with the opening of “The Shirley Chisholm Way: Brooklyn’s Blueprint for Change.” The exhibition runs through November.
Powerhouse Arts will host its third annual Community Day on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visitors can experience hands-on activities, talk with artists and enjoy live music for free.
Pioneer Works opened an exhibition on military and war propaganda, “Office of War Information (O.W.I.).” The space was transformed into an immersive bureaucratic office and features a printed and digital archive of propaganda materials.
Let’s go fly a kite: Brooklyn Bridge Park hosts its Kite Festival — the only day each year that kites are allowed at the park — on Saturday.
Montague Street’s “Family Spring Fling” kicks off a summer of Open Streets this Sunday at noon. With arts and crafts, STEM learning, Pokémon card trading and more, the event offers activities for all ages.
“Soccer Streets” brings a series of field days for kids to 50 public schools throughout the city for the month of June as part of the city’s free FIFA World Cup events.
Radiohead opened an immersive audio-visual experience in Brooklyn Navy Yard, but is it worth the steep ticket price? Find out here.
Photo: Jeremy Daniel
David Lindsay-Abaire may have named the neighborhood at the center of his newest play Vernon Point, but Brooklynites may recognize it as Prospect Park South, where the playwright has lived with his wife for 14 years.
“The Balusters” is now playing on Broadway at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre with direction by Kenny Leon. For the play, Lindsay-Abaire took loose inspiration, though not direct representation, from his wife’s short stint in a Brooklyn neighborhood group.
“I was scared — I think my wife was more scared — that people were going to egg our home,” Lindsay-Abaire joked to the Brooklyn Eagle. “But no. Many neighbors have come to see the play, including the entire board who came on one night together. I was terrified, but they were downright giddy about it.”
After a devastating fire in September 2025 that destroyed the Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition’s home of over 35 years, its first exhibition since the tragedy opens on May 21.
“Unmoored/Unbound” will be free to view at Powerhouse Arts in Gowanus. Following the massive loss of a space, BWAC is happy to make its return. “The loss of our space in Red Hook has been completely overwhelming, but the outpouring of support from the community, especially the artists who have shown with us, has been what has kept us going,” said Alicia Degener, BWAC president and exhibition co-curator. “Now we’re getting our heads around starting over and what new opportunities.”
The exhibition aims to speak to the perseverance and resiliency of artists in the face of adversity. It features 40 artists working across a wide range of mediums who explore themes of loss, transition, liberation, freedom and deliverance in their work. See some of the art on display and read more about the exhibition.
Photo: John McCarten
Brooklyn Youth Chorus, founded in 1992 by Artistic Director Dianne Berkun Menaker, hosted its annual gala on May 7, honoring Brooklyn storytellers, platforming artists affected by the Red Hook warehouse fire and raising a goal of $250,000.
BYC students shared their experiences with the chorus, emphasizing continued financial support for the organization’s many community efforts. The BYC never turns a student away for financial reasons, meaning it offers various scholarships and financial aid paths, which have been supported by grants and major donors.
“Throughout my time at BYC, I’ve received financial aid that has allowed me to do what I love as a New York Community Trust Van Lier fellow. I have been supported by a college advisor and an incredible music mentor, Laquita Mitchell, and also received direct financial support for the college application process,” said Vivian Kravet, who will start her undergraduate studies at the Eastman School of Music in the fall.
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This newsletter is written by Mandie-Beth Chau. Email [email protected] with any questions or comments.