Free First Saturday Nights at Brooklyn Museum

Saturday nights at the Brooklyn Museum (200 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, New York), or "Target First Saturdays," are unlike anything I have ever seen happen in a government building. On the first Saturday of every month, this place, full of culture, art and sophistication, turns into a madhouse, full of drinking socialites, music lovers and naturally cool people. You would be hard pressed to go anywhere else on a Saturday night in New York City and find a more eclectic, yet cultured, group of young professionals.

The night features an arrangement of specially laid out art displays. The last time I went, there was a collection of portraits of black, historical figures; all the way from Martin Luther King to Oprah. Those who gathered around the collection talked intimately about what some of the people featured in the portraits meant to them, and the cups of beer in their hands made the conversations even more lively.

Outside of still art, there are plenty of live performances that occur every month. Often, there will be a band playing right by the entrance way, where you can hear some of the best underground and cultural music there is in New York City. There have been plenty of spoken word performances, including the upcoming performances of Urban Word NYC and Alexis Marie. And you can even catch the occasional independent film, which is generally shown in the Museum's Cantor Auditorium on the 3^rd floor.

On the upper level, there is a dance floor created out of a staging area. It was absolutely ridiculous. It was the equivalent of throwing a toga party in the 16^th Chapel. People were dancing, shouting, mingling and just acting a fool-in sophisticated way though! With the lights dimmed and the cocktails flowing, peopled danced to a mix of hip-hop and some more culturally diverse tunes, right there on the pristine floor of the Brooklyn Museum. There were at least 500 people on the dance floor alone, and some people even came dressed to impress, as if they thought they were going to a club in Manhattan.

Downstairs though, it was much more relaxed, with a ranging mixture of different personalities and professions kicking back in seats that had exquisite views of artwork and/or the grounds of the Museum. The Museum Café is open throughout the event, so you can have a sandwich or salad while you sip your cocktail and wonder the museum-it's like Starbucks, only with art and it's actually fun.

However, it's not like Starbucks, in that it's 100% free every first Saturday of the month. The event goes from 5pm to 11pm, but often, it takes the Museum a lot longer to get everyone out of the building. Once again, the event is completely free with the help of their sponsors, Target, the New York Times, and WNYC Radio. There is a suggested contribution, but believe me, if you do not have it, or just don't want to contribute, there is absolutely no pressure to do so.