Birthday Bash: Kick off the Brooklyn Museum’s 200th Anniversary celebration

This full weekend of programming highlights the best of the borough and marks two centuries of championing Brooklyn’s artistic communities. Bring the family for music and karaoke, dance and poetry, gallery tours and art-making, piñatas, and so much more. 

CELEBRATE THIS WEEKEND the Brooklyn Museum’s 200th-anniversary celebration with Birthday Bash

SATURDAY AND Sunday, October 6, 2024 | 11 am-11 pm, 11 am-5 pm

Throughout the Brooklyn Museum:

 

5–6 pm Music: Brooklyn United Marching Band Plaza, 1st Floor Get in step with Brooklyn United as the youth marching band performs on our plaza steps.5–9:30 pm Brooklyn Pop-Up MarketBeaux-Arts Court, 3rd FloorShop one-of-a-kind, handmade items highlighting artists and vendors from across Brooklyn, featuring artwork, jewelry, fashion, and home and apothecary goods.

5–10 pm Poetry Marathon: Can I Get a Witness? American Art Galleries, 5th FloorHear poets and writers activate our new American Art galleries throughout the evening. 

• 5–6 pm Youth poets Fatima Ahmad, Kai Giovanni Diata, Sharjah M’Bodji, Ari Newman, and Fatima Saidysall from Urban Word open the marathon.

• 6–7 pm Poets Fatimah Asghar, Noah Arhm Choi, River 瑩瑩 Dandelion, Ayesha Raees, and Viplav Saini read selected works. Co-presented by Kundiman. 

• 7–8 pm Writer Simon Wu reads from his recent collection of essays Dancing on My Own, then converses with poet and artist Oscar yi Hou. 

• 8–9 pm Poet and artist Cheryl Boyce-Taylor, selected from The Brooklyn Artists Exhibition open call, reads and hosts fellow writers JP Howard, Jacqueline Johnson, Rosamond S. King, and Rachelle Parker. 

• 9–10 pm Close out the marathon with the cocurators of Supa Dupa Fresh: poets Mahogany L. Browne, Adam Falkner, Rico Frederick, Jive Poetic, and Jon Sands.

6 pm Special Birthday MomentLobby, 1st FloorWish the Museum a happy 200th with cake by Junior’s Cheesecake and a rendition of “Happy Birthday” by Burnt Sugar The Arkestra Chamber.

6–7 pm Roundtable: Brooklyn Arts Leadership CollaborativeAuditorium, 3rd Floor Join leaders of arts organizations across Brooklyn as they reflect on the Museum’s history and discuss the future of cultural institutions in our borough.

6–10 pm Karaoke: Bubble T - The Norm, 1st Floor Grab the mic as beloved Brooklyn-based collective Bubble_T transforms our restaurant into a karaoke lounge. 

6:30–7 pm Dance: Jamel Gaines Creative OutletBeaux-Arts Court, 3rd Floor Enjoy intergenerational performances by Jamel Gaines Creative Outlet, a nonprofit that uses dance-related education, performance, and programming to uplift communities. 

6:30–10 pm Music: Burnt Sugar SmokeHouse - Lobby, 1st FloorBurnt Sugar The Arkestra Chamber returns with an evening of “avant groidd” soul, jazz, rock, and hip-hop. The performance showcases local and international talent and reflects the vibrant cultural mix the Brooklyn Museum cultivated for 200 years. Emceed by Black Rock Coalition president LaRonda Davis.

6:30–7:30 pm Teen Talks: The Dinner Party Center for Feminist Art, 4th Floor - Join teen Museum Apprentices as they host 10-minute pop-up talks on Judy Chicago’s The Dinner Party, a landmark feminist artwork. 

7–10 pm Music: The Lay Out

Beaux-Arts Court, 3rd Floor The Lay Out, a Brooklyn-based community platform that centers Black joy and creative expression, returns to close the evening with Quiana Parks and DJ 9 AM sets.

Register for free

CLICK HERE: Full lineup of events and activities