The New York Anime Festival

What: The New York Anime Festival will showcase the best of what anime pop culture has to offer with the latest in Japanese anime, manga, and music, as well as anime-influenced comics, animation, and films from around the globe. The festival will also feature exclusive film screenings, a gala cosplay masquerade, and sessions with the some of the biggest guests in J-pop culture including pop music duo, Puffy AmiYumi! Don’t miss out on the chance to experience the latest in Japanese pop culture this October.
When: Oct. 8-10
Where: 655 W. 34th St., (at 11th Ave. )
New York, NY 10001
TEL: 212-216-2000
www.newyorkanimefestival.com

Threadless Book Launch + Etsy Craft Party

What: Join the Etsy Labs and our pals from Threadless for the launch of the Threadless Book at the fabulous Powerhouse Arena in Brooklyn, NY. Threadless Founder Jake Nickell, plus a handful of awesome featured Threadless artists, will be on hand signing copies and causing as much trouble as possible.
We'll be taking the Etsy Labs Craft Night show a little bit down the road for an afternoon of making hands-on recycled T-shirt projects. Try your hand at reconstructing and repurposing T-shirts into necklaces, skirts, tote bags, and more!
Where: Powerhouse Arena, 37 Main Street, Brooklyn, New York, 11201
When: Sunday, September 26 from 2-5 p.m. ET
RSVP here.

Trade Up!: A foodie swap & online raffle

What: Brooklyn Based is kicking off a new event series, TradeUP!, with a foodie-themed swap.

When: From 4-7pm at Littlefield, on Saturday, September 25, you're invited to bring in your tired kitchenware and trade up for fresh goods.

Admission is $5 plus an item you want to trade, whether it's a bag of cardamom pods (unopened, please), homemade banana bread, or a vintage gravy boat. In addition to your swap item, there will be spots to sell or strategically trade bigger ticket things, like the immersion blender you thought would change your life.
In the spirit of Trading Up, we've also set up an online raffle: http://tradeup.bigcartel.com/

Right now, you can enter to win a day behind the counter at The Meat Hook, $100 gift certificates at Frankies 457 or at Roman's, a day with Ben Flanner at Brooklyn Grange Farm, two tickets to Roberta's Wine and Cheese Garden Party, customized cupcakes by Robicelli's, a jam-making class from Anarchy in a Jar, a $50 gift certificate at Café Grumpy, new cookbooks from Stewart, Tabori & Chang, an at-home ice cream making lesson from MilkMade, or a $50 gift certificate for First-Prize Pies.

You don't have to attend the swap to win a prize--we'll deliver it to you. We will announce the winners at the swap, though. Raffle tickets are $3 apiece, on sale now until noon on Sept. 25. We're donating a third of the proceeds to St. John's Bread & Life, the world-famous soup kitchen in Bed-Stuy. At the event itself, any left over items will also be donated to St. John's Bread & Life, who has a Brooklyn matching campaign with The Brooklyn Community Foundation. Whatever we collectively donate will be matched!

Saranac is sponsoring with $2 half-pints of their Imperial IPA and $3 bottles of their Imperial Stout. It's one of the many events where they'll be pouring during Craft Beer Week (check out their events at Grab Specialty Foods the same day from 4-7pm, or at Brazen Head Oct. 1 from 6-8pm, and later at Branded Saloon, from 9-11pm on Vanderbilt. More details on their events page.)

The Powerhouse Arena

Eat Bugs! By Marc Dennis
Saturday, September 25, 12–2PM and 5–7PM
Experience Creative Cricket Cuisine with Brooklyn’s Bug Chef and Artist Marc Dennis. Enjoy Chocolate Chirp Cookies and other tasty bug bites, while learning why people all over the world eat bugs.

MAKEDO, An Imaginative Craft Event
Saturday, September 25, 3–5 PM
Discover Makedo from Australia, a reusable connector system for creating amazing objects (robots, flowers, cars, doll and playhouses) from recycled materials.

Sarah Small’s Tableau Vivant of The Delirium Constructions Part II
Saturday, September 25, 7:30–9:30PM
This contemporary spin on the Tableau Vivant is directed by Sarah Small and will include a
moderated panel discussion following the performance.

The powerHouse Arena
37 Main Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201
powerHouse Arena 718-666-3049
powerHouse Arena Toll Free 1-866-99-ARENA                                                                                   

FAB! Festival & Block Party

What: Jump-start the fall season with the FAB! Festival & Block Party! Enjoy free outdoor performances, a craft fair, art installations, and gourmet food all afternoon. In the heart of the East Village, 4th Street brings together the best in downtown arts & culture year-round. On Saturday, September 25th, FAB will help you preview the fall season for FREE. With multiple stages for performances of dance, theater, and music, a selection of local artisans and gourmet food vendors, film screenings, installations, hands-on activities, and classes all on one block, this event promises to be bigger and better than last year.

Where: East 4th St between Bowery and 2nd Ave

When: Sat, Sep 25th 1:00pm - 5:00pm
Cost: Free

Official Site

Dumbo Arts Festival 2010

What: Imagine artists working in their studios, musicians and street performers appearing out of nowhere, artists creating murals before your eyes, poets reciting to passers-by, kids enjoying puppetry and music, DJs spinning in the streets, and wildly creative art installations everywhere. The festival strives to offer something for everyone with artists and audiences of all ages and backgrounds. It strives to be accessible and sophisticated, to reflect New York’s creative community, to be real and flavorful, to show some grit and some polish, to be smart, creative and high quality – it is the Dumbo Arts Festival.

There are some changes to the annual Dumbo Arts Festival, changes that we believe will add value and be most inclusive of the local creative community. They include the festival being multi-disciplinary, open studios being for a shorter period of time, a juried grand prize for visual artists (free studio for 1 year plus $1000) along with a few additional cash prizes, and curating and programming by a number of partners. Thus programming will now include music, performance art, literature, theatre, dance, film, a digital design industry component, kids’ programming & more in addition to visual art. Additionally, Dalzell Productions is now producing it with Two Trees Management while Dumbo Arts Center will still be involved as a curatorial partner.
When: September 24th, 25th and 26th
Official Site

Steampunk Salon Saloon

As part of the Dumbo Arts Festival please join us for a celebration of steampunk culture, music, fashion and craftsmanship the weekend of September 25 and 26 from 3–9 at The Water Lounge Restaurant Lounge, 66 Water Street, DUMBO Brooklyn 
Saturday line up includes:
3 pm G.D. Falksen steampunk 101
4 pm August Wahnsinger Steampunk Panel and Discussion
6 pm Music and Performance by Psyche Corporation
Victorian Sitting Photo Exhibition by Tsirkus Fotografika
and of course, libations all day long
Sunday line up includes:
3 pm G.D. Falksen steampunk 101
4 pm August Wahnsinger Steampunk Panel and Discussion
5 pm “Tethered” dance performance by Lola Lola Dance Theatre
6 pm Music and Performance by Psyche Corporation Victorian Sitting Photo Exhibition by Tsirkus Fotografika
and of course, libations all day long

World Maker Faire New York 2010

What: World Maker Faire is a festival of creativity, ingenuity and enjoyment that your family will not forget.
When: Saturday, September 25 from 10 am - 7 pm, and on Sunday, September 26 from 10 am - 6 pm.
Where: New York Hall of Science (47-01 111th St. Queens, New York 11368)  |  Tickets

See America's Got Talent semi-finalist ArcAttack, the Lifesize Mousetrap, Coke Zero and Mentos fountains, the TalkingScience Cabaret, Madagascar Institute’s carnival rides, and more than 300 makers, crafters, inventors, tinkerers and conceptualists. From the practical to the fantastical, the simple to the surreal, Maker Faire presents the best of science, technology, design, crafts and performance.