Because at Bushwick Daily we are all about keeping our eyes out for fun, unique, and high-quality experiences that are worth your precious time, we’ve curated a September “to-do list” featuring all sorts of recommendations from the Bushwick Daily crew. Whether it’s a festival of lights, an intensely good cocktail, or the best way to get a workout this month, we’ve got a little something for everybody, happening in Bushwick and beyond.
Workout: Get your bend and stretch on at Goodyoga off the Jefferson L Stop. The hour and 15 minute GoodFlow class has the perfect mix of muscle burning movement mixed with those yummy, centering yoga vibes. $30 Intro Month.
Arts Festival: Enjoy parades, dance performances and more during the day, then watch the sun go down and DUMBO light up with projections at the Dumbo Arts Festival! All sorts of indoor and outdoor art installations and performances will take place among the cobblestoned streets. Expect some incredible lights and sights! September 27/28/29, $free.
Caffeine Fix: Try the endlessly excellent Lavender Latte at our favorite coffee shop hangout, Kave in The Loom. (small $3.50, large $4.75)
Bushwick Daily Event: Art, food, free beer, fun times, and incredible music come together at The Holy Smokes Music & Arts Festival on September 8th at The Silent Barn. Tickets $15, totally worth it!
Movies: Check out Nitehawk’s free outdoor movie screening series (with live musical accompaniment!) at Havemeyer Park in Williamsburg. On September 10th they’ll have a Chicago white-themed event with a performance by Michael Arenella and His Dreamland Orchestra, and on September 17th they’ll show Goldfinger along with New York City septet Morricone Youth.
Seafood Celebration: Go eat a proper Maine lobster, and listen to awesome DJs while you’re at it. It doesn’t get much better than Lobstah Palooza at The Well on September 21, 3PM, $35-40.
Freebie: Summer might be fleeting, but free shows are still happening! One of the best offerings this month is Charles Bradley and The Menahan Street Band, The Budos Band, Naomi Shelton & Gospel Queens, all performing sans cost at Williamsburg Park on September 20th.
Date Spot: For a warmly lit, fabulously decor’d Date Night spot, head to Dear Bushwick. The Brit inspired dining spot has food fare to die for and delicious libations to match. Be sure to try the Pork Loin and a Gin cocktail to get that real Blighty Buzz. (cocktails at $10/mains $18 and up)
Kid Approved: Take your kids, your neighbor’s kids, or just your inner kid to the Brooklyn Kite Festival on September 14th in Brooklyn Bridge Park! The festival is free, and kites are available for purchase or bring your own!
Escape: Get upstate for the Hudson Valley Garlic Festival. Founded in 1989, the festival attracts upwards of 50 garlic growers and tens of thousands of attendees annually, offering a plethora of varieties of garlic and culinary novelties like garlic-flavored ice cream, caramel and chocolate chip cookies, not to mention all of the other fresh produce and dishes that a breadbasket region like the Hudson Valley has to offer in peak harvest season. Hosted by the town of Saugerties, a small and walkable historic district about two hours north of NYC, the festival makes for a great day trip. Round-trip bus fare will set you back less than $50, and you’ll get to admire that famous catskill foliage in its prime on the way up and back. This year’s festival takes place Saturday, September 28th and Sunday, September 29th. Make sure to take some breath mints up with you!
Lunch: Check out Cafe Bunna‘s ongoing Ethiopian popup at Mama Joy’s Restaurant weekdays from 11AM-4PM. We recommend making it a lunch date by grabbing a friend and sharing the $13 lunch feast for 2, which will leave you both stuffed in the best way.
Cemetery: If you are interested in (not creeped out) by cemeteries, take a tour of the epic Evergreens Cemetery, which lies smack dab between Ridgewood and Bushwick. They offer guided tours for you to follow on their website!
Stroll: Walk down to tree-lined Cyprus Avenue and look out for the changing leaves. Bring your camera to create memorable moments!
Get Your Freak On: Every weekend at Bossa Nova Civic Club is like a flashback to a time when dance floors in Brooklyn didn’t suck. G-g-get your freak on!
Sip On This: This drink makes gentlemen kiss and tell multiple times. Pink in its looks, green in the hints of fresh mint; beefeater gin and Campari have been found in true union under the blessings of lime and simple syrup. For the last kind-of-warm month of the year remember the summer in the outdoors tables of Heavy Woods by drinking their fantastic cocktail, the Kiss & Tell.
Style Yourself Pretty (Crazy): Tired of New York Fashion Week? How about a fashion event a la Bushwick? Nyssa Frank and The Living Gallery gang are hosting the second annual Bushwick Fashion Weekend of local designers, performances and a whole lot of crazy on September 20-21 at The Living Gallery.
Get Your Butt to Storefront Ten Eyck: Our humble prediction…This fall will be all about Storefront Ten Eyck, Deborah Brown’s wonderful new gallery space in East Williamsburg. Not only does MATERIAL, a show curated by Liz Dimmit look pretty amazing, but the space is a big game changer for Bushwick art scene! Mark our words!
Gender-Bend As You Please: The second annual Bushwig festival for all fans of drag is also scheduled for September, and we couldn’t be happier about that. 30+ performers are putting on their A game on September 7 at Secret Project Robot! Early bird tix go for $15.
Put the flower it: Flower Garden was originally scheduled for Bushwick Open Studios. However, the rainwater had different plans for this feminist outdoor installation of flowers, vibrators and masturbation stalls. Inspired by the famous Vito Acconci piece, Flower Garden is taking place in September at an empty lot on Harrison Pl (between Bogart St. and M0rgan Ave) and opens on September 6!
Enjoy September, Bushwick!
Contributed: Maria Gotay, Katarina Hybenova, Essie Graham, Loren DiBlasi, Dimitri Manousakis