Brooklyn Bridge Park and Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy Announce 2023 Programming Calendar
May 10, 2023 to Oct 21, 2023
Official Site
Brooklyn Bridge Park (BBP) and Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy (Conservancy) announce another vibrant season line-up full of free and low-cost arts and culture, fitness, recreation, environmental education, and volunteer opportunities for everyone to enjoy from May to October. Open daily, Brooklyn Bridge Park hosts more than 5 million visitors who come to enjoy this oasis of greenery and summer fun. Learn more about all programs below and please check Brooklyn Bridge Park’s online event calendar for full program details, and to learn more as new events are added.
ARTS & CULTURE
The season officially kicks off with the exciting return of the Conservancy’s Lift Off: A Kite Festival on Saturday, May 13 from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM. This family-friendly festival takes over the beautiful sports field of Pier 5, uniting S.T.E.A.M concepts, the Caribbean’s rich history of kite-flying, and outdoor adventures. Guests will be able to fly their own kites, as well as purchase or build their own, to watch them soar above the Manhattan skyline celebrating the one day of the year kite-flying is open to the public in Brooklyn Bridge Park.
On May 16, Public Art Fund debuts an exhibit by artist Nicholas Galanin at Empire Fulton Ferry. The installation, In every language there is Land / En cada idioma hay Tierra, displays a steel sculpture reflecting on the continued legacy of colonization and occupation of Land, Water, and life. Photoville Festival returns to Brooklyn Bridge Park for its 12th year, bringing over 30 photography exhibitions, artist-led walking tours and workshops to Brooklyn Bridge Park, on display from June 3-18 at the Emily Warren Roebling Plaza. Photoville Festival will kick off an Opening Day Community Celebration on June 3 and 4 at Pier 1.
On Saturday, May 27 at 11:00 AM, Brooklyn Academy of Music’s DanceAfrica Community Workshopprovides a hands-on all-ages workshop led by BAM teaching artist Dánice Jones, teaching fundamentals of Ghanaian movement and music at Pier 6 Liberty Lawn.
Held on the first Friday of the summer months (June 2, July 7, August 4) Summer Fridays celebrate the start of the weekend, with live music and chill vibes curated by performance and community hub Friends and Lovers. Each evening begins at 6:00 PM at the Pier 3 Greenway Terrace. June 2 celebrates New York’s Afro-Latin roots through music and movement, with Super Yamba, DJ Woof, and Mamacana; July 7 explores funk and soulful vibes with Brass Queens, Fried Dynamite: Run P. x Nina Vicious and Shake! W Monk One & DJ Prestige, and August 4 celebrates 50 years of hip-hop in NYC with Grand Wizzard Theodore, DJ Boogie Blind, and more artists to be announced.
The Conservancy welcomes two unique artist groups to their Open Studios Residency program this year. Artists-In-Residence KEIGWIN + COMPANY develop Rhapsody, a new community dance work developed in Brooklyn Bridge Park, inviting members of the public to join. Dancers and non-dancers of all ages are welcome in a celebration of movement, shared space, and connection, accompanied by live music by William Catanzaro and CHAIN. Artistic Director Larry Keigwin introduces the project with a creative movement Rhapsody Workshop on Sunday, June 11 at 11:00 AM at Pier 6 Plaza. Open Studios rehearsals for Rhapsody run July 17 to July 28, with final performances on July 29 and July 30 at Pier 6 Plaza at 6:30 PM and 7:30 PM.
Artist-In-Residence composer Angélica Negrón’s Labyrinth Exploration (working title), presents an Open Studios Residency project developed specifically for and engaging with the unique sound structures of the Pier 3 Labyrinth. Collaborating with International Contemporary Ensemble, and other acclaimed artists, they present a one-of-a-kind audio-visual immersive performance, developed over the course of the summer. Open Studios rehearsal dates to be announced, with final performances scheduled for Friday, September 8-Saturday, September 10, by reserved timed-entry performances.
In celebration of NYC Pride 2023, the Brooklyn Americana Music Festival returns to Brooklyn Bridge Park on Saturday, June 24 for an all-day family-friendly event of free live music that includes country, folk, blues, jazz, and more, while celebrating LGBTQ+ and BIPOC artists. From 3:00 PM to 10:00 PM music fans can find performances across Pier 6, with the main stage at Pier 6 Liberty Lawn.
With joyous reception the last two years, the Conservancy also expands their Big Summer Get Down dance party to two evenings on the waterfront at Pier 3 Plaza from 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM. Herbert Holler and the Freedom Party gets the party started on Saturday, June 17 and a second all-ages dance party takes place August 19, with DJ to be announced.
Waterfront Dance Socials also return, with expert instructors and local dance legends highlighting distinct dance styles that have important NYC roots. On Saturday, July 15, NYC’s only queer and trans-centered salsa band Las Mariquitas perform live as dance instructor Luca Diaz leads an introductory “On-2” salsa class. On Saturday, August 16, Jeff Selby teaches hustle with a live DJ curating the vibe to the moves. Each night kicks off at 7:00 PM with an all-levels introductory class, and transitions into a full dance party, taking place at Emily Warren Roebling Plaza.
On June 10, join the New York Transit Museum for the Bus Festivalin the Emily Warren Roebling Plaza, where visitors can step aboard vintage buses and celebrate the vehicles and drivers who keep our city moving! On Friday, June 23, stars of the Metropolitan Opera come to Pier 1 Harbor View Lawn to perform for one of the City’s most beloved summer evening traditions. In August, London’s iconic fan destination, the Hill at Wimbledon, will again be recreated at Pier 6 where tennis fans can watch the finals live and get the authentic championship experience.
The Conservancy’s most popular series, Movies With A View returns Thursday nights in July and August on the Pier 1 Harbor View Lawn. Celebrating the theme of “We Are Family”, titles include Despicable Me, E.T. the Extra Terrestrial, Everything Everywhere All At Once, Goodfellas, Psycho, Smoke Signals, Top Gun, and a public choice vote of The Addams Family (1991), Little Women (2019), or Romeo + Juliet (1996).Show dates for all titles will be released in early June. Doors open at 6:00 PM and the movie begins at sundown. This year, the Conservancy celebrates a new partnership with Time Out Market providing delicious food and drink options for patrons to purchase, from 5:00 PM through the start of each film along the Pier 1 Promenade. Other partnerships include music by DJs curated from Brooklyn Radio, film shorts curated by BAM Film, and bike valet parking provided by Transportation Alternatives.
Hindu Lamp Ceremony returns for its 11th annual celebration on Saturday, August 12 from 4:00 PM to 7:30 PM. Dance artist and educator Aeilushi Mistry brings peace and harmony to the community as she performs the traditional Hindu Aarti ceremony at Pebble Beach.
Mark Morris Dance Group returns to Brooklyn Park Bridge, for a special, outdoor performance and an all-ages family-friendly workshop at Pier 1 Harbor View Lawn on Saturday, September 23 at 2:00 PM.
Walt Whitman Initiative’s Song of Myselfreturns for their 20th anniversary annual reading of Whitman’s epic poem on September 10 at Pier 1’s Granite Prospect on Sunday, September 10 at 3:00 PM.
Closing out the season on Saturday, October 21, the Conservancy’s annual Harvest Festivalcelebrates the changing of the seasons, with a parade procession, arts and crafts, storytelling, lawn games, pumpkin patch, and other fun fall activities throughout the day, from 11:00 AM-4:00 PM.
FITNESS & RECREATION
From May through September, the Conservancy’s popular free weekly Waterfront Workouts return to locations across the Park. Hosting over 3,500 participants in a typical year, classes include Sunset Yoga, Amp’d Bootcamp, Zumba, and a new Core and Flexibility course led by instructors from local partners Abhaya Yoga, Chelsea Piers Fitness, and Dodge YMCA. Registration is open on a monthly basis.
Affordable Conservancyadult volleyball leagues run May through November and adult soccer leaguesrun throughout the spring, summer, and fall, while youth soccer is offered in the spring and fall. Free Youth Basketball Clinics are hosted on Tuesdays, May 30 through July 25; two age group ranges are offered for 7-12 and 13-17 year olds at the Pier 2 Courts.
Author: Brooklyn Bridge Park
Brooklyn Bridge Park
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All events and times are subject to change.
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