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Gowanus Performance Space Littlefield Moving and Opening New Outdoor Bar

 Littlefield, the entertainment venue known best for hosting the word-play tournament Punderdome 3000, is moving around the corner to 635 Sackett Street and opening a new bar and restaurant at 636 Degraw St.
Littlefield, the entertainment venue known best for hosting the word-play tournament Punderdome 3000, is moving around the corner to 635 Sackett Street and opening a new bar and restaurant at 636 Degraw St.
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Punderdome 3000

GOWANUS — Popular entertainment venue Littlefield is relocating nearby and its owners are opening a new bar and restaurant that will have its own — dare we call it? — "little field."

Littlefield will move around the corner from its current location to 635 Sackett St. next month and the owners plan to open Parklife — a bar and restaurant with 4,000 square feet of outdoor space — at 636 Degraw St. in June, co-owner Julie Kim told DNAinfo New York.

Since opening in 2009 at 622 Degraw St., between Third and Fourth avenues, Littlefield has developed a reputation as a go-to spot for comedy (Wyatt Cenac hosts a weekly show there), music and "nerd events" such as Punderdome 3000, the on-stage word-play tournament.

The new Littlefield will maintain the same roster of entertainers and "vibe" as the current one, Kim said. Like the Degraw St. space, the new venue will exhibit local artists and feature two large murals. The space will have an upgraded sound and lighting system, including more LED lights, which are in keeping with Littlefield's eco-friendly mission, Kim said.

Parklife will be on the same lot as the new Littlefield, but its entrance will open onto Degraw Street. The new Littlefield will occupy a former printing warehouse on Sackett St. and Parklife will occupy the large dirt lot behind it. The outdoor space was previously used as a parking lot. Management's plan is to add trees and seating to turn it into a park-like oasis, Kim said.

"We're adding something that will be nice for the community," Kim said of the new bar and restaurant.

The Prospect Heights restaurant El Atoradero will provide the food at Parklife, she added.

Littlefield launched a Kickstarter campaign Tuesday to raise money to cover the cost of moving to the new space. Kim and co-owner Scott Koshnoodi had a 10-year lease on its 622 Degraw St. spot, but the landlord chose not to renew it, she said.

As Gowanus has become more of a nightlife destination, the neighborhood's roomy warehouse buildings have offered businesses the opportunity to combine eating, drinking and entertainment amenities.

Threes Brewing, for example, turned a former industrial space on Douglass Street into a combination micro-brewery, bar and event space, complete with an outdoor eating and drinking area. Down the block, the owners of Red Hook's The Good Fork turned a former warehouse into a Korean barbecue restaurant and karaoke lounge.

The city is considering a rezoning in Gowanus and advocates for industrial businesses are closely watching the process in hopes that the city will preserve manufacturing companies and jobs in the neighborhood.

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