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Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy, Brooklyn Bridge Park announce 2016 spring, summer lineups

April 19, 2016 From Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy
Photos courtesy of Etienne Frossard, Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy
Photos courtesy of Etienne Frossard, Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy
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The Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy (Conservancy) and Brooklyn Bridge Park (BBP) are proud to announce the full lineup of free events and activities for 2016’s spring and summer season. Visitors will be able to enjoy an array of free cultural, educational, and recreational events, as well as expanded opportunities to volunteer and support this world-class waterfront park. The expansive five month season of programming begins on April 23 with the DUMBO Family Festival, featuring free family-friendly games, activities, and amenities at John Street and Main Street in Brooklyn Bridge Park. The spring and summer season concludes on September 25with the popular Brooklyn Americana Music Festival, presenting original and traditional country, folk, roots, blues, old time, and bluegrass artists. Visitors can look forward to updates regarding specific artists for this season in addition to news regarding the Park’s fall and winter programs during the upcoming months.

In 2015, Brooklyn Bridge Park saw over 127,000 visitors during the course of a summer weekend. This coming season, the forthcoming openings of DUMBO Boulders and ONE°15 Brooklyn Marina will draw an even wider range of visitors to its outdoor spaces and amenities.

The Conservancy’s new Environmental Education Center, which opened to the public in September 2015, will offer free open hours to the public four days a week. In addition to open hours, it will act as a home for a diverse series of school programs that serves over 10,000 students each year and individualized Discovery Sessions — perfect for children’s birthday parties.

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Long-time audience favorites Movies With A View, Books Beneath the Bridge, The Metropolitan Opera, Jazzmobile, the World Science Festival, and All The Park’s A Stagewill all return to the park this summer.

BBP will host events that engage visitors across a wide spectrum of interests. The Community Room at 99 Plymouth features a number of exciting installations over the coming season. In April and May, the Village Community Boathouse will lead volunteers in constructing a 15-foot Whitehall rowboat. Artists Colleen Flanigan and Judith Pleva highlight New York’s native oyster reefs in their immersive installation in June. Rush Kids and Teens participating in their Summer Session will create two fantastical murals inspired by the surrounding landscape and the work of artist Xenobia Bailey. On May 4, the Public Art Fund will debut Martin Creed’s Understandingat the end of Pier 6. The 25-foot-tall rotating ruby red sculpture was commissioned specifically for Brooklyn Bridge Park and is Creed’s largest public sculpture to date. In partnership with United Photo Industries and Photo District News, The Fence will return to Brooklyn Bridge Park in June for its fifth consecutive year. The installation presents the work of talented photographers from all around the world.

Avoid the treadmill this summer with a broad range of outdoor fitness classes designed to challenge and excite park-goers. Past favorites including Double Dutch, Broadway Dance, and Zumba will return; while new classes GRIT and Piyo promise to keep seasoned participants on their toes.

Also included on the roster of activities are family programs such as Pier Kids – a weekly celebration of arts, singing, dancing, and performance at the newly opened Pier 6 – seining, kayaking, a Hindu Lamp Ceremony, and our annual Kite Festival. The return of the Conservancy’s Family Field Days will welcome families to Piers 2, 5, and 6 to play games ranging from soccer to bocce.

The dynamic Wednesday Night Tours series will highlight the history, ecology, and design of Brooklyn Bridge Park, with tickets available at www.brooklynbridgepark.org.

Special ecology workshops for children will be presented throughout the summer, and the volunteer Green Team will continue to offer nature enthusiasts an opportunity to learn about gardening, enjoy the outdoors, and help the Park look its best.

“As we usher in the warmer months, we look forward to welcoming New Yorkers and all visitors to explore the Park’s diverse landscapes, views, installations and the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy’s wonderful events. With over 500 free and low-cost programs that celebrate the uniqueness of the park and spans the world of arts and culture, fitness, education and recreation, we strive to provide something for everyone.” said Nancy Webster, Executive Director of the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy.

“With more parkland than ever before, the 2016 programming season is bound to be our best yet,” said Regina Myer, President of Brooklyn Bridge Park. “Thanks to the incredible work of the Conservancy and our many programming partners, Brooklyn Bridge Park will continue to be a one-of-a-kind destination with programs and events for all.”

BROOKLYN BRIDGE PARK SPRING AND SUMMER 2016 SEASON SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

ARTS & CULTURE

Village Community Boathouse at 99 Plymouth

April 7 – May 22 | Main Street

Join the experienced boatbuilders of the Village Community Boathouse as they construct a 15-foot-long Whitehall rowboat. Volunteers can sign up to participate or observe and discuss the evolution of human-powered boating in the NY Harbor during boatbuilding sessions on Mondays and Thursdays 3 – 7 pm, and on Saturdays 9 am – noon.

Dumbo Family Festival

April 23 | 11 am | Main Street Park and John Street Park

Dance, play, and spend the day at John Street and Main Street in Brooklyn Bridge Park! Explore the wonders of nature at our Environmental Education Center, get down with Mom and Dad at our dance party, decorate a replica of the Brooklyn Bridge with flowers, and enjoy classic games on the new lawns under the Manhattan Bridge.

UNDERSTANDING

May 4 – October 23 | Pier 6

Public Art Fund presents Understanding, a 25-foot-tall rotating ruby red neon sculpture by one of Great Britain’s most acclaimed contemporary artists and a 2001 Turner Prize winner, Martin Creed. Commissioned specifically Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Pier 6, the work will illuminate a clear and poignant message while visually interacting with the City’s skyline.

THE FENCE

June | Parkwide

For the fifth consecutive year, United Photo Industries, in partnership with Photo District News, brings its enthralling photography exhibition, THE FENCE, to BBP. Its many sections throughout the Park will display the work of photographers from around the world depicting a variety of subjects.

Oyster Project at 99 Plymouth

Presented by Brooklyn Arts Council

June 2 – June 30 | Main Street

Inspired by Brooklyn’s native oyster reefs, this show will feature photos of Colleen Flanigan’s underwater sculptural installations which are designed to restore reefs by raising the pH of seawater. Judith Pleva’s multimedia scrapbook uses interwoven photos and articles to chronicle recent oyster reef restoration work.

Summer Reading Storytime

Tuesdays | June 7 – August 9 | 10:30 am | Pier 3 Greenway Terrace

Enjoy storytime with librarians from the Brooklyn Heights branch of the Brooklyn Public Library who read fun stories from their summer reading list and more.

BAMcinemaFest Outdoor Screening

Thursday | June 9| 8 pm | Pier 1

Join BAMcinemaFest for an outdoor festival featuring live music, curated food, and special film screening! The film starts at sunset.

Walt Whitman’s Song of Myself Marathon

Saturday | June 18 | 4 pm | Granite Prospect

Annual marathon reading of Walt Whitman’s critically acclaimed poem, Song of Myself.

Pier Kids

Sundays | June 19 – August 7 | 11 am | Pier 6

Sing, act, dance, and draw! Please join us on Pier 6 for a weekly celebration of the arts. Engaging activities will vary each week and be accompanied by an outdoor pop-up reading room from The Uni Project and art projects from Private Picassos.

Family-Friendly Activities 11 am – 12 pm; Performances 12 pm – 1 pm.

· June 19: Suzi Shelton

· June 26: Wildlife Theater

· July 3: A Royal Shindig & Brooklyn Beanstalk

· July 10: Arm-of-the-Sea Theater

· July 17: Hot Peas ‘N Butter

· July 24: You Must Be This Tall

· July 31: Meet the Animals

· August 7: Shira & Friends

Met Opera

Friday | June 24 | 7 pm | Pier 1

A favorite summer tradition in New York, the Metropolitan Opera’s Summer Recital Series returns to Pier 1, with a concert filled with favorite arias and duets, featuring Met artists Angel Blue, Ben Bliss, and Alexey Lavrov, with pianist Dan Saunders.

Rush Arts at 99 Plymouth

July 5 – September | Main Street

Rush Kids and Teens participating in the Rush Arts Summer Session return to BBP to create vibrant site-specific murals. Inspired by the works of Xenobia Bailey and taking cues from the surrounding parkland, these colorful murals will be sure to delight. Rush Summer Session is a free art-education program provided to underserved youth by the Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation.

Movies With A View

Thursdays | July 7 – August 25 | with DJs at 6 pm and movies at sunset | Pier 1

Join us as we celebrate the 17th season of the Conservancy’s movie series! Shorts curated by BAMcinematek, DJs from Brooklyn Radio kick-off the evening, and bike valet is provided by Transportation Alternatives. Schedule of movie shorts and DJs will be announced soon!

· July 7: Singin’ in the Rain | PG

· July 14: Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle | R

· July 21: Purple Rain | R

· July 28: It Happened One Night | NR

· August 4: American Graffiti | PG

· August 11: Selma | R

· August 18: A League of Their Own | PG

· August 25: Public Vote

Gibney Dance in Brooklyn Bridge Park

Saturdays | July 9 – 30 | 7 pm | Pier 1

Gibney Dance brings their lower Manhattan performing arts center to the Park. Join them for sunset performances on the river, class on the grass, and other dance happenings set against the Manhattan skyline.

Books Beneath the Bridge

Mondays l July 11 – August 15 | 7 pm | Granite Prospect

On six Monday nights during July and August, six of Brooklyn’s best independent bookstores curate readings, discussions, signings, and more inspired by each event’s author.

· July 11: Freebird Bookstore

· July 18: Word

· July 25: powerHouse Arena

· August 1: Community Bookstore Park Slope

· August 8: Greenlight Bookstore

· August 15: Bookcourt

Laughter in the Park

Sunday | July 17 | 2 pm – 4 pm | Granite Prospect

NYCLaughs.org comes to the Park for a Sunday afternoon of laughs! Join them on the Granite Prospect for some great stand-up.

Hindu Lamp Ceremony

Saturday | August 6 | 4 pm – 8 pm | Main Street

Bring peace and harmony to our shoreline as Aeilushi Mistry performs the traditional Hindu Aarti ceremony at the Park! Presented with Brooklyn Arts Council.

All The Park’s A Stage

August 9, 10, 12, 13, 14 | 7 pm | Pier 1

Free performances of The Winter’s Tale by New York Classical Theatre. Performers roam the lawns of Pier 1 and use the vistas and Park landscapes as their backdrop.

Jazzmobile

TBD | 7 pm | Pier 1

Come enjoy an evening of jazz on Harbor View Lawn with NYC’s acclaimed Jazzmobile. Artist will be announced soon!

Kite Festival

Saturday | September 10 | 11 am – 3:00 pm | Pier 1

Watch your kite soar above the Manhattan skyline! Kites will be available for purchase or you can bring your own.

Brooklyn Americana Music Festival

Saturday & Sunday | September 24 & 25 | 2 pm – 8 pm | Pier 6

The Brooklyn Americana Festival returns with more original and traditional country, folk, roots, blues, old time, and bluegrass artists. Artists will be announced soon!

Bargemusic Family Friendly Concerts

Saturdays | 4 pm | Pier 1

Visit bargemusic.org for a full listing of their free family-friendly Saturday concerts!

RECREATION

NYRR Open Runs

Thursdays, May – June 2 | Tuesdays, June 7 – September | 7 pm | Pier 6

New York Road Runners invite you to join their free Open Runs! Volunteers track the timing and marshal the course. Meet on the path south of Fornino at 6:45pm for registration. The run begins at 7:00 pm and the course comprises a full 5K. Open to all ages. Strollers and dogs on leashes welcome. Please note, bag check is not provided.

18th Eileen C. Dugan Memorial 5K

Saturday | April 16 | 9 am | Pier 6

A scenic 5K route (3.1 mi) spanning Brooklyn Bridge Park with breathtaking views of the Brooklyn Bridge, the Manhattan skyline, and the NYC harbor.

Basketball Clinics

May 5 – August 28 | Thursdays, 5 pm – 7 pm; Sundays, 12 pm – 2 pm | Pier 2

Join Big and Little Skills Academy for dynamic youth basketball clinics on Pier 2 that include either yoga to enhance flexibility or flag football for agility training. Recommended for ages 8-17.

Kayaking

June 4 – September 29 | Saturdays, 10 am – 3 pm; Thursdays, 5:30 pm – 6:45 pm | Pier 2 Dock

Paddle in the East River with the Brooklyn Bridge Park Boathouse. Children under 18 must have an adult guardian present. Join us for Kayak Polo on Sundays at 11:00 am too!

Family Field Days

Saturday | June 18, July 16, August 20 | 10 am – 2 pm| Various Locations

Get active on our sports piers by playing games of all sorts from soccer to volleyball to basketball to bocce on three different Family Field Days.

Double Dutch

Wednesdays | June 22 – August 31 | 7 pm – 9 pm | Pier 2

Learn to double dutch in a block party environment with experienced Brooklyn-based Double Dutch Empire instructors. Open to all abilities and recommended for ages 15 and up.

Pop-Up Pool

Daily | June 29 through Labor Day | 10 am – 6 pm

Take in the sunshine and cool waters at the Pop-Up Pool! The 30’x50’ pool includes a sandy beach and play area with refreshing food and drinks from Lizzmonade. Swim lessons are available.

Youth Volleyball Clinics

Sundays | July 3 – 31 | 11 am – 1 pm

Come down to our sand volleyball courts to practice your skills! For ages 12 and under.

FITNESS – WATERFRONT WORKOUTS

Broadway Dance with Dodge YMCA

Mondays | May 9 – August 8* | 10 am | Pier 2

Sunrise: Abhaya Yoga

Mondays | June 6 – July 25* | 7:30 am l Pier 6

Ballet Barre with Dodge YMCA

Mondays | June 6 – August 8* | 7 pm | Pier 2

Pilates with the Fitness Guru

Tuesdays | June 7 – September 27 | 7 pm | Empire Fulton Ferry

Zumba with Dodge YMCA

Sundays | June 12 – August 14 | 4:30 pm | Pier 2

GRIT with Dodge YMCA

Sundays | June 19 – July 31 |4 pm | Pier 2

Piyo with Dodge YMCA

Wednesdays | June 22 – August 17 | 7 pm | Pier 6

Hip Hop Dance Aerobics with Dodge YMCA

Fridays | July 1 – August 12 | 7 pm | Pier 3 Greenway Terrace

Outdoor Strength with Brooklyn Strength

Sundays | August 7 – August 28 | 3 pm | Pier 2

*No class on May 30 or July 4

EDUCATION & ENVIRONMENT

Ed Center Open Hours

Tuesdays & Thursdays, 3 – 5 pm; Saturdays & Sundays, 1 – 5 pm | Environmental Education Center

Explore Brooklyn Bridge Park like never before during open hours in our Environmental Education Center. Share all your Ed Center experiences on social media by tagging your posts with #edcntr.

Waterfront Walks

Sundays | 11 am | Pier 1 entrance

Engage with our docents on a tour about the history of the Brooklyn waterfront, BBP’s sustainable design, and how the Park came to life.

Wednesday Night Tours

Wednesdays | May 11 – September 28 | 6:30 pm | Pier 1 entrance

Take an evening stroll with New York’s finest scholars and learn about the extraordinary history, ecology, design of Brooklyn Bridge Park. Purchase tickets ($5 members, $10 non-members) on our website.

Seining

May 28, June 12, July 9, August 7, September 10 | Times Vary |Main Street

Learn about the remarkable creatures of the East River as our scientists use a seining net to humanely catch and release these unique critters.

The Great Fish Count

Saturday | June 4 | 2 pm | Main Street

Pull on a pair of waders, cast a net, and find marine life. Join top ecologists and biologists to catch, count, identify, and release the animals in NYC’s swarming waters. Presented in collaboration with the World Science Festival, Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

Stargazing with the World Science Festival

Saturday | June 4 | 7 pm | Pier 1

Get out your telescope (or share with astronomers) for a night of urban stargazing and music to celebrate the dance of the planets.

Checkmate 101

Sundays | June 19 – August 7 | 11 am – 1 pm | Pier 6

Come learn how to take your chess game to the next level! Best for beginners; limited boards available.

Journey to the Stars

Thursdays | July 7 – August 25 | 8:30 pm – 10:30 pm | Pier 1

Gaze across the New York sky and all the wonders it holds with Amateur Astronomers Association of New York.

City of Water Day

Saturday | July 16 | Main Street & Pier 2

Celebrate the waterfront by getting on the water in a kayak and exploring what’s below the water’s surface during our Seining program.

The Great Escape

Saturday | August 27 | 10 am | Main Street

Come to the Park for a boat race and living history program to honor the 240th Anniversary of the Battle of Brooklyn

VOLUNTEER EVENTS

Green Team

Saturdays | May 7 – October 29 | 10 am | Pier 1

Join this dedicated corps of volunteers who keep Brooklyn Bridge Park beautiful. The Green Team meets every Saturday to provide essential horticultural care to the park. It is a wonderful opportunity to learn about gardening, enjoy nature, and help the park look its best. Children are welcome to volunteer with a parent or guardian.

Coastal Cleanups

May 6, June 5, July 3, August 18 | Times Vary | Main Street

Team up with volunteers to combat pollution in our waterways and along our coastlines. Volunteers will care for the park’s unique coastal environment by cleaning up the park’s beaches, shorelines, and salt marshes.


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