Celebrate Labor Day This Weekend

Saturday, September 3

Learn to cook a new dish—for free! Head on down to the Grand Army Plaza Greenmarket for the  and watch chef Jacques Gautier cook seasonal market-fresh ingriedents. Enjoy free samples of his work. Grand Army Plaza, 11-1 p.m., Free.

Snag a deal at Brooklyn Flea. Every weekend, over 100 vendors flock to Fort Greene's hippest outdoor flea market to sell antiques, handmade goods, and vintage items. Grab a locally-grown snack and shop away. Brooklyn Flea, 176 Lafayette Ave. (between Clermont & Vanderbilt Ave), 10-5 p.m., Free.

Go . Get out on the water for kayaking and community rowing. Children under 18 must have an adult guardian present. Brooklyn Bridge Park, 2 Cadman Plz West, 11-4 p.m., Free.

Discover local hand-made goods. Local artisans flock to Prospect Heights for the , selling hand-made jewelry, greeting cards, food, gifts and clothing at this festival. Launchpad, 721 Franklin Ave, 12-6 p.m., Free.

Take part in a free . These weekly educational tasting events highlight a series of wines from a featured geographic region. Consider it a way of offering a passport to vicarious travel. Picada y Vino Wine Shop, 327 Fifth Avenue (between 3rd and 4th Streets), 4-7 p.m., Free.

Join local comedians in their natural habitat. The mission of the  is "to take the city's most talented improvisers, stand-ups, and sketch comedians out of hateful, smutty Manhattan and to insert them into pastoral, loving Brooklyn, where they all live anyway. " , 227 4th Avenue, 10 p.m., $5. 

Dance the night away at The Rub. This classics and hip-hop party fuses great dance music with real people: no dress code, no bottle service, no VIPs and no celebrity DJs. The Rub has been widely recognized as the best monthly club night in New York City for the last seven years by The Village Voice, The New York Press, The New York Times and countless other local press and blogs. Southpaw, 125 5th Avenue, 10 p.m., $10/21+.

Sunday, September 4

Learn about native New Yorkers - in nature! The Brooklyn Botanic Garden showcases plants it has catalogued - all of which naturally flourish within 50 miles of New York City. Today is the last day of this exhibit. Brooklyn Botanical Garden, 900 Washington Ave (at Eastern Pkwy), 10-6 p.m., $10, seniors and students $5, children under 12 free.

Spend the day in Prospect Park. Hang out, cook up a BBQ, and spend some time in the sun. Both the Children's Corner and the Carousel are open from 12-6 p.m., and the Tennis Center stays open until 11 p.m. Prospect Park, Open sunrise-sunset, Free (Carousel $2/each).

Check out Brooklyn Museum's newest exhibition. According to Brooklyn Museum's website, "The Latino List explores the meaning of “Latino” in the twenty-first century. The portraits, whose subjects include Eva Longoria, America Ferrera, John Leguizamo, Chi Chi Rodríguez, Sonia Sotomayor, Pitbull, and Gloria Estefan, will be accompanied by excerpts from a new documentary film." Brooklyn Museum, 200 Eastern Parkway (at Washington Ave), 11-6 p.m., $6-10.

Tap your foot to Brooklyn's finest gypsy jazz. French guitarist Stephane Wrembel swings to the tunes of famed gypsy jazzman Django Reinhardt at this popular weekly gig. Barbes, 376 9th St (at Sixth Ave), 9 p.m., $10.

Monday, September 5

Feel the power of words. The monthly literary series The MOTH presents: StorySLAMS features critically-acclaimed writers from across the nation. Tonight's theme: Chutzpah! Southpaw, 125 5th Avenue, 7:30 p.m., $8.

Learn about the power of herbal healing. This free workshop, , will cover a brief history of corporate power and how herbal medicinal use has been prevented in the past, barring us from actions of self-sufficiency. Learn how people have used herbal medicine and how to cultivate it in your life. The Commons, 388 Atlantic Ave, 5 p.m., Free.

Celebrate the 44th Annual West Indian Parade Carnival. Thousands of people flock to this annual festival as costumed bands, masqueraders, and exquisite floats fill the streets of Prospect Heights. Eastern Parkway and Schenectady Ave to Flatbush Ave Ext., 11-6 p.m., Free.

Go . Get out on the water for kayaking and community rowing. Children under 18 must have an adult guardian present. Brooklyn Bridge Park, 2 Cadman Plz West, 11-4 p.m., Free.

Make it a jazz night with the Asuka Kakitani Jazz Orchestra. Japanese-born composer/conductor Asuka Kakitani recently won the BMI Foundation’s Charlie Parker Jazz Composition Prize. Tonight, her orchestra graces the stage of this popular coffee-shop/bar. Tea Lounge, 837 Union St (at 7th Ave), 9 p.m., $5 suggested donation.