WILLIAMSBURG — The ever-popular Brooklyn Flea and Smorgasburg kick off their second outdoor season on Kent Avenue this weekend.
Smorgasburg, with 90 local food vendors, starts Saturday at 11 am with offerings including Porchetta, People's Pops, Choncho's Tacos, and Blue Marble Ice Cream. And in Brooklyn Flea, artisans will pack the 40,000 square-foot space Sunday selling jewelry, paintings, poetry, and T-shirts.
"We routinely have about 4,000 to 5,000 people a day coming to the market," said Brooklyn Flea co-founder Jonathan Butler, who also co-runs a comparably-sized flea market in Fort Greene. "People from all over the world come, it's probably one of the biggest attractions in Brooklyn."
At this year's Smorgasburg, beer and wine will also be available—but not until late May or June, pending liquor license approval. Retailers will include Brooklyn Brewery, Kelso, and Sixpoint beers; Brooklyn Winery wines; and Breuckelen Distilling Co., Kings County Distillery, and New York Distilling Company spirits.
This year's vendors will also use all recyclable serving items and will donate extra food to the Greenpoint Reformed Church's food pantry.
Butler said the Williamsburg location, which Douglaston Development offered them to use last year until the company begins building apartments there, is the ideal place for Brooklyn Flea.
"It was a no-brainer," he said of the offer to use the space. "The views are unrivaled. It's a pretty iconic spot with a view of Manhattan."
He said he is unsure how long the market will be held there, nor where it will go next.
"It's part of our business, taking advantage of temporarily unused spaces," he said.
Brooklyn Flea will run 10 am-5 pm Sundays, and Smorgasburg will be open 11 am-6 pm Sundays.
