During a frigid January, a collaboration invites locals to come together and enjoy an affordable outing.
By Malak Kassem
A magical scene unfolds every Thursday night in Brooklyn this January. Underneath the Brooklyn Bridge and directly across a glittering Manhattan skyline, dozens of people gather at Roebling Rink at Brooklyn Bridge Park from 7 p.m. through 9 p.m.to skate and listen to live performers.
Brooklyn Bridge Park and Sofar Sounds collaborated to put on pop-up concerts that feature rising New York-based artists.
“We [at Brooklyn Bridge Park] always think of ourselves as a local park and a park for New York City,” said Rachel Karpf, the chief programming officer. “[It] is also a park where people visiting New York City come to, [and] we always want to be offering things for all of them.”
She is particularly proud that the rink is low-cost. A skating ticket goes for $16. Attending the pop-up concerts throughout January is free.
It [the collaboration] brought in some new people,” explained Roebling Rink’s general manager Scott Cudmore. He believes that all tickets have been sold out for the past three Thursdays. “We have had several walk-ins, people are outside enjoying their stroll and they hear the music and they decide to go upstairs and also enjoy it.”
Sofar Music’s New York City curator, Lexie Lieberthal explained that the company operates in more than 400 global cities to put on live performances in local areas.
“We are in small businesses and residential areas,” said Lieberthal. “Sometimes we have partnerships and brand collaborations–and this was one of them.”
“It’s a way to bring music back into these kinds of spaces where we all gather and make community,” Lieberthal explained.
All Sofar Music artists apply to get into the company’s system. Curators then select the right artist for each individual gig.
On Jan 22., Caroline Sky and Brandon Volel each played 20-minute sets for the intimate and energetic Brooklyn crowd.
“Getting performer [s] like the ones tonight make it a really magical evening,” said Karpf. “That is what we are all about.”
As attendees cheered on performances while putting on their skates, some say they didn’t even know who would be performing, but decided to show up anyway.
Brooklyn residents Rebecca Lumbantobing and her skating partner, Chris Clark had originally planned to skate at Prospect Park, but they got off work too late to catch their hours. Clark explained that he knew there would be music, “I didn’t know who it was but I thought it would be nice to have the view of the city while skating.”
“I think it makes the experience more special and it’s great to support local artists and have that be the backdrop of the experience,” said Rebecca Lumbantobing, a Brooklyn resident.
The next and final event will be held on Jan 29. Roebling Rink closes on Feb 1.
