Learn more about free and low-cost healthy food resources in Prospect Park. 

Free Summer Meals Truck
Parkside and Ocean Avenue Entrance
Daily through August 30: 10 am–4 pm on weekdays and 11 am–3 pm on weekends
Calling all youth! Youth ages 18 and under can stop by the Free Meals Truck at the Parkside and Ocean Avenue Entrance to Prospect Park for free healthy and delicious food options daily through August 30. Distributed by the NYC Department of Education in partnership with Prospect Park Alliance, the truck offers a menu of healthy options all summer long including sandwiches, salads, wraps, hummus, snacks and more. Learn more and view the daily menu.

GrowNYC Greenmarket Food Access Initiatives
Grand Army Plaza Greenmarket, Saturdays, Year Round, 8 am–4 pm
Bartel-Pritchard Square Greenmarket, Wednesdays, Year Round, 8 am–2 pm and Sundays, May 12–December 22, 9 am–2 pm

As part of GrowNYC’s mission to provide equitable access to fresh food, all GrowNYC Greenmarkets, including Brooklyn’s flagship Greenmarket at Grand Army Plaza and the Greenmarket at Bartel-Pritchard Square, offer a range of ways to purchase healthy, nutritious locally grown food. From Pipicha and Papalo to Green and Red Shiso to Copalchi and Callaloo, so many fresh ingredients can be found at Greenmarkets in Prospect Park. Whether you’re searching for flavors of home or trying out a new recipe, GrowNYC Greenmarkets in Prospect Park offer fresh ingredients to help you create dishes from cultures across the globe. 

Plus, the markets accept a range of nutrition benefit programs: 

• Summer EBT: Beginning in July 2024, New York State will launch Summer EBT (Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer), a new program that provides families with food benefits to help buy groceries during the summer when school children might not have access to school meals. Most eligible children will receive Summer EBT food benefits automatically; however, some families may need to apply. Learn more about eligibility and what Summer EBT means for your family.
• SNAP/EBT Benefits: All year long, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT), including Summer EBT, can be used to purchase any edible item at the market including fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, honey, jam, dairy, breads and baked goods. Visit the market information tent to swipe your EBT-SNAP card in exchange for wooden tokens that can be spent at the market.
• Health Bucks: Health Bucks are $2 coupons sponsored by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene that can be used to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables at all farmers markets throughout New York City. To help stretch SNAP benefits and encourage the purchase of healthy local food, anyone who spends $2 in SNAP benefits at the Greenmarket will receive a bonus $2 Health Buck, for up to $10 per day.
• Farmers Market Nutrition Program (FMNP): The New York State Farmers Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) helps provide fresh fruits and vegetables to women, infants, children and low-income older adults. FMNP distributes five $5 checks to eligible participants for the purchase of fresh fruits and vegetables at farmers markets from June through November.
• FreshConnect Coupons: FreshConnect Coupons are $2 coupons distributed at Division of Veterans’ Affairs offices to military veterans, and service members and their families. These coupons can be used at Greenmarkets to purchase any SNAP-eligible item.

 Learn about all Nutrition Benefit Programs accepted at GrowNYC markets.

Wonder how you can make the most of your benefits at Greenmarkets in Prospect Park? Speak with representatives on site at the GrowNYC information tent to help you find out the best option for you. Plus, stop by the GrowNYC information tent to pick up free recipes, view cooking demonstrations from guest chefs from local restaurants and speak with local community groups.

Learn more about health and wellness in Brooklyn’s Backyard.

The post Fuel Up! Free Lunch + Food Benefits in Prospect Park appeared first on Prospect Park Alliance.

Dead hedging is a technique that dates back to the early Bronze Age, and is a labor of love for the team and the dedicated volunteers that support restoration efforts throughout the park. Building dead hedges involves the careful stacking of naturally downed branches and newly removed invasive trees, which are then covered by newly removed invasive plants. Over time, the hedges slowly break down. As they compost in place, the hedges boost the health of our forest by enriching the soil with nutrients from the decomposing plants and branches, while reducing the Alliance’s carbon footprint and bolstering our work to sustain the environment.

“Dead hedging is a technique that we are implementing throughout our 350 acres of natural areas,” explains Mary Keehbauch, Deputy Director of Landscape Management. “When the Alliance thinks about woodland restoration and sustaining the park, we are doing so with a holistic approach. We are carefully considering how areas of the park meld together to create a healthy connected ecosystem for both wildlife and people to enjoy. What can we do today that not only restores these critical and varied ecosystems, but how we can implement more sustainable methods into our practices?”

Prospect Park Alliance volunteer with a freshly made dead hedge. c. Kendra Srebro, Prospect Park Alliance.

During the decomposition process, the dead hedges come alive with insects and other wildlife, providing much needed food and habitat for the countless species that live in our forested natural areas. Species ranging from microorganisms, insects, chipmunks, squirrels and birds all call these hedges home. The hedges also serve as natural barriers, encouraging park users to stay on paths and helping to prevent erosion on slopes, and this helps native plants to flourish and thrive. “Often, just with the act of removing invasive species, the dormant native seeds that have been waiting patiently to grow have the light and space they need,” shares Keehbauch on the successes of restoration. 

Restoration work doesn’t end at building the hedges alone. Once invasive plants are removed and built into the dead hedges, the Alliance undertakes the next step in boosting the longevity of our beloved forest: intentionally seeding and planting the cleared areas with climate-adapted native species. By planting species that will continue to thrive in the park ecosystem despite the effects of climate change, the team works to ensure that our green gem in the heart of Brooklyn will be enjoyed by Brooklynites for generations to come.

Small seedlings growing in the Sugar Bowl, a woodland area across from the Picnic House in Prospect Park. The Alliance focused invasive removal efforts here in Spring 2023 and the regrowth of native species is already prominent. 

Park-goers can also help support park’s natural areas by staying on designated paths, admiring park wildlife, flora and fauna from afar, and not disturbing the dead hedges as they work their decomposition magic. “When we think about ecology, we’re thinking about the connections among all living beings, from the tiniest microbes in the soil, to insects, birds and mammals (including humans) to the largest, oldest trees—and all of their relationships with their climate,” shares Prospect Park Alliance Landscape Manager Hannah Sassoon.

While the dead hedges are still in their early stages in the park as the lengthy process of decomposition is underway, the Alliance will continue to monitor and evaluate the success of this new tactic over time and continue to implement these hedges in strategic locations to help our park thrive.

Learn more about Prospect Park Alliance’s work sustaining our environment and how you can Be a Park Champion.

The post Alliance “Dead Hedges” in Prospect Park to Tackle Invasive Plants appeared first on Prospect Park Alliance.

In 2021, the Alliance launched the ReImagine Lefferts initiative, funded through a Humanities in Place grant from the Mellon Foundation. The initiative seeks to re-envision the mission and programming of the museum to focus on exploring the lives, resistance and resilience of the Indigenous people of Lenapehoking, whose unceded ancestral lands the park and house rests upon, and the Africans enslaved by the Lefferts family. By focusing on stories of resistance, resilience, empowerment and joy, while also recognizing the legacies of dispossession, enslavement and oppression, the Alliance seeks to create a safe space for engaging with our collective past as well as contemporary issues affecting our communities today.

Fawundu is a lifelong Brooklynite, photographer and visual artist whose work centers around themes of indigenization and ancestral memory, which earned her a 2024 Guggenheim Fellowship. “When the Alliance reached out it was so special because we were both on a specific trajectory. My whole existence is based in this neighborhood. The smell of the grass when it rains in the park means so much to me…I have such a history here. It felt very much like a 360 degree event to connect with the ReImagine team here in Prospect Park,” reflects Artist in Residence, Adama Delphine Fawundu on initial conversations with the Alliance.

For her commission, Fawundu created a large-scale, site-specific installation inspired by the research the Alliance conducted into the lives of Africans enslaved by the Lefferts family. To date, the Alliance has identified 25 people enslaved at the house between its 1783 construction and the 1827 abolition of slavery in New York. Fawundu created 25 fabric banners that transform the house’s Flatbush Avenue facade, honoring the heroism of these Africans enslaved by the Lefferts family. In addition, Fawundu’s 2020 video performance piece, In the Face of History Freedom Cape, filmed in part in Prospect Park and Lefferts Historic House, is on view.

“Art can be such a powerful tool for social justice, and for a dialogue about legacy, agency and creativity. When we have art in public spaces, we create meaningful opportunities for people to reflect on the beauty of the artwork in fellowship with other park users and with nature,” says Prospect Park Alliance President, Morgan Monaco. “Prospect Park Alliance welcomes the entire community to join us for the debut of our first Artist in Residence and the second season of our ReImagine Lefferts initiative, which has shifted our interpretation to tell these stories of resistance and resilience. It is my hope that visitors will see a version of themselves represented in this museum and feel seen, honored and welcome. The season is an especially significant one as we share Ancestral Whispers with our community, which celebrates the heroism of Africans enslaved by the Lefferts family, and leverages the power of art to heal deep-seated wounds from our nation’s past.”

Visit Ancestral Whispers at Lefferts Historic House June through September on Thursdays – Sundays at 12 pm to 5 pm or October through December 1 on Saturdays + Sundays at 12 pm to 4 pm.

The post Alliance Debuts Adama Delphine Fawundu’s ‘Ancestral Whispers’ appeared first on Prospect Park Alliance.

Run by New York-based sustainable hospitality group The Oberon Group (Rucola, June, Rhodora, Clara, and Anaïs), Purslane Cafe is a physical extension of Purslane, Oberon’s catering arm and New York’s first zero-waste, carbon-neutral catering company, which produces events at the Boathouse and Prospect Park Picnic House. Purslane Cafe will carry only sustainable, recyclable and compostable products.

“The Prospect Park Boathouse is one of the park’s most beloved and scenic destinations, and a historic landmark. The Alliance is dedicated to providing more food options in the park for the community, and Purslane Cafe will offer delicious, consciously sourced food and drinks for all to enjoy,” said Morgan Monaco, Prospect Park Alliance President.

“Brooklyn is The Oberon Group’s backyard and home to the majority of our restaurants, so we’re excited to be able to partner with Prospect Park Alliance and bring this new offering to such a historic part of the park,” said Henry Moynahan Rich, Managing Partner of The Oberon Group. “We’re thrilled to have this personal touch point between park visitors and Purslane, allowing people to interact with and learn about our mission to create a more sustainable food system.”

Featuring a menu of coffee drinks and healthy food options like sandwiches and pastries daily, Purslane Cafe will be open daily from 8 am-3 pm with outdoor seating, and will offer a variety of summer cocktails, wine and beer on select evenings. Visit @purslaneatheboathouse on Instagram for select evening hours. The cafe will also host live music and small pop-up events to bring further energy and excitement to the Boathouse terrace.

Purslane Cafe joins other food amenities that the Alliance has brought to the park in recent years, including Winner in the Park, King David Tacos, Lark by the Park, Smorgasburg and more.

Learn more about all food destinations in the park.

The post Prospect Park Alliance Brings Purslane Cafe to the Boathouse appeared first on Prospect Park Alliance.

Alliance Senior Forest Ecologist Howard Goldstein

Pollinators are insects and birds that transport pollen from one flower to another, which helps plants reproduce. “Without pollinators, we would lose a majority of the world’s plant species,” says Goldstein. Luckily, Prospect Park is teeming with all kinds of pollinators: bees, wasps, flies, beetles, butterflies, moths and more. Check out some of the many pollinator hotspots in Brooklyn’s Backyard.

Left, A Syrphid Fly (Syrphidae) on Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta), Right, Common Ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius) in Prospect Park.

Bartel Woods

The Bartel Woods, which stretches from the Bartel-Pritchard Square entrance to the Bandshell, was restored by the Alliance from a mostly barren landscape to a healthy forest with a range of native trees and shrubs, and a wildflower meadow. This combination of forest layers creates a rich habitat for pollinators that is teeming with blooms. 

It is through a labor of love and keen attention to detail that the Alliance keeps the park’s natural areas lush. The Alliance’s dedicated team of gardeners, arborists and ecologists seed and plant the park strategically to have a diversity of blooms in all seasons. “We want the park blooming from March through early December to make sure that our pollinators have access to the nectar and pollen they need to survive,” said Goldstein. 

In the early spring, flowering trees are among the most important food sources for pollinators. One species, the American Basswood (Tilia americana), which blooms in June, is even known as “the bee tree.” Later in the season, keep an eye out for herbaceous flowers like smooth blue asters (Symphyotrichum laeve) and goldenrods (Solidago), which tend to flower from late August through early October. Both are members of the Asteraceae, one of the single most important plant families for pollinators in the park.

Left, Native violets (Viola novae-angliae) in the Butterfly Meadow, Right, Wasp (Vespidae) on Canada goldenrod (Solidago canadensis) c. Ellie Watts, Prospect Park Alliance, Alliance Senior Forest Ecologist, Howard Goldstein

Butterfly Meadow

Another flourishing pollinator destination created by the Alliance is the Butterfly Meadow on Lookout Hill, the park’s highest point. Discover showy goldenrod (Solidago speciosa), early blooming goldenrod (Solidago juncea), Canada goldenrod (Solidago canadensis), smooth blue aster (Symphyotrichum laeve), native sunflowers (Helianthus divaricatus), purple joe-pye (Eutrochium purpureum) and more. Each attracts a range of pollinating insects. Beardtongue penstemon (Penstemon digitalis) is important for newly hatched bumblebees (Bombus) and frigid leafcutter bees (Megachile frigida). Milkweed (Asclepias) is the only plant that monarch butterfly caterpillars (Danaus plexippus) will eat, making it an essential destination. 

Native violets (Viola novae-angliae) are visited by early flying pollinators and host the eggs of several species of butterflies. The flowers found on giant yellow hyssop plants (Agastache nepetoides) are beloved by bees of all species, as are the native yellow sunflowers (Helianthus species) that flower in June and July, and Canada goldenrod (Solidago canadensis) in September. Each of these plants ensures a full seasonal menu for pollinators of all shapes and sizes, even those that are active late in the year.

Another pollinator perk of the Butterfly Meadow is that it’s an important stop for birds. Insects are one of the most crucial food sources for nearly all songbirds found in Brooklyn’s Backyard. It can take somewhere between a whopping 350-570 caterpillars per day to feed even a pair of tiny chickadee chicks (Poecile) as they grow into fledglings. This makes all of our park’s pollinator destinations incredible spots for sighting birds as they fuel up, especially during spring and fall migration when warblers are abundant and a spectacular sight.

A monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) and chrysalis.

Picnic House North Woods

The Picnic House North Woods, found on the western edge of the Long Meadow, just north of the Picnic House, is home to plants popular among pollinators like the shrub common ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius) and wildflower, Eutrochium purpureum, Joe Pye Weed. Common ninebark is particularly attractive to bees, especially to those of the genus Andrena, but also attracts butterflies and wasps.

Prospect Park Alliance’s Landscape Management team works year-round across the park to sustain the natural areas of Brooklyn’s Backyard, and to help create environments where pollinators—and in turn our larger park ecosystem—can thrive. By planting pollinator-friendly and climate-resistant species, applying innovative restoration techniques across the park, and much more, the team ensures that our 585 acres remain resilient and thriving. From radiant yellow goldenrods, cool blue asters and rich, royal violets to cunning bumblebees, magnificent butterflies and more, these beautiful blooms and pivotal pollinators thrive throughout Prospect Park. Learn more about the Alliance’s work sustaining our environment. 

The post Flutter into Pollinator Month in Prospect Park! appeared first on Prospect Park Alliance.

“As the Alliance’s first Black leader, I am honored to be ushering in this new interpretive plan and a new era of recognition and celebration of the stories and histories that have been ignored for centuries. Through this plan we seek to make the museum a place for healing and a forum for thoughtful dialogue and learning for our community,” said Morgan Monaco, Prospect Park Alliance President. 

“All of us at RAA are committed to creating public spaces that foster understanding and empathy. The Reimagine Lefferts initiative offers a unique chance to prioritize meaningful dialogue and reflection on essential but also evolving histories, in a set of special spaces designed to bring the city together in recognition of their significance,” said Nick Appelbaum, Ralph Appelbaum Associates President. 

In 2021, the Alliance launched the ReImagine Lefferts Initiative through a Humanities in Place grant from the Mellon Foundation. Through this initiative, the Alliance and RAA have developed an interpretive plan that will guide the Alliance in creating future exhibits and programming. The goal is to foster a safe and accessible space for engaging audiences with our collective past, as well as contemporary issues affecting descendant communities today. The plan is an ongoing and evolving roadmap for the museum, and was crafted from an intensive, year-long community engagement process that encompassed thousands of hours of conversation, insight, feedback and guidance from descendant communities, culture bearers, scholars, artists, civic leaders and museum professionals.

“The descendant guidance we’ve received is essential,” said Dylan Yeats, Prospect Park Alliance ReImagine Lefferts Project Manager. “One of the most important things we learned throughout the process is the importance of ongoing partnerships with individuals and organizations already stewarding this living history, and it really is the brilliance, creativity and vision of our community partners that make this initiative a success.”

The interpretive plan is centered on a series of outdoor exhibits that engage park visitors. Upon entrance to the grounds, there will be large-scale panels curated by representatives from nations across the Lenape diaspora and a Dikenga Cosmogram that honors the ancient  wisdom Africans brought with them to the Americas. The plan also features public art, healing gardens, a Freedom-Seeker wall, and spaces for live events and programs that do not shy away from the history of dispossession and enslavement, but  emphasize and celebrate the inspirational resilience of descendant communities today and the ways their cultures endure. As a first step in the new interpretation, the Alliance has launched its first artist-in-residence, Adama Delphine Fawundu’s Ancestral Whispers.

Elements of the interpretive plan will be developed over the next year, and the Alliance’s work to solicit guidance from descendant communities to inform the future of the Lefferts Historic House will continue through events and other engagements. 

View the plan and learn more about Prospect Park Alliance’s ReImagine Lefferts Initiative. 

The post Prospect Park Alliance Unveils ReImagine Lefferts Interpretive Plan appeared first on Prospect Park Alliance.

RSVP for Elevating Black Queer Ancestors.

Riah Kinsey pictured outside of Lefferts Historic House in Prospect Park c. Obed Obwoge

Riah started their journey into the history field through a passion for recovering the stories of marginalized people. While issues of race, gender and sexuality always formed the core of their scholarship, it was not until he began to consider their own identity that the focus of their work truly began to shift to center on Black queer lives.

Their interest in Black queer history was sparked in their university studies of historical archaeology. When tasked with searching through documents in preparation for an upcoming excavation, Kinsey encountered a will that forbade the sale or hire of an enslaved woman by her enslaver’s widow, which ensured her freedom upon the widow’s death.

“I realized that if there are historical documents that speak to the intimate lives and experiences of even the most marginalized inhabitants of the property we were excavating, then there could be documents that do the same for my own ancestors. And if there is this kind of documentation for my biological ancestors, then what about my spiritual ancestors: the Black, queer people who came before me?” Kinsey recalls.

“I quickly found that there is a necessity to think outside the box, both about where to look for information and about how to interpret findings. This need for creativity isn’t due to a comparative lack of information, or even a lack of quality information, but because the current frameworks for research and analysis were never designed to tell our stories.”

This desire to think creatively when tracing Black people’s lives through history, even when there are dead-ends in records, is exactly what interested Kinsey in the Alliance’s ReImagine Lefferts initiative, which seeks to explore the lives, resistance and resilience of the Indigenous people of Lenapehoking, whose unceded ancestral lands Prospect Park and Lefferts House rests upon, and the Africans enslaved by the Lefferts family. Kinsey is excited about instilling in others the range of careers, knowledge and meaning-making that are possible in the field of history, especially through events like Elevating Black Queer Ancestors. 

In preparation, Kinsey has pulled from a variety of uncommon archives in tracing key figures to highlight and honor. This includes Mary Jones, a Black, trans sex worker and pickpocket in antebellum New York. Mary is one of the first recorded gender non-conforming or transgender persons in America. Her life can be pieced together through newspapers, court records and contemporary tabloid literature, which documents countless arrests and incarcerations, many of which were a direct result of her refusal to present as a man. In one famous police interview, Mary was asked “How do you identify? Why do you dress like this? What is your background?” Kinsey explains that her answer was something along the lines of “I always dress like this amongst people of my own color,” which speaks to the experience of queer people of color finding community with each other at that time.

“The Man-Monster, Peter Sewally, alias Mary Jones &c&c. Sentenced 18th June 1836 to 5 years imprisonment at hard labor at Sing Sing for Grand Larceny. Published by H.R. Robinson.” Image courtesy The Smithsonian Institute. Despite its salacious title, the lithograph portrays Jones as an elegant Black woman.

Many believe that Mary’s life story ends with her infamous 1836 incarceration for pickpocketing. Kinsey however dug deeper to find she was arrested an additional 12 times, and often imprisoned further following these arrests. While extremely tragic for Mary, each arrest created some form of documentation that helps to fill in the gaps of her extraordinary life. 

These findings led Kinsey to ask the question, “Can we use the same methods of research as we did with Mary Jones to learn more about other queer Black people?” Utilizing free-to-use digital archives such as Internet Archive, HathiTrust, and Fulton History, Kinsey used their research experience with Jones to search keywords like effeminate, masculine, dressed in womens clothes, or masquerading as a man, and was amazed at how much there was to find. Through Elevating Queer Ancestors, he hopes to show that there is much, often buried, information to be sifted through to find the beginning threads of many Black queer ancestors’ stories in New York and throughout the world. 

“Whether it’s talking about Mary Jones or uplifting the untold stories of the indigenous Lenape people or the Africans enslaved here in Flatbush, all of the work within the ReImagine Lefferts initiative points back to the question of which stories have been historically neglected and why, and how can we tell them now?” shares Kinsey. “While the work done through the initiative uncovers the names of people enslaved by the Lefferts family, the fact of the matter is that the records were always there, they just needed someone to look for them and interpret them appropriately. The same is true of the as-yet-unknown Black queer residents of early New York.”

Kinsey and the team at ReImagine Lefferts understand that many make the detrimental assumption that records on the histories of Black life and especially Black queer life do not exist. “This is just blatantly untrue. Though many historical archives have been designed to hide or silence a person’s or a group of people’s existence, there are always ways to look deeper and to expand and contextualize stories–which is exactly what the ReImagine Lefferts Initiative aims to do,” reflects Kinsey.

“The dire importance of championing research and building access to marginalized histories is incredibly clear, especially now. When people can see themselves in history, especially young people, that can help expand their hopes and dreams of what is possible in the world,” explained Kinsey, on their goals to develop regular programming on genealogy and historical research. 

It is important to reflect on how far New York and our society have come in striving to secure equality, but also how marginalized people have always worked within our own communities to uplift and support each other, regardless of the oppressive forces at play. “Initiatives like ReImagine Lefferts do just this and more, encouraging us towards a better future for everyone – Black, trans and queer people included.”

RSVP for Elevating Black Queer Ancestors on Thursday, June 13, and learn more about Prospect Park Alliance’s ReImagine Lefferts Initiative.

The post Elevating Black Queer Ancestors: An Inside Look appeared first on Prospect Park Alliance.

The Public Theater: The Comedy of Errors
June 27 + 28, 6:30 – 8:00 pm
Prospect Park Peninsula, Free, RSVP

Join Prospect Park Alliance and The Public Theater for The Mobile Unit’s Bilingual Musical Adaptation of The Comedy of Errors in English and Spanish! The Comedy of Errors adaptation embraces contemporary music styles from Latin America in a tale of separation and reunion. Featuring live actor-musicians, this modern musical adaptation brings a vibrant energy to an age-old tale of two sets of twins separated by stormy seas as they overcome a baffling case of mistaken identity—and the mayhem and hilarious confusion that follows.

Concebida por la directora Rebecca Martínez y el compositor Julián Mesri, la adaptación de LA COMEDIA DE LOS ERRORES (THE COMEDY OF ERRORS) adopta estilos musicales contemporáneos de Latinoamérica en una historia de separación y reencuentro. Con actores y músicos en vivo, esta adaptación musical moderna aporta una energía vibrante a una historia antigua de dos pares de gemelos separados por mares tormentosos mientras superan un desconcertante caso de identidad equivocada, y el caos y la hilarante confusión que eso conlleva.

The Public Theater: The Comedy of Errors + Much Ado About Nothing Movie Screening
June 29, 5:30 – 7:00 pm The Comedy of Errors Performance
June 29, Approximately 8:30 – 10:45 pm Movie Screening: Much Ado About Nothing
Prospect Park Peninsula, Free, RSVP

Join Prospect Park Alliance and The Public Theater for The Mobile Unit’s Bilingual Musical Adaptation of The Comedy of Errors in English and Spanish at 4:30 pm and enjoy contemporary music styles from Latin America in a tale of separation and reunion. Plus, enjoy music, food trucks and lawn games followed by a free outdoor screening of a live recording of The Public’s Free Shakespeare in the Park production of Much Ado About Nothing once the sun starts to set.

The post The Public Theater in Prospect Park appeared first on Prospect Park Alliance.

Prospect Park’s 585 acres are home to Brooklyn’s last remaining upland forest and only Lake. Prospect Park Alliance sustains these scenic spaces for the benefit of our community and the flora and fauna that call it home. As we kick off the summer season, help support your park with every visit to Brooklyn’s Backyard.

Take our pledge and #BeAParkChampion today! 

5 Ways to Be a Champion:

1. Care for the park’s 30,000 trees, the lungs of Brooklyn: please do not hang hammocks or decorations, and avoid climbing or breaking branches.
2. Stay on designated paths to protect fragile wildlife habitats: ground nesting birds make their home on the forest floor. Keep pets leashed and on paths too!
3. Carry out all that you bring into the park: litter pollutes Brooklyn’s Backyard and harms the many wildlife who depend on our woodlands and waterways.
4. Volunteer in Prospect Park: take a hands-on approach to caring for the park by volunteering this summer!
5.  Enjoy our free Nature Programs: visit the Prospect Park Audubon Center to learn about park wildlife, from buzzing pollinators to our birds, turtles and so much more.

The post 5 Tips to Celebrate National Trails Day appeared first on Prospect Park Alliance.

Did you know that spending just 30 minutes in nature a day can decrease stress, lessen feelings of loneliness, lower blood pressure and promote wellbeing?

Whether admiring the trees from a park bench, enjoying a woodland stroll, yoga class or a high-intensity interval training session, there are countless ways that spending time in nature can help sustain your health.

If an Rx for Nature is just what the doctor ordered, join us for a range of health and wellness classes to make the most of your time in Prospect Park and be your healthiest self all summer long!

View our events below, and for more information visit prospectpark.org/wellness.

Prospect Park Yoga
Thursdays, May 30–August 29, 7–8 pm
Long Meadow North (Enter at Third Street or Grand Army Plaza)
Learn More + RSVP
Brooklyn’s most beloved outdoor yoga series is back in Prospect Park! Brooklyn Flow, Prospect Park Alliance and NewYork-Presbyterian present free, outdoor yoga on the Long Meadow. Brooklyn’s finest yoga teachers from different studios around the park lead free, outdoor group yoga classes in a low-pressure, beautiful environment. Join hundreds of Brooklynites each week to celebrate yoga and wellness in our treasured Prospect Park. Bring your own mat or towel, a bottle of water and friends. All levels are welcome. Please sign the waiver prior to your first class.

Free Fitness Walks in Prospect Park for Adults Ages 60+
Tuesdays, June 4–June 25, 10–11 am
Locations Vary
Learn More + RSVP
Join Prospect Park Alliance and Heights + Hills for free fitness group walks in Prospect Park for adults ages 60 and over. Explore the park while discussing the importance of exercise and movement, particularly for people experiencing arthritis. Participants will receive guidance on developing their own personal walking and exercise programs. Walks will be on the park’s paved walkways at a slow to moderate pace.

AMP’d Interval Training with Chelsea Piers Fitness 
Tuesdays, June 11–July 30, 6–7 pm
Prospect Park Long Meadow (enter at Third Street or Grand Army Plaza)
Learn More + RSVP
Join Chelsea Piers Fitness and Prospect Park Alliance to hit the grass and push your body to new limits in this high-intensity interval training class that combines bodyweight strength and cardio on the Prospect Park Long Meadow. You will move through a range of movements from running and jumping to lunges and crunches to keep you motivated and energized. All levels are welcome.

Energy Healing and Meditation Workshop
Mondays, June 10, 17, 24, July 15, 22 and Tuesday, July 23, 8:30–9 am
10th Avenue Lawn
Learn More + RSVP
Join Tell Every Amazing Lady® and Prospect Park Alliance for a free 30-minute guided meditation moderated by Jane Weedon MSPT, MFA, of Integrated Physical Therapy and Healing Arts, to help you relax and focus on your wellness before kicking off your day!

Prospect Park Wellness Walks 
Fridays through June 28, 10 am–12 pm
Prospect Park Audubon Center
Learn More + RSVP
Join Prospect Park Alliance at the Prospect Park Audubon Center for an uplifting and energizing morning walk along the scenic trails of the Lullwater, Peninsula, Midwood and park waterfalls.

Prospect Park Stroller Walks 
Thursdays through June 27, 10 am–12 pm
Prospect Park Audubon Center
Learn More + RSVP
Calling all parents and caregivers with children! Join Prospect Park Alliance naturalists for a leisurely stroll along Prospect Park’s waterways. Embrace the sound of streams and songs of birds; enjoy fragrant flowers and explore the towering trees of Brooklyn’s Backyard.

The post Free Health + Wellness Events in Brooklyn’s Backyard appeared first on Prospect Park Alliance.