Brooklyn is throwing itself a watch party, and everyone is invited. On Friday, November 6 and Saturday, November 7, 2026, the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) presents the first edition of Playback: The Brooklyn Watch Party, a two-day festival celebrating the artists, storytellers and communities that have made Brooklyn one of the most culturally influential places in the world.
BAM joins forces with two iconic Brooklynites, filmmaker Spike Lee and Clara Wu Tsai, to present the festival, created by filmmaker and producer Nicholas Ma. The weekend mixes screenings of beloved repertory films with pop-up activations and a free street fair, all at BAM, 30 Lafayette Avenue in Fort Greene.
Opening night, Friday, November 6, belongs to a hometown classic: Spike Lee’s Crooklyn, with introductions from Lee himself and Nicholas Ma. Saturday’s lineup travels the world through the eyes of special guest curators, with Gillo Pontecorvo’s The Battle of Algiers, Pietro Germi’s comedy Divorce Italian Style, Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund’s City of God, Mira Nair’s Salaam Bombay!, Martin Scorsese’s The King of Comedy and Soul to Soul, the joyful 1971 concert documentary filmed in Ghana.
The celebration spills outdoors on Saturday, November 7, when Playback’s Street Party takes over the street outside BAM Rose Cinemas from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Presented with The Soapbox Presents, the free party honors local Brooklyn artists, musicians and neighbors with an all-day community gathering. Tickets for the screenings are on sale at BAM, and the street party is free with an RSVP — a perfect excuse to spend a fall weekend in Brooklyn.
Photo: BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music)
