Most people know Prospect Park as a large, public green space where Brooklyn’s diverse community comes to gather—but did you know that community includes an amazing diversity of wildlife? Prospect Park Alliance crews restore and maintain these natural spaces where this array of species thrive. We’re breaking down Prospect Park’s fauna by the numbers to remind you just how essential these 585 acres are.
292 Species of Birds, 71 Nesting Bird Species
Prospect Park hosts numerous species of birds year round, but the park is also extremely important to migratory birds. Twice a year during the migration seasons, millions of birds fly over New York City via the Atlantic Flyway. Flying over Brooklyn, many birds take advantage of Prospect Park’s prime location and natural habitat to rest, refuel and prepare themselves for the rest of their journey.
15 Species of Mammals
Anyone who has taken a walk through Prospect Park’s woods is familiar with a few of the mammal species in the park—squirrels are ubiquitous and chipmunks abound (and are one of the only populations of chipmunks in Brooklyn). Unsurprisingly, the park hosts raccoons and mice, but did you know that park is home to at least 6 species of bats (possibly up to 9), rabbits, and as of 2019, a skunk!
14 Species of Fish
Prospect Park is home to Brooklyn’s only lake, and this ecosystem hosts a wide variety of fish. Catch-and-release fishing is permitted in Prospect Park, and potential catches include pumpkinseeds, bluegills, and even largemouth bass of impressive size!
6-8 Species of Reptiles and Amphibians
A common sight in Prospect Park are turtles sunning themselves throughout the park’s watercourse, much to the delight of visitors. These are most frequently red-eared sliders, but other reptile and amphibian species include American bullfrogs and snapping turtles.
1000+ Species of Insects, Including 35 Butterfly and 59 Bee Species
Any estimate of the number of insect and arachnid species in Prospect Park is likely to be an underestimate—these creeping, crawling and flying creatures are numerous and an essential part of the park’s ecosystem even in an urban environment. No concrete species number exists for invertebrates, as most insect groups in the park have not been counted. However, there are an estimated 21 species of odonates (dragonflies and damselflies), at least 35 species of butterflies, and approximately 59 native bee species—28% of all bee species east of the Mississippi River!
Prospect Park also hosts an amazing diversity of plant species, and is both and “ark” and a “source” for species, meaning that it is the last place in Brooklyn for some habitats and species, as well as a genetic reservoir for local plants and creatures. Prospect Park Alliance’s crews work year-round at ecological restoration—enhancing and creating habitats dominated by native species that provide wildlife habitat and encourage conditions of natural habitat succession.
It’s Archtober, and NYC’s architecture and design month features hundreds of events, tours, and exhibitions. Four of these tours are taking place right in Brooklyn’s Backyard, and you’re invited! Presented in partnership with Prospect Park Alliance and Turnstile Tours, check out the month’s lineup:
Prospect Park Tour: Hidden Treasures
Sunday, October 6 , 10:30 am – 12:30 pm
Join Prospect Park Alliance and Turnstile Tours to explore some of the little-known corners of Prospect Park in this tour that uncovers some of the park’s hidden treasures. Once prime attractions, these areas are currently the focus of Prospect Park Alliance restoration efforts to revitalize the Park. The tour includes the Rose Garden and Vale of Cashmere in the park’s northeast corner, and well as a guided walk through Brooklyn’s last remaining forest, the 150-acre Ravine.
Prospect Park Tour: Art + Architecture
Friday, October 11 , 4 pm – 6 pm
Join Prospect Park Alliance and Turnstile Tours for a special Friday evening tour in celebration of Archtober. For over 150 years, Prospect Park has been a showcase of public buildings and artwork. This tour examines beautiful representations of Beaux-Arts, City Beautiful, New Deal Modernism, and LEED-certified park destinations.
Prospect Park Tour: Waterways + Wellhouse
Sunday, October 13 , 10:30 am – 10:30 am
Join Prospect Park Alliance and Turnstile Tours for a tour in celebration of Archtober. Prospect Park is a marvel of engineering, with a man-made watercourse weaving through forests and meadows to a 60-acre lake. Explore the restored watercourse as well as the 1869 Wellhouse, once the world’s largest well, now home to the first composting toilets in a NYC public park.
Prospect Park Tour: Exploring the East Side
Saturday, October 26 , 1:30 pm – 3:30 pm
Join Prospect Park Alliance and Turnstile Tours for a tour in celebration of Archtober. Explore Prospect Park’s East Side, including works in progress (Rose Garden, Flatbush Avenue perimeter), upcoming improvements (Lefferts Historic House), and recent and historic park treasures (Carousel, Lakeside and WPA art + architecture of the Prospect Park Zoo).
Bird migration season is in full swing here in Brooklyn, and there’s no better place to see the hundreds of species passing through than Prospect Park. In recent years, Prospect Park Alliance has made an effort to reduce invasive plant species and encourage the growth of native trees, shrubs, flowers and grasses—and our feathered friends could not be happier about it. Native plants produce seeds and berries, and host a variety of local insects, all of which our local and migratory birds love to snack on. Head into the park during this migration season for a chance to see a few of the more than 200 bird species that use Prospect Park as a rest stop. We suggest these park birding hotspots:
Lookout Hill
Lookout Hill is the highest peak in Prospect Park, part of the Terminal Moraine left by glaciers in the last ice age that extends through Brooklyn. Prospect Park Alliance’s horticulturalists and Natural Resources Crew have been hard at work maintaining Lookout Hill’s natural spaces, including the Butterfly Meadow. The geography of Lookout Hill, combined with the abundance of native food sources, make this a top-notch destination for birds (and fellow birdwatchers) during migration season. Find a variety of songbirds including many species of warblers, as well as raptors enjoying the vista.
Prospect Park Lake
Whether you’re walking the shores of the Peninsula, or staring through binoculars at Music Island, Prospect Park Lake—Brooklyn’s only lake—is a fabulous destination for birdwatching. Since the opening of the LeFrak Center at Lakeside in 2013, this area of the park has enjoyed a dedicated crew of Alliance gardeners who maintain the plantings and the facility’s green roof. The 55-acre lake is a year-round destination for waterfowl and shorebirds, and migration season means you’re sure to see something spectacular no matter which way you look.
Vale of Cashmere
In 2012, Prospect Park lost over 500 throughout the park due to Hurricane Sandy, with 50 alone in the Vale of Cashmere. Thanks to grants from the National Parks Service through the Hurricane Sandy Disaster Relief Assistance Grant Program for Historic Properties, the Alliance was able to hire a dedicated crew to restore this area of the park. Over the course of years, the crew removed damage, used a popular goat team to clear invasive species, and in 2017 planted over 20,000 native plants and shrubs. The result? A bird haven in a quiet corner of the park. Head here to watch songbirds enjoying the landscape, and discover a part of Prospect Park you may never have seen before.
Today, NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver, FAICP, and Prospect Park Alliance President Sue Donoghue celebrated the start of construction of new entrances to Prospect Park along Flatbush Avenue, the first new entrances to the park since the 1940s. With overwhelming support from the community, Prospect Park Alliance received $3.2 million in funding from Mayor Bill de Blasio for this project through NYC Parks’ Parks Without Borders initiative, which seeks to make parks more open by improving entrances, transforming underutilized areas and creating vibrant public spaces.
“For the first time in more than seven decades, we’re giving New Yorkers a new way to enter one of the City’s most beloved parks,” said NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver, FAICP. “Thanks to the Mayor’s investment in Parks Without Borders we are changing the way parks intersect with the communities, and increasing accessibility. Upon its completion, this new entrance into Prospect Park will be a gateway for generations of families to come in and explore everything this historic park has to offer.”
“Prospect Park Alliance is committed to making Prospect Park open and accessible to all communities it borders,” said Prospect Park Alliance President Sue Donoghue. “I want to thank Mayor Bill de Blasio and NYC Parks Commissioner Silver for their innovative Parks Without Borders initiative, and the many community members who came out in support of this project. These new entrances will serve as an important gateway to the park for our east side communities, and to the park’s northeast corner, a focal point of our future restoration efforts.”
From Left: City Council Majority Leader Laurie Cumbo, Borough Parks Commissioner Martin Maher, Parks Commissioner Mitchell Silver, Alliance President Sue Donoghue, Alliance Landscape Architect Svetlana Raguliana, Alliance VP of Capital and Chief Landscape Architect Christian Zimmerman
“The Parks Without Borders project on Flatbush Avenue perfectly complements my administration’s multi-million dollar investment in revitalizing the eastern and southern borders of Prospect Park, the crown jewel of our borough’s open space,” said Borough President Eric L. Adams. I am excited to see us progress toward increased access for recreation and relaxation opportunities, which will offer a safe and welcome entrance for pedestrians, cyclists, skaters, and anyone who wants to enjoy the park.”
“After many years of advocacy by the community, we finally broke ground on the two new entrance ways for Prospect Park on Flatbush Avenue, and are looking forward to improvements of the park perimeter on Flatbush, Ocean, and Parkside Avenues,” said Council Majority Leader Laurie Cumbo. “For the first time in over 70 years, Prospect Park will be renovated with new entrances featuring welcoming sitting spaces, a rock-scrambling trail and much more. As a community dedicated to excellence and culture, our public spaces should reflect those high standards of upkeep, beauty, and community. We’re so excited to be a part of the preservation and beautification of Brooklyn’s flagship park! The crown jewel in the Borough of Kings. Looking forward to the opening in the summer of 2020! “
“Excited to see Prospect Park open its doors wider and create more welcoming spaces. I’m grateful to the Mayor’s office for investing in making the park more accessible and glad to contribute to preserving and strengthening the long tradition of horseback riding in the Prospect Park,” said Council Member Brad Lander.
“I want to commend the NYC Parks Department, the Prospect Park Alliance, and Mayor Bill de Blasio for their advocacy on behalf of Prospect Park,” said Council Member Mathieu Eugene. “We are so privileged to have such a wonderful green space in our borough, and I am delighted that by working together, we are going to make Brooklyn’s Backyard even more vibrant and accessible for the next generation of New Yorkers. I am proud to support the Parks Without Borders initiative because it is an investment in the future of our city. We will be transforming the entrances of Prospect Park along Flatbush Avenue into new public spaces for all New Yorkers to use. It is my hope that through this initiative we will continue to improve Prospect Park for years to come.”
Background on the Project
A major entrance will be created in the northeast section of the park near the park’s former Rose Garden, the site of future restoration efforts by the Alliance, and a minor secondary entrance will be created just north of the Prospect Park Zoo. The entrances will feature new lighting, seating and trees, as well as new plantings. The major entrance will align with a future DOT traffic signal and pedestrian crosswalk, intersecting a berm retained by a three-foot-high granite wall. This will open onto a small public plaza with two levels of terraced seating that provides views of the surrounding woodlands. Stepping stones will lead to an informal running trail atop a berm. The plaza will also feature a rock scramble of boulders sourced from the building site of nearby NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital. Settees will be installed along the paths and between the boulders. The project is slated to be completed in Summer 2020.
Park designers Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux did not intend for entrances to the park along Flatbush Avenue. Their original design included a footbridge crossing above Flatbush Avenue to a reservoir that is located in what is now Mount Prospect Park on Eastern Parkway. Their intent was that pedestrians approaching Prospect Park from the east could walk through the reservoir grounds and then cross by the footbridge over to the park. The connection appears in park plans until an 1874 update of the design, but it was never constructed.
Additional Park Improvements
The creation of these entrances is part of a comprehensive restoration of the Flatbush Avenue perimeter of Prospect Park, which is currently in construction. Through $2.4 million in funding from Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams and Council Majority Leader Laurie Cumbo, Prospect Park Alliance will restore the Flatbush Avenue perimeter from Grand Army Plaza to the Prospect Park Zoo to its original grandeur. Formerly, the narrow, 20-foot-wide sidewalk had few functioning street lights, heavily cracked pavement, sparse and unhealthy street trees, and an incomplete and deteriorating iron fence along the park. Following the original design of the park’s creators Olmsted and Vaux, the sidewalk is being expanded into a 30-feet-wide promenade. The Alliance has removed invasive plants that have overtaken the area, and planted trees to create an allée reflecting Olmsted’s design. New decorative fencing, lighting and benches will provide a welcoming and inviting pedestrian experience.
Prospect Park Alliance also is undertaking a $9.4 million restoration of the Parkside and Ocean Avenue perimeters and entrance to the park, which is made possible through $6.4 million in funding by the New York City Department of Transportation; $2 million in funding from Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams; and $750,000 in funding from New York City Council Member Dr. Mathieu Eugene. This large-scale restoration will include new sidewalks and paving; new historic lighting and street furniture; new trees and landscaping; and the addition of a protected bike lane. A focal point of the entrance will be a new monument to Brooklyn political trailblazer U.S. Rep. Shirley Chisholm, who was both the first black Congresswoman and the first woman to seek the Democratic presidential nomination. This project continues the Alliance’s work to restore the perimeter of the east side of the park, including the Flatbush Avenue perimeter, which is also being funded by the Borough President, as well as Council Member Laurie Cumbo.
Additional capital improvements slated for this area include $2 million in funding from the Office of Mayor Bill de Blasio to enable the Alliance to restore approximately 1,200 linear feet of paths, replace park benches and add more lighting in the park’s northeast corner. In addition, Prospect Park Alliance is creating a covered horseback riding ring north of the Prospect Park Zoo for public and therapeutic riding. This $4.1 million project is funded through the support of former New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams and New York Council Member Brad Lander.
This past spring, the community helped plant an inaugural “Stew Garden” at Lefferts Historic House, a historic house operated by Prospect Park Alliance in partnership with the Historic House Trust. Among the crops were onions, potatoes and carrots. “We sowed seeds of hardy root vegetables,” says Rafe Shaffer, the Prospect Park Alliance Supervising Educator at Lefferts, “the types of produce the Lefferts family would have grown as part of their winter stores so they could have fresh vegetables even in the coldest months.”
The house was built by Pieter Lefferts in 1783, four generations after his Dutch ancestors arrived in the New World. Today, the historic house is a museum of life in Brooklyn over the centuries. It features period rooms furnished to reflect daily life, hands-on American craft activities help visitors understand the changes in Brooklyn’s landscape since the 18th century, and now a stew garden!
Throughout the year, local families have helped water and care for the crops, and now all are invited to help gather the bounty. At Fall Feast, kids will be able to harvest, wash and weigh produce from the garden before bringing it to the outdoor hearth to be added to a stew that will be cooked by our costumed interpreter. “We’ve chosen to cook the vegetables together in a stew so their flavors really shine, and so the dish is familiar and accessible to our diverse audiences,” says Shaffer.
NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital, a sponsor of Fall Feast, will be making a seasonal salad and teaching kids to husk corn, which they can season and take with them to cook at home. The day will also feature lawn games such as croquet and corn hole, and a 2 pm story time with beloved storyteller Tammy Hall.
Pick out your party outfit—on Saturday, October 5, Prospect Park Alliance hosts its annual Gala at Bartel Pritchard Square. More than just a fun Saturday night of dining and dancing in the park, the Gala is the Alliance’s most important fundraiser of the year and raises critical funds to sustain, restore and advance Prospect Park. This year at the Gala, the Alliance will honor three Brooklynites who have devoted much of their lives and work to Brooklyn’s most vital green space: longtime Alliance supporters Lorraine and Gordon DiPaolo, as well as iconic New York City journalist Pete Hamill.
Longtime Brooklynites Lorraine and Gordon DiPaolo live just a stone’s throw from the park, by Grand Army Plaza. And if their names ring a bell, it might be because they have generously provided the matching sums during the Alliance’s annual spring and summer fundraisers for years, encouraging thousands of dedicated park supporters to give back to the park. The DiPaolos have always recognized the value in this cherished public space, believing firmly that as neighbors to the park and natives of Brooklyn, it is their duty to make sure the park is supported.
A born-and-bred Brooklynite, Pete Hamill has made his career as a journalist at countless New York City publications, and as an author, notably of his lauded memoir, A Drinking Life (1994). Hamill shares with Lorraine and Gordon a love of Prospect Park, having grown up exploring the woodlands and hanging out as a teenager at what he called “the totes,” short for totem poles—the way Hamill and his friends referred to Standford White’s columned entrance at Bartel Pritchard Square. His family lived in various locations during his childhood, never further than two blocks from the park. Says Hamill, “the park and the Public Library branch on 9th Street and 6th Avenue insured us that we might be poor but we were never impoverished!” Over the years, Hamill has written fondly of long walks through the park with his mother and siblings. For Hamill, the park’s hills and meadows have always been a home to return to, and we are grateful for the opportunity to honor his deep appreciation of Brooklyn’s Backyard.
Meet Adam Odeh, a 16-year-old student at Sunset Park High School and a current member of the Woodlands Youth Crew. Along with other high school students, Adam has spent his summers alongside Prospect Park Alliance staff working to restore Prospect Park’s nearly 200 acres of fragile woodlands: Brooklyn’s only forest. We caught up with Adam at the end of his final season with the crew to learn about his experience in Prospect Park.
Hi Adam! How long have you been a part of the Woodland Youth Crew?
I’ve been working as a member of the Woodlands Youth Crew for two years, since early August of 2017.
What is your favorite part of being on the Woodland Youth Crew?
My favorite aspect of the job has to do with the community. We have a great organization behind us and a crew that honestly feels like family. We work hard together throughout the heat and intense physical work but no matter what, we always find ways to work together and get through tasks we otherwise find impossible.
Another aspect I find extremely enjoyable is the satisfaction of taking a step back after multiple days of hard work and being able to soak in the massive change we have created. Not only do we positively affect the environment, but also we improve the experience for visitors of the park by making the landscape even more inviting.
Do you have favorite projects that you’ve worked on?
My favorite project we’ve done in the park was cleaning areas of the watercourse of an invasive species called aquatic primrose. It rapidly spreads on top of lakes, and can destroy the ecosystem. The whole crew gets dressed up in waterproof waders, and goes into the lake with a mission to reduce the amount of primrose. It turned out to be an amazing experience.
Are there any skills you’ll take with you from the Woodlands Youth Crew?
I’ve learned a tremendous amount of skills throughout the two years I’ve been a part of the woodland youth crew. I plan to use the skills I learned by integrating it into my everyday life such as: never give up on tasks that may seem impossible, work smarter not harder because it’ll make life a lot less stressful, and don’t be scared to ask for help.
I can honestly go on and on about it and I’m grateful for it all.
Ever wonder about the life of a tree? Not the changes that happen season after season, or even decade after decade, but day in and day out? That was the inspiration for an article in The New Yorkertracking the daily life of a London plane tree at the LeFrak Center at Lakeside, which dates back to at least 1874, when it was moved to its current location.
Recently, Prospect Park Alliance and NYC Parks supported scientist Jeremy Hise and journalist M.R. O’Connor, who lives near the LeFrak Center and is an avid park user, to test an instrument that “converts, or ‘transduces’, physical motion into an electrical signal… sensing and logging tiny changes in pressure. Instruments that use this approach, known as precision dendrometers, allow scientists to do something entirely new: watch how trees change and respond to their environments on an instantaneous scale.”
The dendrometer not only showed the miraculous daily life of one of the park’s most natural wonders, but a glimpse into a larger purpose of this technology: demonstrating “how our planet’s future is tied inextricably to the future of its forests.” As home to Brooklyn’s last remaining forest and 30,000 trees, Prospect Park is the ideal setting to explore these issues. According to the article, “Each year, the world’s forests extract billions of tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere—an estimated twenty-eight per cent of all emissions.”
Recently, through funding from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Prospect Park Alliance conducted the first phase of a survey of its 30,000 trees. The findings for roughly half the park’s trees (those surveyed) were impressive: these trees help remove 24,000 pounds of pollutants and 3,000 tons of greenhouse gases from the air each year, and absorb 21 million gallons of stormwater runoff.
Today, Prospect Park Alliance joined elected officials and community members for a “paw-some” occasion for Brooklyn’s Backyard’s four-legged friends. Alliance President Sue Donoghue, Brooklyn Borough Parks Commissioner Marty Maher, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams and Council Members Brad Lander and Dr. Mathieu Eugene broke ground on the new Kensington Dog Run at the Prospect Park Parade Ground.
The dog run, located in the Parade Ground along Coney Island Avenue, includes 7,000 square feet of fenced-in space, separated areas for large dogs and small dogs, and features an innovative canine-friendly turf, a first for a New York City park. The surface is low maintenance, and durable, and boasts superior drainage thanks to a porous backing which allows rainwater and dog waste to flow through the material. The turf also incorporates an antimicrobial agent woven into its fibers that reduces the need for detergents or deodorizers.
The dog run also will feature benches made of reclaimed wood from downed park trees. Additional enhancements include waste receptacles, water fountains, new trees and dog-waste-resistant shrubs. The $452,000 project was funded by Borough President Adams and City Council Members Eugene and Lander, and advocated by local groups Brooklyn FIDO and the Kensington Dog Run Association. The Kensington, Windsor Terrace, Ditmas Park, Flatbush and Midwood areas are home to about 20,000 canines, according to a 2015 report by the NYC Department of Health. The project is expected to be completed by summer 2020.
“Prospect Park Alliance is excited to create this new amenity for the benefit of our four-legged friends and our community,” said Sue Donoghue, President of Prospect Park Alliance. “As a dog parent myself, I look forward to having this great new space where dogs and neighbors can come to exercise and mingle.”
“This project is the culmination of several years of engagement and advocacy by the community, and we are thrilled to be breaking ground on this new amenity. I was proud to allocate funding for this project along with my colleagues Council Member Brad Lander and Council Member Mathieu Eugene, so that our canine companions can enjoy a new, state-of-the-art space. The forward-thinking sustainable design features incorporated into this project should serve as a model for future parks projects going forward. I want to thank Prospect Park Alliance for their steadfast partnership in this endeavor, and I know I speak for the entire surrounding community when I say that I eagerly await the grand opening of the new Kensington Dog Run,” said Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams.
“I’m thrilled to be here celebrating the pawsome groundbreaking of Kensington’s Dog Run,” said Council Member Brad Lander. “We would like to thank Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams and Councilman Mathieu Eugene for helping fund this project. Also the Kensington Dog Run Association who worked their tails off advocating for the idea throughout the participatory budgeting process and made this all paw-sible. The dog run is a testament to participatory budgeting and we hope everyone and their pups are excited as we are for this to come to life!”
“I want to thank our community partners in the Prospect Park Alliance and members of the Kensington Dog Run Association for helping to make this day possible,” said Council Member Mathieu Eugene. “Today’s groundbreaking is not only a significant upgrade to the Parade Ground, it is an important example of how, by working together, we are able to invest in the future of our borough. I am honored to allocate funding for this wonderful project, and it is my hope that through strong community partnerships we will continue to improve our green spaces.”
“Sometimes it’s Parks business to make sure dogs can do their business,” said Brooklyn Parks Commissioner Martin Maher. “This project is a great collaboration between community advocates including CB14, the Kensington Dog Run Association and FIDO, as well as our dedicated elected officials. This project is an example of great design and project management by the Prospect Park Alliance, and will be a fantastic asset to the community.”
In addition to the dog run, Prospect Park is a haven for dogs, offering acres of green space for off-leash hours (5 am–9 am and 9 pm–1 am) at the Long Meadow (except ballfields), Nethermead and the Peninsula. Dogs can also beat the heat and go for a swim at the beloved Dog Beach, which the Alliance restored in 2017. Learn more at prospectpark.org/dogs.
Celebrate Culture at Brooklyn Roots Festival
July 12, 2019
The Brooklyn Arts Council Folk Arts program and Prospect Park Alliance announce the second annual Brooklyn Roots Festival taking place on Sunday, July 28, in the Prospect Park Children’s Corner. The folk arts festival celebrates Brooklyn’s traditional artists and immigrant communities through a daylong schedule of performances, workshops, interactive family activities, and more. The free event serves as the culminating program of BAC’s Tracking Traditions Along the B/Q series of public programs, celebrating cultural and artistic traditions from communities along Brooklyn’s B and Q train lines.
“The Brooklyn Roots Festival hopes to help bridge the divides from geographic isolation that many of these communities face,” said BAC Folk Arts Director Christopher Mulé. “We look forward to celebrating these cultural traditions and bringing diverse groups together in the setting of Prospect Park, and to seeing what community connections we can help foster.”
“Prospect Park is Brooklyn’s Backyard, and a haven for the diverse communities of this borough,” said Prospect Park Alliance Vice President of Programs Maria Carrasco. “The Alliance is dedicated to providing free public programs that celebrate the history and traditions of Brooklyn, and we are thrilled to continue to partner with BAC on the Brooklyn Roots Festival.”
The festival’s Main Track Stage will feature performances from Dancing Crane Company, Diwas Gurung, and groups representing Russian, Chinese, Pakistani, Haitian communities and more.
In addition to the performance stage, a workshop station will engage audiences with activities led by groups and artists including tai chi group Qi Tao, Ukrainian Village Voices, and more. The Kids’ Caboose children’s area at Lefferts Historic House will present family-oriented performances and activities from Marvarid Uzbek Dance Group, Folk Dance Club Kaleidoscope, and more.
Food trucks will be on-site with refreshments for purchase.
Programmatic partners for the festival include Endangered Language Alliance, the Center for Art, Tradition & Cultural Heritage, CityLore, and In Concert Productions.
Brooklyn Arts Council events and programs are made possible, in part, through public funds from: National Endowment for the Arts; New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature; the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the New York City Council, and Humanities New York. Additional support is provided by Green Mountain Energy. Translation and captioning services made possible by the Theatre Development Fund.
Connect with Us
Love Prospect Park? Sign up for the Prospect Park Alliance eNews to be the first to learn about news and online events from Brooklyn's Backyard!
Donate
Connect with Us
Love Prospect Park? Sign up for the Prospect Park Alliance eNews to be the first to learn about news and online events from Brooklyn's Backyard!
