Brooklyn Museum First Saturdays is Back—Without the Dance Party

The Brooklyn Museum's Target First Saturday returns Oct. 6, but with some changes.

Museum officials decided to put the very popular dance party event "on hiatus" because it was getting too crowded.

First Saturdays began 14 years ago, and the free event-filled evening has become increasingly popular, drawing people from across the tri-state area. 

The fact of the matter is that the crowds grew and the building didn't," said museum spokeswoman Sally Williams. "So to make sure everybody is safe and comfortable, we took a step back and put it on hold."

The museum announced the change on its website last week, citing "challenges with capacity crowds and traffic flow throughout the building."  

The rest of the events, including lectures, performances, gallery tours and hands-on art projects for kids and adults and films will stay, and there will also be new activities, including "artist-led participatory activities, site-specific performances, and intimate issue-driven discussions."

The aim is to disperse the attendees throughout all five floors of the building instead of concentrating everyone on the dance floor, said Williams. 

Tomorrow's October 6 First Saturday includes "pop-up gallery talks," an "interactive space" where people can mingle or work on a collective collage, a 1970s fashion show, and a participatory program where visitors are invited to share stories of mother figures in their lives.