Memorial Day 2013: Dance Africa - Coney Island & Silverlinings

After several Summer starter weekends (Alliteration!) the Grand Opening is here and it's gonna be a bright sunn- hey wtf?!

Ah it's gonna be a dank gloomy overcast affair. Wheee.

 

So while the views may not be all fun and the sun like Memorial Day weekends past (above) Coney Island will be open, the rides will be churning and considering the damage wrecked on the shores after Sandy, this is still a time to get out and celebrate. If you need any more encouragement (you people..) There are many of the same weekend festivals goings on, Smorgasburg, Brooklyn Flea, The Lewis Avenue Flea in Bed-Stuy, and of course that annual favorites of Brooklyn culture:

DANCE AFRICA at B.A.M.!

Here's some pics from the Dance Africa Festival of years past:

 

 For those who don't know the yearly festival features a series of musical, theatrical, and all around dynamic events at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) and this weekend will be complimented by street vendors of everything from clothing to home furnishings to some of the best Pan-African-Caribbean-American food you'll find in New York City.

From the website: "Created by Chuck Davis in 1977, DanceAfrica—the nation’s largest festival dedicated to African dance—brings together dance, music, film, and an array of community events for an exhilarating celebration of culture from Africa and its diaspora."

So here's my silver-lining take away; I'm counting on the less than perfect weather to shorten all those foodlines from WillyB to Brooklyn Academy of Music. Yum! Plus a Birthday Party for DJ "Uncle" Ralph McDaniels, can't be a certain type of Brooklynite and miss that!

Check BAM for more details. Running May 17- May 27th