Community Events
October 2023
Explore Free, Public Events Across Brooklyn
October 9 – 15
EASTBKBIKECLUB / DOT Bike the Block Brownsville
Saturday, October 14 | 11am – 3pm
259 Bristol Street Brooklyn, NY 11212
RSVP Here
EASTBKBIKECLUB and the NYC Dept. of Transportation present “Bike the Block,” a series of city-wide open-street events featuring tips for riding, bike repair, and bike law education, group bike rides, giveaways and cultural programming promoting fun, sustainable, healthy activities. There will be vendors, food, music and other fun activities for the community.
Cooper Park Block Party
Saturday, October 14 | 1pm – 4pm
Cooper Park, Maspeth Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11211
RSVP Here
The Friends of Cooper Park and Amant present the Third Annual Block Party, on Sharon Street alongside Cooper Park. Join them for an afternoon filled with fun fall activities, including a screen-printing station, pumpkin decorating, bluegrass music, a raffle with great prizes, and neighborly gathering over apple cider and donuts or a warm cup of coffee.
October 16 – 22
Storytime with Yobe Qiu at Brooklyn Children’s Museum
Thursday, October 19 | 3pm – 4pm
145 Brooklyn Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11213
RSVP Here
Join the museum for their series of fall-themed read-along programs, including activities and crafts geared for children ages 1–5. These sessions will feature a selection of titles by local authors curated and read by author Yobe Qiu.
Lampblack Reading Series at The Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts (MoCADA)
Friday, October 20 | 6PM – 8PM
80 Hanson Place, Brooklyn, NY 11217
RSVP Here
The Lampblack Reading Series was created by Black writers to support, promote, and celebrate Black writers. This event will see three celebrated authors read their most recent work: Mayada Ibrahim, Benjamin Wright, and Kim Coleman Foote!
OHNY: Lefferts Historic House Behind-the-Scenes Tour
Saturday, October 21 | 11am – 2pm
Lefferts Historic House, 452 Flatbush Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11225
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Join Open House New York for a behind-the-scenes look at the newly restored and reimagined Lefferts Historic House. This 18th-century Flatbush farmhouse and New York City landmark, jointly operated by Prospect Park Alliance and the Historic House Trust, reopened this season after a $2.5 million major restoration which was recognized with a 2023 Lucy G. Moses Preservation Award, the New York Landmarks Conservancy’s highest honor for outstanding preservation.
The Soul of Food: For the Love of Grains
Saturday, October 21 | 1PM – 3:30PM
Good Life Garden, 46 Goodwin Place, Brooklyn, NY 11221
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NYC Parks GreenThumb urban gardening program will take you on a deep dive into Afro-Indigenous grains! Through discussion and preparation of grain-producing plants including rice and corn, you’ll learn how these grains connect and continue to feed Black and Brown diasporas.
Family Volunteering at Brooklyn Book Bodega
Sunday, October 22 | 10AM – 12PM
141 Flushing Avenue Suite 407, Brooklyn, NY 11205
RSVP Here
Families with 10-17 year olds are invited to join Brooklyn Book Bodega for a volunteer morning to help stamp and sort books at their Book Hub!
October 23 – 31
Horror Screenwriting Workshop at the Herbert Von King Cultural Arts Center
Monday, October 23 | 5:30pm – 7:45pm
670 Lafayette AveBrooklyn, NY 11216
RSVP Here
Join NYC Parks for their Horror Screenwriting Workshop! Each session, writers will present pages from their works-in-progress horror scripts and receive peer feedback with the goal of elevating the chills and thrills of their projects.
Workshop: Successful End-of-Year Giving Campaign
Thursday, October 25 | 8am-10am
1290 6th Ave 7th floor, New York, NY 11213
RSVP Here
Cushman & Wakefield’s nonprofit (real estate) practice and Anat Gerstein Inc. are hosting a free workshop to help nonprofits prepare a successful end-of-year giving campaign.
Animal Encounters at Brooklyn Children’s Museum
Thursday, October 26 | 3:40pm – 4:20pm
145 Brooklyn Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11213
RSVP Here
Say hello to BCM’s live animals at this program led by expert animal maintainer, Sarah! Get a personal introduction to some of BCM’s most fascinating creatures and participate in an art project inspired by our animal friends.
Urban Pumpkin Patch
Saturday, October 28 | 12-3pm
Kaiser Park (2529 Neptune Ave)
RSVP Here
Celebrate Motivation Monsters’ 3rd Annual Urban Pumpkin Patch in Coney Island, including a Pumpkin Pick N Paint workshop for kids and adult creatives!
Muslim Community Network’s Interfaith Soup Kitchen
Saturday, October 28 | 3pm – 7pm
Holy Trinity Church, 316 E 88th Street, New York, NY 10128
RSVP Here
Sign up to help at Muslim Community Network’s monthly Interfaith Soup Kitchen! Volunteers are responsible for prepping meals — from dicing vegetables to cooking food — working with care to ensure they are serving the best meals to the community.
Submit An Event
Does your organization have a free, public event you'd like to share with the community? To enter your event for consideration to be added to our calendar, please fill out and submit the following form.
Upcoming Events
Prospect Park Lunar New Year Celebration (2026)
Prospect Park Alliance & Chinese-American Planning Council
Prospect Park Boathouse, 101 East Drive Brooklyn, NY 11225
10:00 AM–2:00 PM EDT
Tracing The Mountain – Hunterfly on The Hill
Weeksville Heritage Center, 158 Buffalo Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11213
12:00 PM–3:00 PM EDT
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Memorial Competition: Submission Deadline
New York State, in partnership with the Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation and the Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Memorial Commission
Brooklyn Org and The Center for Fiction Present Hannah Lillith Assadi on Paradiso 17 with Colum McCann
The Center for Fiction, 15 Lafayette Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11217
7:00 PM– EDT
SOLD OUT – Building Blocks: Networking and Maintaining Donor Relationships
Brooklyn Org Nonprofit Training
Brooklyn Org's Office, 80 Hanson Place, 5th Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11217
3:00 PM–5:00 PM EDT
Cinema with a Cause: “The Inquisitor (Barbara Jordan)”
The Center for Law and Social Justice
Medgar Evers College (Student Services Building), 1637 Bedford Ave, 1st Floor Room S122, Brooklyn, NY 11225
6:00 PM–8:30 PM EDT
Old Stone House | Colonial Cooking: No Stamp Act!
Old Stone House & Washington Park
Old Stone House of Brooklyn, 336 3rd Street Brooklyn, NY 11215
1:00 PM– EDT
LGBTQ+ History Stroll
Marsha P. Johnson State Park
Marsha P. Johnson State Park, 90 Kent Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11211
1:00 PM–2:00 PM EDT
Stoop Stories Film Screening: 2 PLG “Stoop Chat” Docs
Funded In Part By Brooklyn Org
Gallery Particulier, 281 Maple St, Brooklyn, NY 11225, USA
6:00 PM–7:30 PM EDT
Brooklyn Org Spark Prize 2027 Application Clinic
Zoom
12:00 PM– EDT
Building Blocks: Building a Strong Leadership Team
Brooklyn Org Nonprofit Training
Brooklyn Org's Office, 80 Hanson Place, 5th Floor Brooklyn NY 11217
3:00 PM–5:00 PM EDT
Brooklyn Org Application Clinic: How to Apply For Funding From BKO (April 2026)
Zoom
1:00 PM– EDT
Brooklyn Org Nonprofit Leader Salon
Brooklyn Org Nonprofit Training
Brooklyn Org's Office, 80 Hanson Place, 5th Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11217
9:00 AM–11:00 AM EDT
Lunch & Learn with Melissa Prober: Ask A Legal Expert
Brooklyn Org Nonprofit Training
Brooklyn Org's Office, 80 Hanson Place, 5th Floor Brooklyn NY 11217
1:00 PM–2:30 PM EDT
Cinema with a Cause: “Judas and The Black Messiah”
The Center for Law and Social Justice
Medgar Evers College (Student Services Building), 1637 Bedford Ave, 1st Floor Room S122, Brooklyn, NY 11225
6:00 PM–8:30 PM EDT
Brooklyn Org Volunteer Day 2026
Join Brooklyn Org and our community partners at multiple family-friendly volunteer sites throughout the day!
Multiple Locations Across Brooklyn
8:00 AM– EDT
BKO Volunteer Day: Mixteca – Weekly Food Distribution
Ages 12-16 with guardian, 16+ without guardian
Mixteca, 245 23rd St (Near 5th Ave), Brooklyn 11215, Outdoors
8:15 AM–11:30 AM EDT
BKO Volunteer Day: Asiyah Women’s Center Free Store – Unpacking & Store Setup
Ages 15+
Southwest Brooklyn, Indoors/Outdoors, Address Provided On Registration
8:30 AM–12:00 PM EDT
BKO Volunteer Day: YVote – Planting & Beautification At Ft. Greene Park
All Ages with guardian, 14+ without guardian
Fort Greene Park, Brooklyn, NY 11217, Outdoors
9:00 AM–12:00 PM EDT
BKO Volunteer Day: The Campaign Against Hunger – Urban Farming
Ages 14+
1965-1971 Fulton St, Brooklyn, NY 11233, intersection of Hull St. / Fulton St. / Saratoga Ave., Outdoors
9:45 AM–12:00 PM EDT
BKO Volunteer Day: The Campaign Against Hunger – Pack Food Pantry Grocery Bags
Ages 14+
744 Berriman Street, Brooklyn, NY 11208, Indoors/Outdoors
9:45 AM–12:00 PM EDT
BKO Volunteer Day: CHiPS – Food Prep & Pantry Distribution
Ages 16+
CHiPS Soup Kitchen, 200 4th Avenue, Brooklyn 11217, Indoors & Outdoors
10:00 AM–2:00 PM EDT
BKO Volunteer Day: The B.R.O. Experience Foundation – Mural Painting & Packing “Bro Kits”
Ages 8+ with guardian, 14+ without guardian
7 Marcus Garvey Blvd, Brooklyn, NY 11206, Indoors
10:00 AM–1:00 PM EDT
BKO Volunteer Day: Red Hook Initiative – Urban Farming
Ages 13+
Red Hook Farm, 560 Columbia St, Brooklyn, NY 11231, Outdoors
10:00 AM–1:00 PM EDT
BKO Volunteer Day: Surveillance Technology Oversight Project – Phone Banking Advocacy
Ages 14+ with guardian
80 Hanson Place, Brooklyn, NY 11217, Indoors
10:30 AM–12:30 PM EDT