WEDNESDAY: Summer of Riesling
A few summers ago, the wine aficionados of Terroir, in the East Village and Tribeca, came to the conclusion that Riesling was the perfect summer wine. Ever since then, they’ve declared the warmer months the summer of Riesling and served only Riesling by the glass. Now, they’re bringing their devotion to the German grape to Brooklyn. Tonight at the Knitting Factory, they’ve put together a concert and tasting event in honor of the mighty Riesling. Oenophile rockers the Black Hollies headline, with support from SoCal indie kids Lights On, the soul-style Nouvellas, and locals Himalaya; if you’re just there for the music, tickets are just fifteen dollars, but to truly get into the spirit of things, $30 gets you four glasses of Riesling of the seven types on offer.

THURSDAY: Illuminating Exhibition
Lampposts. Usually, we just think of them as a helpful contraption that makes sure we don’t stumble into things on dark streets, but to say that we’ve really spent time looking at them would be sadly untrue. Thankfully for the unloved lampposts, photog Bob Mulero has been documenting the city’s luminaries since the ’70s, along with Kevin Walsh of the ever-revelatory Forgotten NY. Thursday’s the opening reception for this exhibition at the City Reliquary, with refreshments provided by Brooklyn Brewery.

FRIDAY: Summertime Symphony
Grab a blanket and head to Prospect Park for the New York Philharmonic’s annual summertime jaunt to our borough, as part of its free Concerts in the Parks series. This year’s full-length program includes pieces by Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev and ends, as always, with a spectacular fireworks display. Don’t have time to pack your own picnic? Pre-order a three-course gourmet basket, courtesy of Amanda Smith Caterers, and pick it up on your way into the park, or stop at Bierkraft for their charcuterie and cheese or hearty deli sandwiches.

SATURDAY: Ramped Up
Uptown Skate School is luring skate punks and those in training to its “Blockstar” party in Crown Heights with free hot dogs and drinks, live music and skateboarders galore. Learn how to skate from 1-3, or show off your skills from 3-6. Fun stuff for little ones will be on hand too. Park Place between Kingston and Albany, near the Brooklyn Children’s Museum.

Thrifty Kids
Brooklyn Indie Market and The {NewNew} are teaming up again for an ingenious event at BIM called Kidding Around, where you can shop for kids clothes (size infant to tween) and toys by local indie designers while your kids swap their gently used books. (And learn the value of being thrifty.)

Call of the Siren
The layout of Coney Island may have changed, but one of its greatest summer attractions has not, as the Siren Music Festival returns for its tenth year. Brave the heat for the all-day festival–highlights include Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, headliners Matt and Kim, and NYC’s own Pains of Being Pure at Heart–then head to the official after-party at the Music Hall of Williamsburg with We Are Scientists topping the bill. Bands hit the Siren main stage at 1pm.

Sake Saga
The phrase “postmodern classic” perhaps gets thrown around too much nowadays, but the expansive, wonderful Cloud Atlas merits the term. Author David Mitchell, who’s been Booker shortlisted for that book as well as 2001’s number9dream, makes a rare appearance in Brooklyn Saturday to promote his new book, The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet. The novel is set in Dutch East India Company-era Japan, and incorporates history alongside grand feats of fiction. Appropriately enough, sake will be served, along with Dutch-Japanese food by Marlow and Sons chef Sean Rembold, satisfying culinary appetites as well as literary.

Change in the Park
Celebrate Brooklyn (but not in that way) Saturday in Fort Greene Park, with Rooftop Films’ Brooklyn Transformations. The free event includes short films dealing with issues of change in Brooklyn and beyond, from Jessica Edwards’ lighthearted documentary on the last seltzer bottler in Brooklyn to immigrant tensions in Topaz Adizes’ Laredo, Texas. Other close-to-home issues include a creative awakening in Bed-Stuy in Monroe St. and overwhelming gentrification driven by real estate greed in Open House.

Get Cultural
If you missed last weekend’s Bridge Culture, you’ve got three more chances to catch this free festival of dance, music, and storytelling held each Saturday afternoon this month in Brooklyn Bridge Park. This weekend’s installment is devoted to the culture of India; future afternoons showcase Russia and Haiti. The festivities start at 4pm.

SUNDAY: Bouling in the Street
Smith Street will be car-free and sand-filled for the ninth annual petanque tournament and Bastille Day street festival. Enjoy pastis and merguez with frites while you watch 80 international teams compete in the largest petanque tournament in the States. It all starts at 11am, on Smith between Bergen and Pacific Streets and Dean Street between Hoyt and Court Streets.

Edible Obstructions
Brooklyn food enthusiasts (and veteran cook-off champs) Karol Lu and Cathy Erway host Food Obstructions, the high-brow cinema-inspired experimental cook-off to benefit Just Food. Sunday at 4pm at East River Bar, $10 to sample the entries.

Plan Ahead: Brooklyn’s Dreamers (sponsored tip)
At Deity, Thursday July 22, you can help support Theatre for a New Audience’s upcoming move to Downtown Brooklyn by attending their annual Summer Bash, a party with great people, music, food, raffles, salsa dancing, and young and arts professionals networking. The fundraiser’s tickets are $25 to $40 in advance/$35 at the door and include snacks, drink specials and a free drink.

Sent by Chrysanthe, Casey, Nina, and Nicole. Photos courtesy of Matt Tyson and consumerfriendly.