Ten Cool Things to do in Brooklyn this Summer

By Travel & Places Last updated Thursday, May/09/2019

Once you’ve walked on the Brooklyn Bridge and the Coney Island boardwalk, you might be on the hunt for some more fun activities. From dining at a twenty-four hour restaurant that has booths equipped to play spin the bottle with your dining companions to listening to Lucinda Williams perform at Celebrate Brooklyn, here are a bunch of cool things that even a local would enjoy!

1. Take the Hipster Safari Tour

Take the Hipster Safari Tour

Brooklyn Queens Experience Tours launches a new tour this August. The three-hour, Hipster Safari Tour, takes folks through the “trendy enclave that is considered the epicenter and pioneering point of Brooklyn hip.” The tour gives a historic perspective to the area that was once home to famous writers including Betty Smith and Henry Miller. You'll stop at galleries and other places on this informative and fun tour.

2. Go the Mermaid Parade

Go the Mermaid Parade

Celebrate the start of summer and the solstice at this annual Coney Island parade. The flavorful Mermaid Parade starts at West 21st Street and Surf Avenue at 1pm. See Queen Mermaid and King Neptune at this kitschy parade that has become the coolest summer event in Brooklyn.

3. Watch Lucinda Williams sing at Celebrate Brooklyn

Watch Lucinda Williams sing at Celebrate Brooklyn

On Thursday June 25^th Lucinda Williams and Jason Walker will perform at the Prospect Park Bandshell at the Celebrate Brooklyn concert series. Gates for the free concert open at 6:30. If you can’t make this show, there are a bunch of other great acts performing this summer at Celebrate Brooklyn including Chaka Khan, Willie Nelson, and Modest Mouse.

4. See Henry IV in Carroll Park

See Henry IV in Carroll Park

If you don’t want to spend the day waiting for free tickets or if you haven’t won the online lottery for tickets to Shakespeare in the Park, head to Carroll Park to see the Smith Street Stage’s production of Henry IV, which they are performing in two parts. The shows run from June 30-July 19^th and on certain nights they will perform both parts at 6:30 & 8pm. They stage the show by the sprinklers in Carroll Park. I’ve been to many of their past productions and am always impressed with the caliber of acting and how they bring stories to life without a set.

5. Spin the Bottle at Amancay's Diner

Spin the Bottle at Amancay’s Diner

You might want to kiss and tell after a visit to Amancay. Sit at their booth outfitted for a game of spin the bottle. Or just grab some artisanal diner fare at this Bushwick restaurant that opened in the spring. The restaurant is open 24hrs and is also home to Max Cellar, a live music venue.

6. Go to the Brooklyn Hip-Hop Fest

Go to the Brooklyn Hip-Hop Fest

Fans of hip-hop should head to the Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival. The annual festival started in 2005 is “New York City’s largest Hip-Hop cultural event that showcases the positive aspects of Hip-Hop culture by highlighting Hip-Hop’s legacy as an agent of artistic progression, community building and social change.” This year it starts on Wednesday July 8^th with a launch party and ends on July 11^th.

7. Play Corn Hole at Brooklyn Crab

Play Corn Hole at Brooklyn Crab

Located across from Fairway in Red Hook, this beachy crab shack has a large patio with views of the water. After filling up on oysters at this casual Brooklyn restaurant, head downstairs and play a couple of games of bean bag toss, otherwise known as corn hole. Skip the dessert and take a walk to Steve’s Key Lime Pie, which is located a few blocks away. If you’re a fan of chocolate, you must order a Spangle (a key lime pie covered in chocolate and served on a stick).

8. Stroll through the 39th Annual Brighton Jubilee Festival

39^th Annual Brighton Jubilee Festival

On Sunday August 30^th head to the 39^th Annual Brighton Jubilee Festival at Brighton Beach. Peruse the goods at the vendors on Brighton Beach Avenue and Coney Island Avenue near the boardwalk. Afterward, stroll on the boardwalk or relax on the beach. Don’t forget to save room for some Russian cuisine at Tatiana Restaurant located on the boardwalk.

9. Devour Italian Food at the Feast of Giglio

Feast of Giglio

You don’t have to fly to Italy to see a piece of Italian history. Head to Williamsburg for this annual summer tradition, where men carry a statue through the streets. I went in the 90s and was blown away watching a large group of men lift this enormous statue. The night lift of the statue is July 15^th. The feast runs from July 8^th-19^th and will satiate anyone who loves to indulge in Italian street Food.

10. See the Metropolitan Opera at SummerStage

Opera at SummerStage

SummerStage is celebrating its 30^th anniversary this summer, the free performing arts festival has over twenty shows in four Brooklyn parks. Opera lovers should see SummerStage’s Metropolitan Opera Summer Recital Series at Brooklyn Bridge Park on June 17^th from 7-9pm.

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