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Get ready to spend your summer on the waterfront: Brooklyn Bridge Park just dropped its 15th anniversary programming calendar, and it’s packed with more than 50 free and low-cost events spanning arts, music, fitness, film and family fun. The season kicks off on May 17 and runs through October, making it easier than ever to spend warm-weather days surrounded by skyline views, world-class performances and, yes, free kayaking.
The festivities begin with the high-flying Kite Festival on May 17 at Pier 5, a breezy welcome party featuring live music, lawn games and kite-flying fun. Other crowd-pleasers include Movies With A View, returning for its 25th season on Thursday nights in July and August. This year’s theme? “Women in Hollywood,” with the full lineup dropping in June. (Stay tuned for that!)
“Fifteen years ago, we reimagined this waterfront for the public and today we’re proud to welcome millions of visitors to make memories, enjoy the arts and experience summer like nowhere else in the city,” said Eric Landau, Brooklyn Bridge Park president, in a release.
Standout programming highlights also include free chamber concerts from Bargemusic, a night of French classical by the Brooklyn Chamber Orchestra, and a live performance by the Metropolitan Opera at Harbor View Lawn on June 14. There’s also a stacked lineup of Friday night concerts, including the genre-bending Freelance Band (June 13) and the soulful Revive Big Band (July 11).
Families can participate in interactive ballet workshops, outdoor dance parties and free youth basketball clinics. For the fitness-inclined, Waterfront Workouts run four days a week and include Zumba, Pilates, yoga and more.
Also not to be missed: free public kayaking at Pier 4 Beach starting May 28, “Dreaming With the Archives”—a Juneteenth-themed augmented reality art experience—and the traditional Hindu Lamp Ceremony on August 16. The season wraps with the Harvest Festival on October 18, complete with pumpkin patches and fall crafts.
After 15 years of transforming Brooklyn’s waterfront, this park is still raising the bar. And the best part? Most of it won’t cost you a dime!