Celebrating Black History Month in the Slope! Plus, Speed Friending & The Best Croissant in Park Slope
Also this week: a cheese tasting, a poetry workshop, & a community bluegrass jam
Local News:
A new cocktail bar Pony’s NYC is planning to open at 424 Van Brunt Street in Red Hook, led by owners Elana Shvalbe and Michael Furac, who previously operated the pop-up Five Seats in a barbershop. Early filings describe an approximately 1,100-square-foot space with daytime-through-late hours, centered on cocktails and a small, shareable food menu. Sample dishes include marinated feta, smoked trout, and cucumber salad, along with simple desserts like chocolate babka and apricots with honey.
These futuristic cabins were designed as private VIP retreat spaces for artists on the Brooklyn Mirage rooftop - but the performance venue never reopened. Now these “PEBL Grand” cabins by Hello Wood are basically sitting idle and looking for a new home.
✨ Continue reading our ‘Slope Secret’ section at the bottom just for paid subscribers who want to stay a step ahead - soft openings & exclusives (a new pizza slice shop)!
Art fans- save the date! Brooklyn Fine Art Print Fair is set to return to Powerhouse Arts in Gowanus Apr. 9–12th. Tickets are on sale now!
Do you recognize the location below?
It’s The Old Stone House- and yes, that is an ice skating rink!
The Old Stone House shared this colorized copy of a lithograph published by the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, showing “a dress carnival of the Washington Skating Club, held in Brooklyn at a rink near the Gowanus Stone House, on February 10, 1862.” This skating ground would later become a Major League Baseball stadium, and the original home of the Brooklyn Dodgers. In the winter off-season, the skating tradition continued, with baseball games on ice!
This week, we’re highlighting great events happening around the neighborhood in celebration of Black History Month. Looking to support locally-owned Black-Owned businesses? Check out our guide HERE.
If you’re looking to meet new folks in the neighborhood, look no further than this week’s event lineup. Consider joining a community jam, attending a speed-friending event, or dancing the night away at a local Contra event!
-Mychal
Do you have a story we should be sharing? 🗞️ Text us at (607) 301-1215, submit anonymously here, or email us.
Our Top Weekly Picks:
Events with an asterisk* tend to sell out—reserve tickets early!
Thursday, Feb 19th (Today):
Cheese Club: Guided Tasting & Social Mixer @ Eastern District, 8-9:45pm*: Try & learn about 6 cheeses & accoutrements while mingling with fellow cheese loving neighbors! This tasting will explore the many varieties, origins, best practices, & more in an interactive & social setting-- all questions welcome. Expect to try 6 vastly different cheeses with pairings while mingling with fellow cheese lovers! $39.19.
Black Future Festival @ Brooklyn Children’s Museum (through Saturday Feb 21st, 10am-5pm: Join Brooklyn Children’s Museum for Brooklyn’s boldest celebration of Black imagination, invention, and joy, shaped by Black creators. Make art, learn dances, create music, and envision the future that celebrates Black culture and the African Diaspora. FREE with museum admission ($15).
Saturday, February 21st:
Brooklyn’s Black Trailblazers (new date added!) @ Green-Wood Cemetery, 10am-12pm*: In celebration of trailblazers who paved the way in art, activism, music, and medicine, this trolley tour spotlights the Black pioneers of Brooklyn at rest in Green-Wood. You’ll visit the memorials of revolutionary artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, civil rights leaders Grace Nail Johnson and James Weldon Johnson, mathematician Charles L. Reason (the first Black college professor in the United States), and other visionaries who left a lasting impact on the ongoing fight for equality. Also offered Saturday February 28th! $15.
“Show Up, Kids!” @ ShapeShifter Lab (Saturdays in February, 2pm): This acclaimed, outrageous, interactive family comedy comes to ShapeShifter Lab in Park Slope for the month of February. This long-running, interactive show for kids 3-10 years old puts a wildly comedic twist on the traditional kids’ show. When the main attraction doesn’t show up, hapless host Bebe enlists the help of the kids (and their grownups) to create everything from plot to props, characters to costumes, and settings to sound in a one-of-a-kind, 45-minute laughfest. $18.
Speed Friending @ Strong Rope Brewery (Gowanus), 6-8pm: This free, fun event designed to help newbies (or locals who are happy to add to their circle of friends) meet new friends in the area. Bring a book you love (or grab something new from Books Are Magic), and there will be 10-minute speed rounds to find your people. Like speed dating, only better. FREE.
Sunday, February 22nd:
Heated Rivalry Trivia @ Branded Saloon, 8pm: There is no cover and a two item minimum at this event hosted by the Sprites- expect prizes! FREE.
Poetry Workshop @ Brooklyn Museum, 11am-1:30pm: Contemplate the Brooklyn Museum’s Asian Art collection and the Rubin Museum Tibetan Buddhist Shrine Room, and follow your poetic instincts. Join Tsering Wangmo Dhompa, associate professor of literature and creative writing at Villanova University, in the galleries for this generative creative-writing experience. The workshop will begin with an overview of the installation by Joan Cummins, Lisa and Bernard Selz Curator of Asian Art at the Brooklyn Museum. $35/$21 for members.
A Contra Dance For All @ Camp Friendship, 4:30-8pm: If you’re new to Contra, join a free class at 4:30pm, followed by an evening of dancing and live music by duo Kingfisher and an after party at Logan’s Run! $15.
Community Bluegrass Jam @ Brooklyn Conservatory of Music, 6:30pm: BKCM’s open Community Bluegrass Jam series is open to all ages and ability levels. They’ll be picking both bluegrass classics and some fun tunes you may not have heard before. Come on down and bring a friend or two. Suggested donation: $5.
Monday, February 23rd:
Yoga @ Park Slope Library, 4-5pm: Share in the benefits of yoga. Park Slope Library invites you to join this free weekly group yoga class! Led by a certified instructor who has practiced yoga for 20 years, this class is designed to be accessible to all levels of ability and experience. Known for her warm and welcoming teaching style, our instructor will create a safe and supportive environment for her students to explore their own practice. FREE.
Plan Ahead for These Popular Events
5 Course Wine Pairing & Cooking Class @ The Common (Thursday April 2nd, 6-9pm)*: Join The Common for a gourmet Brooklyn-foodie event including three hours of hands on cooking and baking under Chef instruction in a professional restaurant kitchen. This event is perfect for beginners and seasoned home cooks alike. Bring your best friend, your significant other, or come alone and meet like-minded food enthusiasts like yourself! You will enjoy a complimentary aperitivo of Prosecco, a delicious spread of hors d’oeuvres, the final dinner course the class has prepared, and coffee or tea to end the meal. $119.
Submit an event to be considered for this weekly events roundup! Add any events for this week in comments below.
Best Croissant in Park Slope 2026
Miolin Bakery has won the title of Best Croissant in Park Slope 2026, hosted by Park Slope Pulse & @parkslopeliving!
Miolin Bakery was strongly in the lead with 34% of 200+ votes, followed by Brooklyn French Bakers with 14%, and Winner with 9%.
All 3 finalists will win this badge for display on their store and/or website which we will provide soon, and be featured on @parkslopeliving.
View the full directory of Croissant spots in Park Slope here which we have updated with the wonderful customer comments submitted - thank you to everyone who voted and supported your favorite spots. 💛 Note that we won’t update this directory with the finalists as we want to encourage everyone to try as many bakeries as possible.
Next competition - we are taking nominations for Best Pizza Slice in Park Slope! Submit your nominations here until the March 15 - only nominated businesses will appear on the next voting form.
Neighborhood Job Board
Each week we create a new job board link with the latest local job listings! Sign up for Park Slope Pulse to get the latest job board delivered to your inbox. List a job for free.
Slope Steal of the Week 💰
$5 Thursdays at Greenwood Park!
$5 Tacos, $5 Margaritas, $5 Select Drafts, and buy a burger and get a free beer!
✨ Secret Slope ✨
This week’s Insider section by Park Slope Living includes:
A new beer garden spotlighting rotating breweries and new pizza slice shop opening soon in Gowanus • The latest housing lotteries for affordable units