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Jersey City comes back strong this weekend after the sleepy holiday, with cultural events out the ears. For full listings, you can click here — but here are the Best Bets.

TODAY

You have the chance to help fund 1 of 8 grassroots arts projects right here in Jersey City at Pro Arts‘ second Art Eat-Up event tonight at Grace Church Van Vorst; the event includes tasty food from Made with Love and beer & wine (7 pm). If that’s not enough art, there are three excellent exhibitions opening this evening as well: Ken Bastard‘s The Anger and the Pain is at White Star Bar (8 pm), Laura DeSantis-Olsson‘s Passion Fruit is at Made with Love (8 pm) and the group show Culture Crash, curated by Dylan Evans of the Jersey City Mural Arts Program, is at The Big Loft near Hamilton Park (7 pm).

The stand-up show at the Stockinette is on tonight, as it celebrates its one-year anniversary with a BYOB night of comedy (8 pm). Speaking of anniversaries, Zeppelin Hall is throwing a two-day bash for its first, with live oom-pah music from Alpine Squeeze and — of course — beer, sausage and the like (8 pm; also Saturday at 4:30 pm). And speaking of comedy, the Brennan Coffee House — always a great place to take in any kind of show — hosts The Smoking Section comedy showcase (8 pm).

The Warehouse kicks off a busy weekend of events tonight with a free screening of the short film Sabongero followed by a discussion with the film’s director, Janice Y. Perez (8:30 pm). If comedy is more your style, the Hudson Shakespeare Company presents a free outdoor performance of Much Ado About Nothing in Van Vorst Park (7 pm).

Last but not least, the outdoor festivals keep rolling this weekend when the Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Annual Family Festival, which kicked off Thursday in Marion, is joined by the I Love St. Anthony’s Festival Downtown (both festivals run Friday, Saturday and Sunday).

SATURDAY

Politics and history buffs will want to end brunch early and head to the main branch of the Jersey City Free Public Library this morning for a talk and meet-and-greet event with John B. Wefing, the author of The Life and Times of Richard J. Hughes: The Politics of Civility. The book looks both at Hughes, who was the only person in New Jersey history to serve as both governor and Chief Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court, and 1960s politics in New Jersey (11 am). Saturday’s forecast is calling for rain, so what better way to spend it than drinking for a good cause? A $15 bar crawl hitting 5 Downtown watering holes will benefit the National Wildlife Federation‘s efforts to help clean up the Gulf of Mexico; it starts at Lucky 7′s at 3 pm. Later on, architect and artist Delphine Passot, who arrived in Jersey City Thursday from Mexico City, will be on hand for the opening reception of her work — drawings out of a dream — at the Warehouse (6 pm).

SUNDAY

Sunday’s can’t-miss event is the 5th annual PADNA BBQ & Street Fair, which will feature a bunch of vendors, food, live entertainment and more (11 am to 6 pm). If you’re into history, New Jersey or transportation (or all three!), you’ll want to check out the free New Jersey Transportation in Film screening and discussion at Liberty State Park, where Mitch Dakelman will show films including an original 1954 film about the New Jersey Turnpike (1 pm). If it’s a mellower Sunday afternoon you’re after, Made with Love‘s brunch features live jazz from Nobuki Takaman (2 pm). Also on the free live music front, Soul Finger kicks off the Summerfest concert series in Liberty State Park at 5 pm.