A Cultural Experience: Smorgasburg NYC
New York City is full of exciting things to do and see, and there are also plenty of different festivals for residents and visitors to enjoy. The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve are some festivals that New York is known for. But some may not know that the city holds an annual open-air food market that is the largest in the country.
Smorgasburg, also known as the “Woodstock of Eating,” is a food festival designed after the Brooklyn flea market. The festival offers a wide range of cuisines and occurs annually in New York City, Los Angeles, Miami, and Toronto. It attracts over 2 million visitors. In New York, the festival takes place at the Oculus at the World Trade Center, from April 5-7, 2024, and runs through October. The festival is also being held at Marsha P. Johnson State Park in Williamsburg, Brooklyn and at Prospect Park in Breeze Hill, Brooklyn.
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History of smorgasburg
In 2011, Brooklyn-based entrepreneur Jonathan Butler and journalist Eric Demby founded Smorgasburg, basing it off the vintage Brooklyn flea market. The idea was to showcase the vivid and unique food scene in Brooklyn through a weekly food market. It would also give local food businesses the opportunity to sell their goods.
The festival started out in Williamsburg with only 20 vendors. Eventually, the festival grew in popularity and expanded to other New York City locations and outside of New York. Each week, the festival draws in thousands of visitors. Over 100 food vendors are featured, and they vary across locations and dates.
Smorgasburg is committed to supporting local businesses, locally grown produce, and sustainable products. Most of the represented vendors use local ingredients and are environmentally friendly.
The festival is dedicated to helping small businesses grow and expand. Some have even made it to Shark Tank—a show that allows business-owners to present their products in front of five successful billionaires that have significant influence in the market. The festival allows visitors to experience the cultural diversity of Brooklyn through food while also supporting local and small businesses.
about the founders
Jonathan Butler is a Princeton University and NYU graduate who is a board member of the Center for an Urban Future. His wife, two children and him live in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn. In 2012, Butler bought the previously Studebaker Service Station in Crown Heights and converted it into a space that now houses a permanent food court consisting of Smorgasburg vendors.
Butler’s co-founder, Eric Demby, curates the vendors and oversees daily operations. He’s currently on the board for the Blue Marble Dreams project, which helps with the creation of women-owned ice cream parlors in Haiti and Rwanda. He’s also a board member on the Culinary Council of Food Bank for New York City.
Both founders of Smorgasburg are involved in amazing work, so it’s no surprise that they came up with an idea that would give many Brooklyn businesses opportunities to grow and sell their products. The festival helps many businesses each year.
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current vendors
Vendors are still being determined for 2024 Smorgasburg, but the website already has multiple vendors listed for all three New York City locations. The vendors range from bakeries offering various sweet treats to vendors with barbecue, classic American, and even Mexican cuisines. The list is already extensive and represents a wide range of cultures.
There’s a wide selection of Asian vendors, such as Mao’s Bao—a Chinese restaurant selling different flavors of stuffed buns or “bao” —Mochidoki—a Japanese vendor selling mochi ice cream—and Noodle Lane, which serves Sichuan and Cantonese cuisine. A trip to Smorgasburg is a cultural experience like no other. There’s a Filipino burger vendor called Kalye, vegan vendors such as Black Rican Vegan and Major League Vegan, and Sicilian eats such as The Little Sicilian food truck. Whatever type of cuisine you enjoy, you’re bound to find it at this festival!
The list of vendors is expected to grow for each location. The festival is currently accepting new vendors with a form to apply on their website. Even with all the options listed online, there’s still more to come!
tips for visitors
Smorgasburg is a huge festival, so it attracts quite an audience each week. If you’re planning to visit, you’ll want to arrive as early as possible! Vendor lines can get long, but they’re worth the wait! The festival also offers the perfect opportunity for picnics, since there’s a lot of room on the grass to spread out. If this is something you’re interested in, make sure to bring a picnic blanket!
If you want to bring your pet, attend the Sunday Market at Prospect Park. Pets are not allowed at the Saturday market. And if you’re planning to try a lot of vendors, it’s best to go with a group of people so you can share food from different vendors.
Make sure to bring cash to the festival, since most vendors accept cash only. You’ll also want to bring a water bottle. Although the festival sells water bottles, they’re in plastic, so if you want to save the environment, bring your own. There are multiple refilling stations for water bottles throughout the festival. Lastly, you’ll want to bring sunscreen because all the vendors are outside and offer minimal shade.
conclusion
The Smorgasburg festival is a cultural experience that gives visitors the opportunity to learn about and indulge in Brooklyn’s extensive and culturally diverse cuisine. From burgers to ramen and tacos to pizza, this festival has food that everyone can enjoy. If you’re visiting the city between April-October, you’ll want to check out this unique festival!
