Calendar of Events

All events are held at BHS and are free to the public unless otherwise noted

Click Here for Printable BHS Summer Events Calendar

Click here for past BHS events

2010 Events

August

Saturdays & Sundays - through December
12:00 - 3:30 pm
Brewed in Brooklyn Tours

Discover how the story of the beer brewing industry tells a larger narrative about the neighborhood of Williamsburg, the borough of Brooklyn, and even the country as a whole. On this tour, you visit the Brooklyn Brewery and sample various beers on tap, then step back in time to explore the heart of the old Brewers Row, once a German immigrant area known for its brew houses and beer gardens. Learn about beer brewers of the past and present and explore the diverse cultures and mom-and-pop businesses that make the neighborhood what it is today. Plenty of beer tastings and food included. 

Admission: $49/person (must be 21 years of age or older) for lunch, beer, map, & tour guide)

Discount for BHS members: 10% discount (contact BHS at 718-222-4111 x250 for  code or to learn more about membership)
Tickets: Space is limited. Advance purchase required at  www.urbanoyster.com.

Sundays (see Urban Oyster calendar for specific dates)

Brooklyn Navy Yard by Bus or by Bike

Take a bus tour or ride a bike and learn the fascinating stories of the Brooklyn Navy Yard's past, present, and future. 
Advance ticket purchase is required. Click here for dates and ticket prices for bus and bike tours through the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

September

Wednesday, September 8

Being an Artist in Brooklyn- Panel Discussion with Dexter Wimberley

6:00 pm

Five artists and a curator discuss the challenges and opportunities facing visual artists today and why NOW is the best time ever to be a creative mind in Brooklyn. 

Sunday, September 12  

Brooklyn Book Festival

12:00 - 5:00 pm (BHS events)

The Brooklyn Book Festival is a huge, free public event presenting an array of literary stars and emerging authors who represent the exciting world of literature today. Brooklyn Book Festival is one of America’s premier literary and literacy events.

Tentative Schedule of Events at BHS.

Check back for updated information:

12:00 pm - The Zinn Legacy

Amy Goodman, David Zirin and others discuss the intellectual and popular influence of Howard Zinn, Brooklyn-born historian, author, anarchist, socialist, activist, and playwright with an introductory dramatic reading from the 423-page file on Zinn kept by the FBI and recently released through the Freedom of Information Act.

1:00 pm - Change is Gonna Come: The Fluid Life of New York City

In a city like New York, change is constant. Yet coupled with that change comes numerous and often times competing interests. Sharon Zukin (Naked City), Roberta Brandes Gratz (The Battle for Gotham) and Martin Lemelman (Two Cents Plain) consider the perpetual ebb and flow of The Big Apple and how it affects us all. Moderated by Phillip Lopate (Waterfront).

2:00 pm - Unheard of Magnitude

Bill Evans, co-author of Category 7, N.K. Jemisin, (The Hundred Thousand Kingdom)s, Karen Lord, (Redemption in Indigo), read from their gripping books, which challenge us to imagine havoc and consequences wreaked by nature and gods.

3:00 pm - Plot Aside

Adam Haslett (UnionAtlantic), Katharine Weber (True Confections) and Jess Walter (The Financial Lives of Poets) discuss the themes and ideas that motivate, shape and inform their plots, characters and writing.

4:00 pm - All Politics is Local

Is politics down and dirty or full of optimism for the future? Here city, state and national politics are discussed from all angles of reform and whether real change is a utopian myth. Francis S. Barry (Scandal of Reform), former State Assembly Member Dan Feldman (Tales from the Sausage Factory) and Scott Simpson, editor of the 40th anniversary edition of Unbossed and Unbought by Shirley Chisholm.

5:00 pm - The Play's the Thing

Dramatic readings and conversation with Jake Ehrenreich, A Jew Grows in Brooklyn, a musical and memoir about the reflections of  a first generation American growing up in Brownsville, Brooklyn, in the shadow of the Shoah; Charles Fuller, Pulitzer Prize winning playwright of A Soldiers Story and Polish author Dorota Maslowska, Snow White,  Russian Red and the play "A Couple of Poor, Polish-Speaking Romanians" (staged in NY in 2011).

Thursday, September 16

Painting Brooklyn’s Stories of Immigration & Survival – Exhibition Opening

5:30 - 7:30 pm

Artist/curator Nina Talbot in collaboration with Professor Rachel Bernstein of New York University's Public History program, present striking stories of Brooklyn residents who've immigrated to the borough from other countries. Their stories will be portrayed through paintings, oral histories and personal effects, lending individual insights into broader social aspects of life in Brooklyn.

Saturday, September 18

Researching Your Brooklyn House Workshop

2:00 - 4:00 pm

Discover the amazing history of your house using BHS’ images, records and documents. Attendees will be introduced to library collections used in house and building research and will learn to piece together the social history of a Brooklyn home or block.
BHS Members: $20

Non-members: $25
Advanced RSVP is required. RSVP here or by calling 718-222-4111.

Sunday, September 26

DUMBO Arts Festival Walking Tours

1:00 pm and 2:30 pm

Meet outside the York Street F Train Station at Jay and York Streets to take a one-hour walking tour of DUMBO's architecture. Learn about the industrial history of the neighborhood with one of Brooklyn's leading historians, Francis Morrone

Sunday, September 26

The Atlantic Antic

10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Join BHS at the Atlantic Antic, a true Brooklyn event that spans 10 blocks – from Hicks Street to Fourth Avenue. Unique to this community festival is the number of participating local merchants, artisans, musical acts, and not-for-profits that bring together a fabulous array of authentic Brooklyn food, festivities and fun on one mile of Atlantic Avenue.

October

Thursday, October 7

Brooklyn Bounty

6:00 - 9:00 pm

Brooklyn Bounty is an event celebrating Brooklyn's local food culture and craftspeople. Sample food and drinks from Brooklyn's best purveyors, listen to music by the Blue Vipers and bid on fantastic Brooklyn-themed prizes - all for a good cause! All funds raised at Brooklyn Bounty will be used to support BHS' nationally-recognized education programs.

To buy tickets online please CLICK HERE for a night of fun, food and festivities!

Saturday, October 9 and Sunday, October 10

OpenHouseNY - BHS Building Tours

Both days at 2:00 pm

Come and explore our beautiful landmark building!  Designed by architect George Post and built in 1881, the Brooklyn Historical Society’s building was ahead of its time.  Using the latest technology, Post created a magnificent structure with amazing craftsmanship.  On this guided tour you’ll learn not only about the building as an architectural gem, but you’ll also find out the “more than meets the eye” history of one of Brooklyn’s premier cultural institutions.

Sunday, October 24

We Are All the Same Inside, Doll-Making Workshop

1:00 – 3:00 pm

The T.I.M.M.-E Company, Inc. (Tolerance in Multi Media Education)—an educational company to teach tolerance and diversity in schools—announces the 10th anniversary of the book,  We Are All The Same Inside® with another celebration at the Brooklyn Historical Society.

The reissued 10th anniversary edition of We Are All The Same Inside® includes a brand new, eye-popping cover and the original 32-page story, featuring the lovable and recognizable alien, Sage. Additionally, the book contains rare and unseen images, paper doll patterns and lesson plans that educators can use in their classes and parents, friends and/or guardians can use at home to further illustrate the book’s message. 

The Brooklyn Historical Society will host the launch party event that will debut  the 10th anniversary commemorative CD single,  We Are All The Same Inside® and DVD entitled, The Inside Story.  Both media components feature the talents of the legendary singer / songwriter and Motown Records producer, Sherlie Matthews. Special limited edition Sage alien dolls will be on display. Participants will have the chance to create their own Brooklyn Sage doll with hair, yarn, leather, rhinestones, beads and more!

Suggested donation is $5 at the door.

November

Wednesday, November 10

Exhibition Opening - Artist and Artifact: Re|Visioning Brooklyn's Past

Opening held at both BHS and BRIC Rotunda Gallery

7:00 - 9:00 pm

This innovative new exhibition features work by artists and writers who have explored the Society's collection for inspiration for original art work. These new works will be exhibited along with the utilized pieces from the BHS collection in an upcoming exhibition located at BHS and at BRIC Rotunda Gallery (33 Clinton St.). For more information on Artist and Artifact: Re|Visioning Brooklyn's Past visit the exhibition page.

Saturday, November 13

Research Your House Workshop

2:00 pm

During this workshop, discover the amazing history of your house using BHS’ images, records and documents. Attendees will be introduced to library collections used in house and building research and will learn to piece together the social history of a Brooklyn home or block.
BHS Members: $20

Non-members: $25

Sunday, November 14 

Painting Brooklyn Stories of Immigration & Survival - Family Workshop

2:00 – 4:00 pm

The educational workshop is run by the curators and artists in the Painting Brooklyn exhibition. In the Family Workshop participants will partner with each other and conduct focused interviews to elicit stories from one another, and then create mixed media artwork based on the stories. Through guided questions, participants will investigate their partners' heritage and life paths. Highlights of the brief interview will then be translated into a piece of art work that incorporates the elements of the stories. Art materials will be provided.

The program is intended for children ages eight and older and a family member.

Participants will share their completed work with each other.

November 17- 21

5 Dutch Days

Come see what BHS has in store for the annual 5 Dutch Days celebration. 5 Dutch Days is a five day cultural event which takes place in New York City every November.  It celebrates the continuous influence of Dutch arts and culture in New York City and brings together arts and cultural organizations from across the city. 

December

December 8 - 12

NY Creates Holiday Craft Festival

Weekdays 11 am - 7 pm, Weekend 10 am - 5 pm

You’ll find an array of unique craft items to suite any taste at theNY Creates Craft Festival at the Brooklyn Historical Society. The Crafts Festival features high quality and creative hand-crafted gifts: ceramics, jewelry, apparel, plush toys, organic cosmetics, glass works, photo art and home goods at affordable prices. Special events during the sale.

BACK TO TOP