Photos: BayFest 2012 Draws 134,000 Visitors!

BayFest 2012 turned into the biggest BayFest ever, drawing as many as 134,000 people to Emmons Avenue for a day to celebrate the waterfront, organizers said.

Here’s the exuberant press release from Bay Improvement Group:

It was packed the first three to three and half hours BEFORE Jay & The Americans even came in to warm up. They didn’t start until almost 4:30pm!

Over 134,000 came to the BayFest2012 which also included the All Community Arts show combined covering over ten blocks. Biggest community event in Sheepshead Bay history!.

We hope people will come together to appreciate our great unique waterfront truly special place Sheepshead Bay. Thousands of people took the time to stop by personally and to our terrific BIG Volunteers to say, how fantastic, great, wonderful, fun, beyond their expectations, super day on the Bay, BIGBayFest surely was BIG this time, one person said, and having the Boro President come down to recognize this only all vendor free successful event was really an honor to us all as a community. One family came up to me and said, “this is the best thing I have ever seen with all the music and activities without being crammed in like all those other typical vendor street fairs. What a nice idea to support the community and local businesses.” To that I say, Amen. Maybe some of those restaurants will now get involved, we can only hope. Monica Bajrktarevic the Asst Director Amity School said, to BIG Ex Dir Laura McKenna, I felt so proud of our community that everyone came out to support this great event.

Our Councilman Lew Fidler, Assembly members Cymbrowitz & Weinstien, DA Hynes all sending us wishes on BayFest day coming by to enjoy the huge one of a kind waterfront party. Expanded crafts in the park with scribble,com and A2ZPartyplanning.com, from the Brooklyn Nets mobile Unit, Sandy the Seagull from the Brooklyn Cyclones, NY Aquarium, The Brooklyn Children’s Museum, Brooklyn Public Library, Amity School, all our great sponsors, from KINGS Auto Group WITH THE NEW electric Nissan Leaf, Con Ed, National Grid, IL Fornetto, Investors Bank, Knapp Street Deli,Comfort Inn, Astoria Bank and support for the volunteers by Knapp Street Deli and Jimmy’s Heros.

The United States Merchant Marine Academy Drill team, color guard and Rampart trumpets with the FDNY on land and sea really had people moved and inspired. Plus at least one or more bands at everyone of the ten piers besides Jay & The Americans by the Sheryll Princess and then our main stage line up.

We started with a huge crowd like never before. This is before we even started the first band! The chairs were put out about one minute earlier.

Then> Stout, Sonny Boy from Brooklyn, Sound Drive right from our local Sheepshead Bay area! Aviator Gymnastics, surprise local pop sensation Jenna Rose with over 25 million you tube hits and she is only 13 years old!! Aviator Gymnastics team & Dimensions in Dance(32 years dance school training young people) and the get up dance and party Bag Pipin Rockers- the Shots with the Bergen County Firefighters rocked the Bay through the 6pm end of the day and we had over 15 raffle drawings at end the day from many local businesses including four of the local boat owners with fishing trips and dinner cruise too! The power of BayFest from Stella Maris, feeding the volunteers both Knapp St Deli & Jimmy’s Famous Heros!

We had over 100 performers. As an all volunteer non profit event to celebrate our waterfront main street community and keeping with a touch of our heritage and history BayFest2012 was by an overwhelming margin the biggest community event in Sheepshead Bay history and the largest vendor free street event in NYC! We say, “Hello Sheepshead Bay!” And we are just beginning, so get involved ! Thank you all!

See you on May 19th 2013..Please see our web site for all info> www.BayBigBayFest.org !

Great work, Bay Improvement Group. See you next year!

Below you can check out more photos from the event, provided by Bay Improvement Group and our readers Vladimir Korostyshevskiy, nolastname and Bina K.