Smorgasburg Prospect Park
Smorgasburg Partners with Prospect Park Alliance to Bring Popular Food Market to Brooklyn’s Backyard Starting August 30
BROOKLYN, August 13, 2015 – Smorgasburg and the Prospect Park Alliance have announced they are launching Smorgasburg Prospect Park, which will take place on Sundays starting August 30 through October 11 on Breeze Hill in Prospect Park, located near the Lincoln Road entrance. The popular food market will feature 100 local and regional food vendors, showcasing cuisines from around the world—from Ramen Burgers and Mighty Quinn’s Barbecue to Excell’s Kingston Eatery’s jerk chicken and Salvadoran pupusas—in a leafy setting that includes a large, grassy, tree-shaded seating area.
“Providing the community with new ways to enjoy the Park, and more food options, is important to the Prospect Park Alliance,” said Sue Donoghue, president of the Prospect Park Alliance, the non-profit organization that operates the Park in partnership with the City. “Bringing Smorgasburg to Breeze Hill is a wonderful way to enliven an underutilized area on the Park’s east side, near popular park destinations such as the LeFrak Center at Lakeside and the Audubon Center at the Boathouse.”
Smorgasburg is moving to Prospect Park, Brooklyn’s flagship park, from Brooklyn Bridge Park, where it grew alongside the young world-class park at the Tobacco Warehouse in 2012, and at Pier 5 since 2013. (Brooklyn Bridge Park is transforming the Pier 5 site into new open space and parkland for 2016.)
“We’re sad to leave Brooklyn Bridge Park, but it’s hard to complain when our new home is literally Brooklyn’s backyard,” said Eric Demby, who co-founded Smorgasburg and Brooklyn Flea with Jonathan Butler. “As a daily park user, we are so proud to help activate a new area of Prospect Park, to provide more amenities inside the park, and to be a partner in the park’s bright future. And we couldn’t be more excited to meet new friends from Prospect/Crown Heights, Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, Flatbush, Windsor Terrace, Park Slope and beyond.”
The 100 vendors and small businesses of Smorgasburg Prospect Park will include longtime favorites such as Red Hook Lobster Pound, Milk Truck Grilled Cheese, and People Pop’s, as well as popular newcomers such as Home Frite (fresh-cut fries), Big Mozz (hand-stretched mozzarella), and Best Buds Burritos (carne asada burritos with French fries inside).
Smorgasburg Prospect Park will take place each Sunday from 11 am until 6 pm from August 30 through October 11, and from 11 am until 4 pm on Labor Day Weekend, Sunday, September 6. Visit www.prospectpark.org/smorgasburg for more information.
Smorgasburg launched in May 2011 as a spin-off of Brooklyn Flea, the popular flea market founded by Jonathan Butler and Eric Demby in 2008 that has become one of Brooklyn’s most popular destinations for locals and visitors alike. On The Chew, Mario Batali called Smorgasburg “The single greatest thing I’ve ever seen gastronomically in New York City,” and The New York Times called it “The Woodstock of Eating.” In addition to the weekend markets, Smorgasburg oversees the concessions at Central Park SummerStage, runs a pop-up beer garden at the Seaport District NYC, and operates Berg’n, a beer hall and artisanal food court in Crown Heights that opened in August 2014. www.smorgasburg.com
The Prospect Park Alliance is a non-profit organization that partners with the City of New York to preserve and maintain Prospect Park, Brooklyn’s flagship park. The Alliance cares for the natural environment, restores historic design, and provides public programs and amenities for the Park, which receives more than 10 million visits each year. Connect with us for the latest news and events from Brooklyn’s backyard, www.prospectpark.org.