On a bright blue late October afternoon, we strolled over to the nascent WNYC Transmitter Park at the end of Greenpoint Avenue past West Street by the waterfront for the celebration of Greenpoint Oktoberfest.
Real work on the park won't start until next spring with a completion date of 2011. Meanwhile, the ground is mostly dirt, and the entrance was a little muddy from yesterday's big rains.
Greenpoint Oktoberfest drew big crowds and Transmitter Park fit them in quite comfortably.
Lots of people lined up for food and drink.
The weather was great and everyone seemed in a cheerful mood.
Sunday's our only day off this semester so we were grateful for the event.
There were a number of friendly vendors selling delicious stuff.
These spreads were particularly scrumptious on bread.
There were a lot of kids there, and this root beer garden was for them.
What would a root beer garden be without pumpkins?
It was a clear day and pleasant to sit out and eat and drink and look towards Manhattan.
Here's the park sign, which contains numerous typos.
We can only imagine how nice it will be in about 18 months when it will be a real park.
A soccer game was in progress at the north end of the park by the water.
The art installation by Greenpoint's own Weston Woolley was thought-provoking as well as decorative.
It's called "Billboards."
And it's eco-friendly.
According to Wikitravel,
The first Oktoberfest took place on the 12 October 1810, to celebrate the marriage of Prince Ludwig of Bavaria and Princess Therese of Sachsen-Hildburghausen. All citizens of Munich were invited to a meadow (Wies'n) situated in front of the city tower, subsequently renamed the Theresienwiese in honor of the bride.
In the early years of the fair, horse races were held, then as the event grew, included agricultural conventions, which still take place every third year. In 1896, businessmen working with the breweries in Munich built the first giant beer tents at Oktoberfest, and drinking has been the primary focus since.
There was drinking at this non-Munich Oktoberfest, too.
The skyline looks great from the park, but that's basically true of the entire Williamsburg and Greenpoint waterfront.
Methods NYC had a nice selection of tees.
This is from the official press release for the event:
In the tradition of taking what you love and transforming it into something new and special, MeanRed, FreeNYC and the L Magazine get together to bring you an Oktoberfest celebration Greenpoint this afternoon.
The day is littered with music, food, crafts, spectacle and, of course, beer, on the Brooklyn waterfront. Featuring music by Michna, Cowboy Mark and DJ Synapse... food from Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream, Hallo Berlin and Robicelli's Cupcakes... and even root "bier" floats, pumpkin decorating and face painting for the kiddies.
On the brew front (to get to the important things), there will be seasonal and Oktoberfest offerings from Long Island's Blue Point Brewery, Brooklyn's Sixpoint and Brooklyn Breweries, and upstate's Ithica Beer Company. It's rain or shine and free entry all day. All Ages!
We had a great time, along with many others, at Greenpoint Oktoberfest. We'll leave you with Stan Chow's original design for the poster, which had last Sunday's date and not a little kid in sight.
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