Smith Street Fair: An Annual Celebration Of Local Flavor

Tents and food trucks lined eight blocks stretching from Carroll to Bergen for the Smith Street Fair on Sunday, June 25. The warm weather drew large crowds out to the street lined with vendors and food, even with the competing NYC Pride Parade taking place concurrently in Manhattan.

The fair, now in its 23rd year, was curated by the South Brooklyn Local Development Corporation, a non-profit community advocacy group run for more than thirty years by local luminary Bette Stoltz, who passed away in late 2015.

The fair was vibrant, with live music from multiple bands and the aromas of all manner of grilled, fried, broiled and baked goods filling the air. From lobster rolls and crab cakes to barbeque, attendees had a myriad of options for food, including street dining provided by a number of Smith Street’s brick and mortar restaurants.

Vendors sold shirts, dresses and jewelry, as well as all kinds of local art and crafts. Booths filled with paintings were perused by stroller-pushing couples, while other shoppers sniffed handcrafted soaps or admired vibrant displays of spices.

Local politicians were in attendance, campaigning with handshakes and flyers in the throng of passers-by, and local advocacy groups, for everything from Gowanus improvements to autism awareness, set up booths and engaged with attendees to educate about their causes.

With the bright sun, good tunes, and plenty of beer, wine and sangria flowing, there was plenty of dancing on Smith Street—as the afternoon turned toward evening, friends gathered, and the community came out together in a celebration of not only city life, but local flavor.