Music fans rejoiced at the return of the JellyNYC Pool Parties to Williamsburg, the popular summer concert series that has been a neighborhood staple for the past four years.
This year, the concerts shifted to East River State Park, on the edge of Kent Avenue and North 9th Street, though, oddly, several revelers still referred to the scene as the McCarren Pool Concerts.Perhaps old habits die hard.
Dodgeball games, basketball, and $6 beers returned to the venue, but there was no slip ‘n slide.Instead, music fans spread blankets out on patches of green space surrounding the concrete strip where the stage rested, as crowds pushed their way to the front to catch a glimpse of F—ed Up and Mission of Burma.
“Even though the stage is smaller, it’s a more nature oriented space,” said Open Space Alliance’s Julia Morrow, who helped organize the event. “I think having it here instead of the pool opens it up to a wider variety of age groups.”
Sarah Hooper of JellyNYC, who helped book the bands for the Pool Concert lineup, said she was happy that legislators and state parks officials worked together to open the park for the concert series but did not expect the site to be a permanent location for the concerts.
“I hope in the future we will have a park in Williamsburg for the concerts,” said Hooper.“I do think there will be a new city park that will accommodate us.”
For more information,go to http://thepoolparties.com.
– Aaron Short
