Spring marks the return of Brooklyn’s outdoor festival season — and 2026 is shaping up to be a big one. From the Smorgasburg opening weekend through the West Indian American Day Parade on Labor Day, here’s your guide to the street fairs, cultural celebrations, and open-air events worth putting on the calendar this year.
We’ll keep updating this guide as new dates are confirmed — bookmark it and check back!
Spring
Brooklyn Flea
Saturdays + Sundays | DUMBO Archway | April–December | FREE
The beloved vintage and makers market is back under the Manhattan Bridge arch at 80 Pearl Street in DUMBO, running weekends through December. brooklynflea.com
Park Slope Picnic
Saturday, May 2 | 12:30–2:30pm | 4th Street Plaza off 5th Avenue, Park Slope | FREE
Four Park Slope community organizations — The Old Stone House, Park Slope Parents, Park Slope Civic Council, and the 5th Avenue BID — are throwing a free neighborhood picnic on the Open Streets plaza off 5th Avenue. Bring your own food, drinks, plates, and utensils; tables and chairs are provided. Enjoy live music, meet your neighbors, and enter the dessert contest if you’re a baker. Rain date: canceled if it rains. Free tickets required — register on Eventbrite.
BKCM Open Stages
Saturday, May 9 | 3–6pm | Throughout Park Slope | FREE
The Brooklyn Conservatory of Music’s annual free music festival transforms Park Slope into an open-air concert hall, with 15+ stages set up on stoops, school lots, parks, gardens and sidewalks hosting more than 200 musicians — from Latin jazz and marching bands to kids’ groups and experimental acts. The festival doubles as a fundraiser supporting music education and therapy for over 7,000 New Yorkers across all five boroughs. bkcm.org/openstages
Atlantic Avenue ArtWalk
May 9–17 | 12–6pm | Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn Heights to waterfront | FREE
This 1.5-mile self-guided art tour along Atlantic Avenue features around 150 Brooklyn artists showing work in 70+ participating shops, restaurants, and galleries. A lovely spring afternoon out for families. atlanticave.org
The Longest Table Brooklyn Heights
Saturday, May 16 | 12:30–2:30pm | Remsen Street to the Promenade, Brooklyn Heights | FREE
A block-long communal potluck stretching down a car-free Remsen Street all the way to the Promenade — one of Brooklyn Heights’ most charming spring traditions. The Brooklyn Heights Association provides tables, chairs, and tablecloths; you bring food, plates, and silverware. Last year over 400 neighbors gathered for an afternoon of food, community, and connection. Registration opens May 1 at longesttablebkheights.org. See our impressions from last year.
BBP Spring Fling in Brooklyn Heights
Sunday, May 17 | 12–4pm | Montague Street, Brooklyn Heights | FREE
Brooklyn Bridge Parents’ own spring street fair is back on Montague Street. Free, family-friendly, and right in the neighborhood. Register here.
Willowtown Spring Fair
Saturday, May 17 | 12–5pm | Willow Place, Brooklyn Heights | FREE
One of Brooklyn Heights’ most charming neighborhood traditions — vendors, activities, and community on a beautiful tree-lined block.
Fabulous Fifth Avenue Fair
Sunday, May 17 | 10am–6pm | Fifth Avenue, Park Slope | FREE
A Park Slope institution: vendors, food, music, and community stretching along Fifth Avenue. Free and open to all.
DanceAfrica at BAM
May 22–25 | Fort Greene | Tickets from $21 | Free outdoor bazaar Sat–Mon
North America’s largest festival of African dance and music, this year spotlighting the culture of Uganda, returns to BAM for Memorial Day weekend. Performances run May 22–25; the free outdoor African Bazaar — with food, crafts, and live performance — runs Saturday, May 23 through Monday, May 25. bam.org
DUMBO Drop
Friday, May 29 | DUMBO | Ticketed
The beloved DUMBO neighborhood party returns for another year. Keep an eye on the DUMBO Improvement District for details and tickets as they’re announced.
Bay Ridge Memorial Day Parade
Monday, May 25 | 11am | Third Avenue, Bay Ridge | FREE
One of Brooklyn’s oldest and most beloved parades, marching down Third Avenue in Bay Ridge to honor the borough’s veterans.
Summer
DUMBO Dance Party
Monthly Fridays, May–October | 6–8pm | DUMBO Archway Plaza | FREE
Free outdoor dancing under the Manhattan Bridge arch — one of Brooklyn’s best free summer rituals. Register here.
Coney Island Mermaid Parade
Saturday, June 20 | 1pm | Surf Avenue, Coney Island | FREE to watch
The 44th annual Mermaid Parade — Coney Island’s wildest and most colorful annual tradition — nearly didn’t happen this year, after organizers faced a funding shortfall following a costly fight against a casino development proposal. They made it, though! The procession steps off at 1pm at West 21st Street and Surf Avenue, rolls east, and ends at Steeplechase Plaza on the boardwalk around 4pm. Watching is free; there’s a fee to march. Arrive early for a good spot. coneyisland.com
BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn!
July 18–August | Lena Horne Bandshell, Prospect Park | Mostly FREE; benefit concerts ticketed
New York’s longest-running free outdoor performing arts festival opens July 18 with a benefit concert headlined by Australian indie pop duo Royel Otis. Most performances throughout the summer are free; benefit shows require tickets. Bring a blanket and plan to picnic. bricartsmedia.org
West Indian American Day Carnival & Parade
Monday, September 7 | Eastern Parkway, Crown Heights | FREE
New York City’s largest cultural celebration and one of the biggest carnivals in the world. J’Ouvert — the pre-dawn parade of mud, oil, powder, and steel bands — begins at 4am. The main Labor Day parade steps off mid-morning along Eastern Parkway from Utica Avenue to Grand Army Plaza, with floats, dancers in elaborate costumes, soca, calypso, and reggae. Over a million people line the route. A full week of events leads up to the parade. wiadcacarnival.org
Fall
Brooklyn Book Festival Children’s Day
Saturday, September 26 | Downtown Brooklyn | FREE
Author readings, workshops, book signings and activities for kids and families, plus a children’s book market — part of the largest free literary festival in New York. brooklynbookfestival.org
Atlantic Antic
Sunday, September 27 | Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn Heights to Boerum Hill | FREE
One of Brooklyn’s biggest and oldest street fairs, stretching over 10 blocks of Atlantic Avenue through Brooklyn Heights, Cobble Hill, Boerum Hill, and beyond. Local vendors, food, live music, and family activities. atlanticave.org
Know of a festival we missed? Let us know and we’ll add it to the guide!
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