Bike New York, a nonprofit that promotes bike safety and education, is hosting the Five Boro Bike Fest at the Brooklyn Bridge Park on April 30th. There will be live entertainment, face painting for kids, and bike related how-to classes.

Five Boro Bike Fest Kicks off a Weekend of Big Bicycle Events
Who: Bike New York and Brooklyn Bridge Park
What: Five Boro Bike Fest at Brooklyn Bridge Park

This free, family-friendly event is part of a fun-filled weekend that kicks off Bike Month (May) and includes the TD Bank Five Boro Bike Tour Presented by Eastern Mountain Sports, the largest bicycling event in North America, on May 1.
The Bike Fest is open to the public and features live entertainment, classes, bike repair, and an expo with demos and giveaways. Entertainment includes The Meetles, a popular Beatles tribute band; Bomba Yo, an African-Puerto Rican drum group; JamX reggae band, courtesy of the Jamaica Tourist Board; as well as kids’ performers, including Looney Louie and Magic Al.

When: Saturday, April 30, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Where: Brooklyn Bridge Park (Plaza and Pier 1 vehicular turn-around area)
Directions: www.brooklynbridgeparknyc.org/visit/directions
Who can attend: Everyone! This event is FREE and open to the public.

For more info, please visit www.bikenewyork.org/rides/bike_fest and www.brooklynbridgeparknyc.org

Dumbo Improvement District, with media partner BBC America, celebrates the wedding of HRH Prince William of Wales and Miss Catherine Middleton with a live viewing and British-style street party under The Archway in Dumbo. The event will be FREE and open to the public.

If you missed the royal wedding early this morning, there are still lots of activity at The Archway in Dumbo. The Brooklyn Ink live-blogged the event at The Archway.

There will be activities for children from 10AM to noon. Kids (and parents), come in costume or with a “fancy” hat. There will be a craft table for making crowns and tiaras. There will be a photo booth on hand with props and dress up clothes.

9:00AM: Replay of BBC America Coverage Begins
10:00AM – 12:00PM: Crafts for Kids
5:30AM – 2:00PM: Contests for the Best Dressed, Best Hat, Best Child’s Costume & Best Dressed Dogs.

Note: The Wedding Party at The Dumbo Loft (155 Water St Dumbo) is sold out for both all-day & evening pass. (royalweddingnyc.com) 9am–1am. However come down for the free festivities at The Archway through 3pm today.

Directions to THE ARCHWAY – DUMBO
F-train to York Street; exit station and turn right onto Jay Street, left of Front Street, right on Pearl Street/Anchorage Place, walk one block. A/C – trains to High Street/Brooklyn Bridge; exit at Cadman Plaza West stairwell, cross Cadman Plaza Park, pathway curves to the left. Walk downhill on Washington Street, turn right on Water Street. 2/3 – trains to Clark Street; exit the station and turn left onto Henry Street. Pass Cranberry Street and make a right on the footpath; you will see A/C train station. Cross Cadman Plaza Park, pathway curves to the left. Walk downhill on Washington Street, turn right on Water Street.

(Photo courtesy of Jeremy Presner)

Thursday, April 28 7–9 PM
The powerHouse Arena, 37 Main Street (corner of Water & Main St.), Dumbo, Brooklyn
For more information, please call 718.666.3049
rsvp: rsvp@powerHouseArena.com

powerHouse Books and The powerHouse Arena invite you to join the book launch party for The Day After Tomorrow: Images of Our Earth in Crisis by J Henry Fair. A brand new title from powerHouse Books, J Henry Fair takes us on a journey to bear witness to the environmental destruction that is currently plaguing our habitat; from a forested mountain in West Virginia blasted out of existence by mountaintop removal mining, to a region in Florida left in radioactive ruin by the phosphate mining industry, J Henry Fair presents hard evidence that our unchecked consumerism is leading the way in the destruction of the ecosystems that sustain us. The primarily aerial images are mesmerizing vistas of pools of agitated paper mill waste, blood-red bauxite impoundments, and the remains of hollowed-out mountains.

Read more about the book at powerHouse Arena.

A Meetup event at Etsy in Dumbo.

When: Tuesday, April 26, 2011, 6:30 PM
Where: Etsy Labs DUMBO, 55 Washington St, Suite 712 Brooklyn, NY

In a world where digital rules, how can you take your creative project and do something with it? If you call yourself an artist (and we’re all artists in our own right) – what are the best ways to make the digital landscape your friend? Join NY Creative Interns and Etsy to hear a panel of artists share insight and discuss how even the most traditional art forms can have a place in the digital age.

Panelists:

Ruben Quinones // Director of New Media, Pathinteractive, NYU Adjunct Professor
Jacob Krupnick // Girl Walk All Day, Shootbooth
Parris Whittingham // New York Wedding Photographer
Katherine Barna // Communications Director, Tumblr

When: Friday, April 22, 2011, Doors open at 7:00pm, performance begins at 8:00
Where: Galapagos Art Space, 16 Main Street, Brooklyn NY 11201

Galapagos Art Space is pleased to present “The Machines Project,” an evening in which three of the brightest young stars in the contemporary classical world will play alongside the delicate workings of Arthur Ganson’s renowned mechanized kinetic sculptures. On Friday, April 22, the Ariel Artists musicians – trombone collective Guidonian Hand, pianist Oni Buchanan, and guitarists Duo Orfeo – will create an evening of slow-burning wonder and painstaking music construction. As Ganson’s sculptures and films ratchet along through the night on stage, screen and ghostly shadows, a full program of mysterious works from the recent past and brand new compositions of the uncertain present will be performed by this incredible and diverse lineup of musicians.

Tickets are $10 in advance or $12 at the door. Advance tickets can be purchased and can be purchased in person or online here.

Smack Mellon’s unique Benefit is held on Kentucky Derby Day, Saturday, May 7, 2011. Tickets are $250 and each ticket guarantees one artwork and admits two people. Guests bet on horses (which determines the order in which the artwork is selected), and the race is projected all around the gallery. Throughout the Derby-themed evening, everyone can enjoy delicious mint juleps and tasty home-style southern food.

Tickets can be purchased here: smackmellon.org/index.php?cID=1093

All proceeds will directly support Smack Mellon’s Exhibition, Artist Studio and two Education Programs.

Smack Mellon’s mission is to nurture and support emerging, under-recognized mid-career and women artists in the creation and exhibition of new work, by providing exhibition opportunities, studio workspace, and access to equipment and technical assistance for the realization of ambitious projects.

The Exhibition Program is at the center of the organization, the program focuses on providing opportunities for artists to create site-specific works that creatively respond to our space, and work that explores innovative uses of both new technologies and traditional materials. The Artist Studio Program, launched in 2000, provides free studio space, access to a workshop for metal, wood and general fabrication, a common area equipped with the latest technology, and a fellowship to six artists for an eleven-month period. In 2007 two new Arts Education Programs were developed for youth, to better prepare underserved young people for the professional world and to expose them to diverse artistic disciplines. The Art Ready after-school program partners high school students with professional artists in NYC for a 4-month mentorship to help them make a more informed decision about pursuing a career in the arts. The Summer Arts Intensive is a free, month long arts workshop for low-income middle-high school students.

Smack Mellon (smackmellon.org)
92 Plymouth Street, Brooklyn NY 11201
(718) 834.8761

The last concert series in the Spring season for JAM ON DUMBO is on Sunday, April 17. JAM ON DUMBO is working hard to bring sing-a-longs, music workshops, and other fun activities to Dumbo this spring and summer.

When: Sunday, April 17, 3-6pm
Where: Water Street Restaurant, (66 Water Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201)

$20 kids (price includes parents) $10 additional sibling, Pre-walker siblings FREE

(Photo credit: Oshrat Yuval)

Previously:
{Dumbo Kids Winter Music Concert Series (Sun, March 27)}
{Dumbo Kids Winter Music Concert Series (Feb 9)}

two, a clothing and design studio based in Dumbo (55 Washington Street) is showcasing a new line of tunics and caftans for women made from Indian textiles and sarees on Friday, April 15, 2011, 2pm-7pm.

The show is taking place at Dumbo Arts Center, 111 Front Street, Suite 212, Brooklyn, NY 11201.

First, kudos to Dumbo based Erica Heinz (@ericaheinz) and her team on the redesign of the Galapagos Art Space website redesign!

For the month of April, Galapagos Art Space is offering a generous offer for DumboNYC readers. Their weekly Saturday Floating Kabarette show has been a huge success and attracts audience members from around the globe. As a special for Brooklyn residents and workers, they are offering a 25% discount to any of the Saturday Floating Kabarette shows. All you need to do is visit galapagosartspace.com/events to pick the Floating Kabarette show (as long as it’s not sold out), click Buy Tickets to be brought to Ticketweb.com, then enter the discount code “DUMBOFK” (without the quotes) at checkout.

What is a Floating Kabarette, you say? Floating Kabarette is a unique weekly variety show featuring the very best of New York City’s cabaret, burlesque, music, circus, skill & feats, aerial/trapeze, and performance art communities. Its polished, well-produced show fills up the space with alluring narratives of society and culture.

This Saturday’s Floating Kabarette features burlesque by Miss Tickle and Madame Rosebud:

A double dose of titillating burlesque by Miss Tickle and Madame Rosebud!

Madame Rosebud is burlesque’s Eastern Muse. Her specialty: the creation of worlds in which you may comfortably be seduced. As a striptease artist, actor, dancer and storyteller, she has brought her graceful, elegant work to audiences all over the East Coast.

Miss Tickle, crowned the “Queen of gags and gimmicks” for her sorceress-like ability to design and create gorgeous and unparalleled costumes. Tonight’s fantastic lineup also includes the musical stylings of Joseph Keckler, aerial by Joshua Dean, and fabulous hosts, Olga & Bjorn.

Doors: 10:00PM, Show: 10:30PM | $15 General Admission, $20 Reserved VIP Seating
(Remember to get your discount, use the discount code above)

General Admission tickets do not guarantee seating, so be sure to arrive early to get a seat! Parties purchasing the VIP Reserved Seating ticket should confirm their reservations by sending an e-mail to andrew@galapagosartspace.com with the party’s name and the full names of everyone in the party. Advance tickets must be purchased before completing a reservation. We process seating reservations during our office hours, which are 10am – 6pm, Monday – Friday. Online ticket sales stop at 8:00pm on Saturday nights. Thank you!

On April 7, the waterfront neighborhood of DUMBO will welcome art lovers and fun seekers to First Thursday, a monthly gallery walk where gallery spaces celebrate the vivacious New York art scene that has become a cultural hallmark for this Brooklyn neighborhood. Exhibitions, interactive installations, and opening receptions at local galleries comprise this month’s First Thursday on Thursday, April 7 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Two Trees Management, in collaboration with participating galleries, is proud to host this festive evening, giving visitors and residents the chance to immerse themselves in DUMBO’s cultural offerings. Local bars offer drink specials afterward as well.

Check gallery websites or dumboculture411.com for updates.

A.I.R. Gallery, 111 Front St., Suite 228
Amos Eno Gallery, 111 Front St., Suite 202
Brooklyn Arts Council, 111 Front St., Suite 218
Caption Gallery, 55 Washington St., Suite 802
Central Booking, 111 Front St., Suite 214
Collective Consciousness NYC, 10 Jay St.
DUMBO Arts Center, 111 Front St., Suite 212
Farmani Gallery, 111 Front St., Suite 212
Giacobetti Paul Gallery, 111 Front St., Suite 220
Henry Gregg Gallery, 111 Front St., Suite 226
Klompching Gallery, 111 Front St.
Kris Graves Gallery, 111 Front St., Suite 224
Melville House, 145 Plymouth St.
Mighty Tanaka Gallery, 68 Jay St., Suite 416
One Arm Red, 10 Jay St.
Powerhouse Books & Powerhouse Arena, 37 Main St.
Rabbithole Studio, 33 Washington St.
Randall Scott Gallery, 111 Front St., Suite 204
Smack Mellon, 93 Plymouth St. @ Washington Street
Spring, 126a Front St.
Umbrage Gallery, 111 Front St.
VII Photo, 28 Jay St.