L.E.S. MISCELLANY The Lower East Side Festival of the Arts features theater, visual art, poetry, puppetry, and film. Friday’s kickoff festival is a typical grab-bag: Members of the Living Theatre present a scene from Bertolt Brecht’s “Antigone,” the Thunderbird American Indian Dancers perform, radio personality Joe Franklin makes an appearance, Sergei Seleznioff sings Russian and Ukrainian tunes, Jonathan Ames gives a lively reading, and a candidate for Manhattan borough president, Margarita Lopez, delivers a brief speech (Friday, 6 p.m.-1 a.m.). Along with a series of indoor events, the block of East 10th Street between First and Second avenues will be the site of an outdoor carnival on Saturday. Friday through Sunday, Friday, 6 p.m.-1 a.m., Saturday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. street fair, 6 p.m.-1 a.m. indoor performances, Sunday, 5-7 p.m. poetry reading, 6 p.m.-1 a.m. other performances, Theater for the New City, 155 First Ave., between 9th and 10th streets, 212-254-1109, free. Please go to www.theaterforthenewcity.net for a full schedule.

ALL THINGS AFRICA The wide-ranging Dance Africa festival features an outdoor bazaar offering African, Caribbean, and African-American goods (Saturday, noon-10 p.m., Sunday, noon-8 p.m., Monday, noon-7 p.m.). There’s also a series of dance performances with the theme “Rhythmic Heritage: Going Full Circle” (Friday-Sunday). All events: Brooklyn Academy of Music, 30 Lafayette St., between Ashland Place and St. Felix Street, Fort Greene, Brooklyn, 718-636-4100. Please see www.bam.org for a full schedule.

To submit an event for consideration for the Calendar, please wire the particulars to calendar@nysun.com, placing the date of the event in the subject line.