Highlights this week include Grammy Award winner Dee Dee Bridgewater headlining BRIC Jazz Fest, Flushing Town Hall’s annual Diwali celebration and the Pro Padel finals at Hammerstein Ballroom.
Also, Chef JJ Johnson and Angela Yee hosting “The Cookout again, and Musa Jackson celebrates the 50th anniversary of “Mahogany.”
Music
BRIC Jazz Fest 2025
BRIC House — 647 Fulton St., Brooklyn (Fort Greene)
Fri. Oct. 17 and Sat. Oct. 18, Various showtimes.
Grammy and Tony Award winner Dee Dee Bridgewater is closing out the the 11th annual BRIC JazzFest, a two-day line-up of what musician and festival curator Adrian Younge referred to as “diverse and global line up of some of the most incredible musicians I know.”
Other artists scheduled for the bill include Chief Adjuah, Vuyo Sotashe & Chris Pattishall, Saha Gnawa, Meklit Hadero, Nubya Garcia, Endea Owens, OKAN, New Jazz Underground, and Karriem Riggins.
Bridgewater looks forward to returning to Brooklyn to perform for the first time since 2016 — this time with a set of timely songs in relation to current affairs.
“I’m coming to do the festival with my all-female band, WE EXIST!,” Bridgewater tells The Daily News. “And I am doing protest songs and socially relevant songs, trying to address the situation that the United States is in today, without making any vocal political statements, just speaking through the music.”
Her set list will be “all songs that have been heard before,” she shared, like The Stylistics’ “People Make the World Go Round,” Donny Hathaway’s “Tryin’ Times,” Abbey Lincoln’s “Throw It Away,” and Bob Dylan’s “Gotta Serve Somebody.”
Tickets start at $55.
Family
11th Annual Diwali Festival
Flushing Town Hall—137-35 Northern Blvd, Queens (Flushing)
Sat. Oct. 18, Noon – 4 p.m.
Town Hall continues its tradition of commemorating Diwali, the annual Hindu “Festival of Lights,” with a day of family-friendly activities that public programs director Gabrielle M. Hamilton describes as “a joyful and immersive experience that should not be missed!”
Alongside henna tattoo, rangoli art and Hindi calligraphy workshops, Indian culture and tradition will come alive through Kathak dance performed by Abha B. Roy and her Srijan Dance Company, and musicians Pt. Kinnar Seen and Dr. Naren Budhkar will play classic Indian sitar and tabla music from. Fashion designer-turned-chef Nupur Arora and his Queens Curry Kitchen will serve up his brew of Indian food.
Tickets are $20 for adults, free for children.
Art
“Billy Joel: My Life, A Piano Man’s Journey”
Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame —97 Main St., Long Island (Stony Brook)
Through Oct. 26. Various times.
There’s still time to catch this Billy Joel exhibit before it starts movin’ out after a two-year run.
Curated by renowned designer Kevin O’Callaghan, the exhibition’s rare memorabilia, awards, recordings, instruments, videos and photos illustrate the life of one of New York’s great native sons.
Tickets start at $28.50.
Film
“Mahogany 50th Anniversary Celebration”
The Apollo Stages at The Victoria —233 West. 125th St., 3rd Floor, Manhattan (Harlem)
Fri. Oct. 17, 6 p.m.
“Harlem Ambassador” Musa Jackson is back with another event celebrating the golden anniversary of a Black cinema classic. The beloved Diana Ross film centers on an aspiring fashion designer who is propelled into the dizzying heights of international stardom with no one to share it with.
Directed by Motown Records founder Berry Gordy and also starring Billy Dee Williams and Anthony Perkins, the 1975 romantic drama featured the superstar in her greatest non-singing performance. She did sing the title song, “Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You’re Going To),” which reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was nominated for an Academy Award.
The movie’s legacy will be discussed after the special screening by TV producer, author and Diana Ross expert Patrick Riley, fashion stylist Ty Hunter and the diva’s eldest daughter, singer and songwriter and longtime Harlemite Rhonda Ross Kendrick.
Tickets are $30.
Theater
“Freedom Riders: A Journey With No End in Sight”
Harlem Stage—150 Convent Ave., Manhattan (Harlem)
Through Oct. 18, Various showtimes.
Following its landmark multi-city bus tour, Dr. Indira Etwaroo‘s reimagining of “12 Angry Men: True Stories of Being a Black Man in America Today” has opened Harlem Stage’s new season with a cast featuring Lisa Arrindell, Russell Hornsby, Billy Eugene Jones, Angelica Ross and Stephen Tyrone Williams.
The theatrical reading looks back at the centuries of racial injustice in America from a mainly contemporary lens with first-person monologues on racial profiling, police brutality, systemic violence, violence against Black Trans lives and the tragic story of Breonna Taylor.
Etwaroo, who helmed Bed-Stuy’s Billie Holiday Theatre when it was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 2023, previously produced productions of the work at the Brooklyn venue.
Tickets at $40.
Sports
Pro Padel League’s City’s Cup Finals
Hammerstein Ballroom at Manhattan Center — 311 West 34th St., Manhattan (Midtown)
Through Oct. 19. Various times.
The Pro Padel League (PPL) will descend upon New York City with its season-ending City’s Cup Finals, featuring champion men’s and women’s pairs competing in single-elimination matches on a custom “High Competition” stage.
Agustín Tapia, Federico Chingotto, Gemma Triay and Ari Sanchez are among the stars of the fast-growing racquet sport who will face off in match-ups throughout the weekend.
Tickets start at $30.
Food
“The Cookout”
St. Bart’s — 325 Park Ave., Manhattan (Midtown)
Sat. Nov. 18. 3 p.m. – 7 p.m.
James Beard Award–winning chef, author and TV host JJ Johnson is teaming up once again with radio host and entrepreneur Angela Yee for his signature food festival event, “The Cookout.”
Johnson said he’s proud to see his vision of an immersive experience showcasing the food, music and community of Afro-Caribbean and African American culture “grow into a movement—bringing together chefs, DJs, and guests who understand that representation in the culinary industry matters.”
Unlike some other food festivals that charge an admission price only to have attendees pay for the food, too, “The Cookout” is all-inclusive. Turntablists such as DJ Moochie, DJ Jahi Sundance and DJ Mundo will rock the wheels of steel while Chef Preston Clark, Osei “Picky” Blackett, Mother Shuckers founder Ben “Moody” Harney, India Doris and Sugar Hill Creamery serve up eats and treats for the masses.
Johnson, the force behind Fieldtrip restaurant, will also take off his apron to lead a crowd in a game of “Kitchen Karaoke.”
“This event isn’t just a party, it’s a purpose-driven celebration that reflects both the beauty of our culture and the responsibility we have to nourish and uplift our communities,” Johnson said.
Tickets start at $150.
If you have an upcoming weekend event you’d like to submit for consideration in an upcoming roundup, please email: nycevents@nydailynews.com with the full listing details. Consideration does not guarantee inclusion.
