A “first-of-its-kind” Brooklyn-centric music festival is coming to Kings County this summer.
Planet Brooklyn, a two-day, multi-venue experience, will debut in Downtown Brooklyn on Aug. 23 and 24. Hosted by BSE Global — the parent company of the Barclays Center, New York Liberty and the Brooklyn Nets — the festival aims to uplift the borough’s diverse culture and arts through music.
“People love live experiences, it’s what makes culture, culture, especially in Brooklyn” said DeJuan Wilson, chief products and experiences officer at BSE Global. “Building assets and a lot of experiences is important to our growth and giving people more ways to access the culture of Brooklyn.”
Planet Brooklyn’s lineup is “under wraps” for a few more weeks, Wilson said. But he’s looking forward to the “diversity of performers, from not just a cultural standpoint, but from a genre standpoint.”
“This is not about it being a hip-hop festival or a rock festival,” he said. “This is really about getting to the cultures that really make Brooklyn unique and special that differentiate it … I just think the mix of artists and performances you’re going to see … you’ve never seen a lineup like it before.”
Performances will be hosted at three different venues: Barclays Center, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and the Brooklyn Paramount. All are iconic in their own right, Wilson said. Barclays is home to the borough’s two basketball teams, BAM is one of the oldest performing arts centers in the country, and the Brooklyn Paramount is a “historic” — and recently-restored — part of the borough’s history.
In an effort to make Planet Brooklyn more accessible, each performance will be ticketed separately, Wilson said, so festivalgoers don’t have to buy one pricey, all-in pass that includes shows they don’t want to attend.
But the festival will have a huge free component, too — a two-day block party on the streets surrounding the venues, inspired by Brooklyn’s beloved local block parties and street fairs.
“We wanted to bring that cultural element and that unique element of Brooklyn to life in a more large-scale way,” Wilson said. “People tend to turn almost any moment into a party, especially in the summertime.”
The block party will feature hundreds of local food vendors and merchants — Planet Brooklyn is still taking applications from businesses interested in participating — as well as small stages where emerging local musicians will perform for free.
“I love the fact that we do have a mix of free and ticketed offerings for people, since this is about accessibility,” Wilson said. “Making sure everyone has a way into it.”
Planet Brooklyn will break the typical festival mold, Wilson said. Attendees can enjoy Brooklyn’s beautiful, historic local theaters, then head outdoors to connect with each other and the community.
The festival lineup is set to be announced in the next few weeks, and tickets go on sale online next month.
“This is about giving Brooklynites and people who love Brooklyn, whether they’re locals or visitors, a way to access and be engaged in Brooklyn culture through music and food and marketplaces and performances,” Wilson said. “It’s just going to be an exciting two-day experience.”
