First Saturdays at the Brooklyn Museum: What's On?

View Map

Brooklyn Museum

Address

200 Eastern Pkwy, Brooklyn, NY 11238-6052, USA

Get directions

Phone +1 718-638-5000

Web Visit website

Don't believe the cliche, you can't get anything for free, because you definitely can at the Target First Saturdays at the Brooklyn Museum. The monthly program offers folks free entrance to the museum and a jam packed itinerary of free events throughout the night. The Brooklyn Museum's free, once-a-month event called Target First Saturday is not to be missed. This event celebrates a range of themes every year, and always also ties into exhibitions at the museum. It's family friendly, diverse, and the programming is intelligent. The evening long free event usually includes a line up on dancing, talks and screenings. However, you can opt out of the scheduled events and just peruse the exhibits, soaking in the festive atmosphere in the lobby.

The fun begins at Happy Hour from 5-7pm, and the free art and entertainment runs from 5–11 p.m. Although the events are free, a few programs are ticketed. If you see a ticketed event that you're interested in, you should get there early because tickets run out quickly. Normally ticket lines often form 30 minutes before ticket distribution at the Visitor Center located in the Rubin Lobby. Members may pick up tickets from the Membership Desk while supplies last. 

The themes and precise schedule are announced a few weeks before each "Target First Saturday," which is of course the first Saturday of every month. There is no Target First Saturday however in January or in September, as the Brooklyn Museum is the staging site for a number of big events pertaining to the West Indian Labor Day Parade and Carnival.

Not every Target First Saturday event follows the same format (heaven forbid!) but in general there's a smorgasbord of activities, including music, lectures, performances, a book club discussion and more events. The word "Target" refers to the store, Target, which sponsors this wonderful community event. For this month's Target First Saturday, see the Brooklyn Museum website. 

If you happen to have a car, you can park for six dollars in their lot, which is open late for this popular monthly event. 

No matter what's on the itinerary, here's three things you should do at Target First Saturdays at the Brooklyn Museum:

Have a Dinner or a Drink!

You don't have to spend a Saturday night forking over fifteen dollars for a craft cocktail in a hipster bar, where you might spend the evening talking about art. Instead, drink a glass of wine surrounded by some of the best art in the world. The Brooklyn Museum has a cash bar that sells beer and wine, and the Museum Café will serve a wide variety of sandwiches, salads, and beverages. Plus, the wonderful new restaurant The Norm at the Brooklyn Museum offers classy restaurant fare, and is run by the Michelin-starred Chef Saul Bolton. If you want to dine at the museum you should make reservations before you go.

Go Shopping!

The Museum Shop is one of the best places to pick up art related items, as well as Brooklyn themed merchandise, inventive toys, and deeply discounted products related to previous exhibits that would please any art lover. You don't have to rush to the Museum Shop, it will remain open until 10 p.m. They also have an extensive collection of art books for sale. Don't miss it!

Check out the Mummys!

Take the elevator to the third floor to the Temples and Tombs exhibit, and see the museum's notable collection of mummy and Egyptian artifacts. If mummies aren't your thing, the museum's collection of ancient Egyptian art is "one of the largest and finest in the United States, is renowned throughout the world. The galleries for this unparalleled collection have been reorganized and reinstalled." You can't help but marvel at the sculptures, pottery and artifacts from ancient Egypt.

Edited by Alison Lowenstein