Don’t let October pass you by (how is it happening so quickly?!) We’ve got some creepy hotels for you to explore, horror burlesque to get you in a kinky Halloween spirit, out-of-the-box films for your fall film fest cravings, and tons more (gin workshops, free art galleries…must we continue?)
FRI 23: Heart of a Dog with Laurie Anderson
Film Forum, 209 W. Houston St.; 7:50pm; $13
A story about childhood, memories, dreams, and loss, Laurie Anderson’s latest work is a perfect fall flick to cozy up with. Multi-talented Anderson not only tells an autobiographical tale about a woman’s relationship with her pup, but crafts it with a “hypnotic visual language,” through looping images, home movies, and animation. Anderson, along with producer Dan Janvey, will be at the screening for a post-show Q&A to talk all things love, art, and dogs.
FRI 23: Gravesend Inn Haunted Hotel
Voorhees Theatre, 186 Jay St., Brooklyn; 10am-3pm and 6pm-9pm; $5 students, $8 general
Students at the New York City College of Technology (City Tech) have created a haunting world for you to wander this weekend. Returning to Downtown Brooklyn is this high-tech haunted hotel, created and fleshed out entirely by the school’s resident theatrical troupe. But don’t be fooled into thinking it’s just a class project, this creepy caravansary has been drawing in thrill seekers since 2000!
SAT 24: Garment District Arts Festival
Locations vary; 10am-9pm; FREE
Bundle up this weekend to roam the district for free art installations all day. Local galleries will have their doors open for visitors to drop in while creative workshops, live musical performances, and interactive pieces take place along the streets. For its 12th annual fest, you can also meet local artists in residence, theater performers, learn printmaking, and swing by for a a sweet hula-hoop demonstration.
SAT 24: D20 Burlesque Horror Nerds Unite
Parkside Lounge, 317 E. Houston St.; 8pm; $15-$25
Get your Saturday night freak on with this creepy, kinky, kooky dance troupe. Hosted by D20 queen and founder, Anja Keister, catch acts inspired by H.P Lovecraft, Edward Scissorhands, The Addams Family, and more. DJ Sister St. Cyr will be spinning records while Zelma’s on go-go and spotlight shakers include Holly Ween, Luna Tik Tok, and Minx Arcana. Plus, sip custom concoctions from the Parkside mixologists stirred to get you just the right amount of hot and heavy.
SUN 25: 27th Annual LGBT Film Festival
Locations vary, 10am-10:30pm; $12 students and members, $16 general
This year’s New Fest has over 70 stories to share from across the LGBT spectrum, across the country and abroad. Scope out fest picks like HBO documentary, Back on Board: Greg Louganis. Louganis, who will be at the screening himself, shares his story about being a gay Olympic champion and the struggles of being an HIV positive sports icon. Or see Coming Out, the story about a gay NYU student documenting his coming out and the recent phenomenon of younger kids who come out on YouTube. Oh, and you can most definitely catch a collection of sexy gay shorts because, hello… (See here for a full schedule.)
MON 26: Behind the Pine Cocktail Series: Ginny, Gin Gin
Branch Ofc., 225 Roger Ave., Brooklyn; 7pm; $35
Barkeep Chris Buckley invites you to his spirited Crown Heights cocktail bar to get behind the counter and learn the 101 on gin. Hosting intimate Monday night sessions (and Sunday afternoons if you can’t snag one of 10 spots!), Buckley’s cocktail education series features tastings, tips, and tricks from industry vets. This evening, learn how to break down your classic gin cocktail, spotlight different gin styles, and dig into flavor profiles to make a stellar concoction.
TUES 27: Deep-er-ness with Joe Zimmerman
Union Hall, 702 Union St., Brooklyn; 7:30pm; $10
Featured on Comedy Central and the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, Zimmerman pulls his favorite comics to the stage for some excellent stand-up on all of life’s food for thought. From philosophy and religion to death, love, and race, catch comedians like Nick Turner (Late Night with Jimmy Fallon), Naomi Ekperigin (UCB, VH1), and one of Australia’s premier stand-ups, Scott Dooley, talking taboo subjects. After each set, catch Zimmerman as he sits much to close to his guests to swap ridiculous questions.
WED 28: The Culinary World of A Literary Icon: Zora Neale Hurson
85 S. Oxford St., Brooklyn; 6pm; $10 students, $40 general
Did you know that this classic Harlem renaissance author not only published Their Eyes Were Watching (plus tons of other best-sellers), but also did extensive food research? History professor and author, Frederick Douglass Opie, talks about Hurston and her side passion of studying the African American influence on food in her home state of Florida. Hear Opie speak on some of his latest works, including Zora Neale Hurston on Florida Food: Recipes, Remedies, and Simple Pleasure while, of course, enjoying a reception of African American-influenced Floridian foods.
THURS 29: Body Utopia at Trestle Gallery
Trestle Gallery, 168 7th St., Brooklyn; 1:30pm-6:30pm; FREE
Stop inside this visionary space honoring artistic representations of a nonconforming body. See artists defy the boundaries of bodies trapped by size, age, disability, ethnicity, and gender identity. Exhibits feature photography, sculptures, painting, drawing, and videos that all embody an inclusive feminist point of view that asks: what does it mean to represent a spiritual body? A disabled body? A survivor’s body? The artists invite you to witness experimentation with presence and absence and dare to identify with the vulnerable.
