Weeksville Heritage Center announced its summer 2026 programming season: a series of public events rooted in Black cultural history, foodways, climate justice, and community life on one of Brooklyn’s most significant historic sites. Opening on June 19 with the 5th Annual Juneteenth Food Festival and continuing through October, the season reflects Weeksville’s ongoing role as both a living historic site and an active anchor for Crown Heights and beyond. All events are free and open to the public. Registration may be required for select events. Full details and registration information are available at weeksvillesociety.org.
“Weeksville has always been a place of Black self-determination, care, and possibility,” said Dr. Raymond Codrington, President and CEO of Weeksville Heritage Center. “This summer’s programs carry that legacy forward through food, history, climate resilience, and community gathering. We’re inviting people to experience Weeksville not only as a historic site, but as a place of wellness, sanctuary, and connection.”
5th Annual Juneteenth Food Festival
June 19, 2026 | 12–8 PM | 158 Buffalo Ave, Brooklyn
Now in its fifth year and expected to draw more than 10,000 visitors, the Juneteenth Food Festival is one of Brooklyn’s largest Juneteenth celebrations. Presented with Black-Owned Brooklyn, the festival brings together 31 Black food vendors representing the breadth of Brooklyn’s Black diaspora, with American Southern, Caribbean, West African, and Latin American cuisines. Beyond the food, the day includes DJ sets by Saint James Joy, DJ Tara, Donwill, and DJ Monday Blue; line dancing led by choreographer Kendra J. Ross; performances by champion double-dutch team The Jazzy Jumpers and the Brooklyn United drumline; and a Black food literature pop-up from BEM | books & more.
Admission: Free
Osisi Obodo: Community Shade Tree Unveiling
June 25, 2026 | 158 Buffalo Ave, Brooklyn
Weeksville Heritage Center, Creative Urban Alchemy, and the Beam Center will unveil Osisi Obodo, a new modular shade and gathering structure on the historic grounds. The project responds to the lack of tree coverage and green space in Northern Crown Heights, where urban density and heat create real climate risk for residents. The structure was built by youth from the Kingsborough NYCHA Houses community, who received carpentry mentorship and compensation through workshops held January through May 2026. With the unveiling, Weeksville expands its role as an official New York City cooling site and adds a permanent outdoor space for programming, gathering, and community life.
Admission: Free
HBO’s The Gilded Age Screening at Weeksville
July 14, 2026 | 6:00 PM | 158 Buffalo Ave, Brooklyn
HBO and Weeksville Heritage Center present a special screening of The Gilded Age, Season 3, Episode 8. Set in 19th-century New York, the episode foregrounds Black family life, courtship, ambition, and respectability through Peggy Scott’s storyline, taking on additional meaning when viewed at Weeksville, one of the nation’s most important pre-Civil War free Black communities. The screening will be followed by a conversation with Executive Producer Dr. Erica Armstrong Dunbar. This event launches Weeksville Watch Nights, an ongoing film and conversation series continuing throughout the season.
Admission: Free
Watch Nights at Weeksville
August 7, September 3, October 30, November 12 | 158 Buffalo Ave, Brooklyn
Weeksville Heritage Center presents Weeksville Watch Nights, an ongoing film and conversation series bringing together filmmakers, artists, historians, and community members to engage Black history, political struggle, cultural memory, and collective care through cinema and dialogue. Through screenings, performances, marketplaces, and post-film discussions, the series creates space for intergenerational gathering and critical reflection on the social and cultural conditions shaping Black life. Additional details for the 2026 season to be announced.
Admission: Free
Weeksville Green Community Market
July 11, Aug 22, Sep 19 & Oct 24, 2026 | 12–5 PM | 158 Buffalo Ave, Brooklyn | EBT/SNAP accepted
The Weeksville Green Community Market returns for four monthly gatherings this season, bringing together fresh produce, Black-owned vendors, and programming that centers Black foodways, urban gardening, and diaspora food memories. Each market includes wellness workshops, meditation, movement, literary programming, and film. Select vendors accept EBT/SNAP and offer HealthBucks, which provide $2 back for every $2 spent on fruits and vegetables.
Admission: Free | EBT/SNAP accepted | HealthBucks accepted
About Weeksville Heritage Center
Weeksville Heritage Center is a nonprofit cultural institution dedicated to preserving and celebrating the history of Weeksville, one of the largest free Black communities in pre-Civil War America. Located at 158 Buffalo Avenue in Brooklyn, NY, Weeksville serves as a cultural anchor for the Crown Heights community and beyond, offering arts programming, education, historic tours, and community events year-round. For more information, visit weeksvillesociety.org.
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