Harvest Homecoming - Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Brooklyn Botanic Garden Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Harvest Homecoming

Harvest Homecoming

Festivals

Sunday, October 20, 2019 | 11 a.m.–5 p.m.
Ticketed Event

Last admission at 4:30 p.m.

A Celebration of All Things Autumnal

Harvest Homecoming

Discover an old-school fall foliage festival in the heart of Brooklyn—complete with hay rides, carnival games, music, and more! Local cider makers and kombucha brewers offer tastings, a farmers’ market features heritage apples from local orchards, and kids can debut their Halloween costumes in a high-energy drum parade.

Tickets required for all! Members enter free with ticket.

Buy TicketsGet Member TicketsBecome a Member

How to Have a Great Festival: Tips & Rules

Admission

Adults
$30
Students 12+ with ID
$25
Seniors (65 and over)
$25
Children under 12; BBG Members
Free (with ticket)

All festival attendees must present ticket for entrance. Children under 14 must be accompanied by an adult. There are no reciprocal admissions or group discounts on festival days. Tickets are nonrefundable. All events held rain or shine.

Festival days are the Garden’s busiest. Be prepared.

  1. New for 2019: A ticket is required for every entry. Purchase or reserve advance tickets. Members can reserve free tickets online. Partners, including Corporate and Academic members, Cool Culture participants, Urban Advantage participants, and BASE teachers and students must present program ID at box office for free tickets.
  2. Check your tickets. Printed tickets help the lines move quickly; mobile tickets are fine too. You may enter the festival at either 990 Washington Avenue or 455 Flatbush Avenue.
  3. Find your lane. Each entrance has separate lanes for individuals with member tickets, with paid tickets, or who need to purchase tickets/redeem partner admission. Members requiring assistance and individuals wishing to join the Garden and enter for free should find the Membership tent neat the member's lane.
  4. Bring your ID. Students and Seniors must verify eligibility for discounted tickets. Members with free tickets must also show their BBG member card to enter. Corporate and Academic members, Cool Culture participants, and BASE teachers and students must present program ID at the box office. You must be 21 or over to buy alcohol. Only alcohol purchased at Yellow Magnolia concessions may be consumed on premises.
  5. Travel light. All bags and packages will be searched by Security. Be prepared to wait in line for bag check.
  6. Take public transportation. Parking nearby is very limited and gridlock is likely. Avoid the Eastern Parkway station, which is under construction. Travel directions
  7. No outside food or beverages. Exceptions are bottled water, baby bottles, and pocket snacks for individuals with dietary restrictions. A substantial menu of food and drink will be available at stations throughout the Garden.
  8. Leave the wheels at home. Scooters and bikes are not permitted in the Garden, and bike racks located at each entrance fill up early. Due to festival crowds, avoid bringing a stroller.
  9. No pets. Service dogs must be under control per ADA guidelines.
  10. Drones, tripods, and commercial photography are not allowed. Photos for personal use and social sharing are encouraged! See policy at bbg.org/photography.
  11. Help protect our plant collections. During the festival, some areas of the Garden are closed. Please do not pick flowers, climb trees, or walk in the planted beds. Folding chairs are not permitted.
For all ticketing questions, contact ShowClix Customer Care.

Cider Garden

Fun for Adults! | 11 a.m.–5 p.m.

Sip your way through the Cider Garden, curated in partnership with Brooklyn Cider House and filled with cider and kombucha makers serving samples, selling their wares, and sharing the knowledge of their craft. Stop by for a taste and stay for the story of cider.

Cider makers include:

  • Breezy Hill Orchard
  • Brooklyn Cider House
  • Eden Cider
  • Indian Ladder
  • Juice Box Wine & Spirits
  • Naked Flock Hard Cider
  • New York Cider Company
  • Wayside Cider

Kombucha makers include:

  • BKE Kombucha
  • Kombucha Wonderland

Music All Day!

Groove to sounds from around the block and around the world, all day long at the Cider Daze Stage.

  • Four men pose outdoors with a stand up bass and other instruments.

    Strung Out String Band

    11 a.m.

    A Brooklyn-based acoustic ensemble dedicated to old-time Southern music

    Official Webpage

  • A young man plays an acoustic guitar in a barn.

    Denver Milord from Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!

    11:30 a.m.

    Start your day with “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’” and “The Surrey with the Fringe on Top.” Harvest Homecoming ticket holders will also receive a discount code to purchase tickets to this Broadway hit!

    Official Webpage

  • A moody photo of three women under an urban bridge.

    Jan Bell and the Maybelles

    11:45 a.m.

    The Brooklyn Americana Music Festival founder and multi-award-winning songwriter offers up a harmony-driven, Appalachian-influenced repertoire.

    Official Webpage

  • An arty, sepia-tone image of 5 musicians in autumn leaves among gravestones.

    Macabre Americana

    1 p.m.

    A New York City–based folk-fusion collective whose music sheds light on the dark side of the American dream, past and present

    Official Webpage

  • Some smiling musicians with an asoto drum at a casual picnic.

    Fanmi Asòtò

    2:15 p.m.

    These Haitian drumming sensations pay homage to the asòtò drum as the musical pillar around which community gathers and people from all backgrounds can find joy.

    Official Webpage

  • A wide-angle, arty image of 7 musicians posing.

    M Shanghai String Band

    3:30 p.m.

    With an adventurous take on Americana, the “M” emphasize distinctive songwriting, unbridled joy, raucous energy, and the immediacy of classic American roots music.

    Official Webpage

  • A group of women march with large drums.

    Fogo Azul NYC

    In the Afternoon

    Dance along with the beats of this massive New York City–based all-women Brazilian samba reggae drum line.

    Official Webpage

Harvest Happenings!

11 a.m.–5 p.m.

Family Fairground

A classic fall festival for the entire family takes over the Garden! Enjoy lawn games and carnival activities like cornhole, milk-the-cow, balloon busters, and a giant jack-o’-lantern bounce house. Or challenge yourself with brussels sprout bowling, creating giant Lego gardens, and hands-on spinning and weaving demonstrations from Brooklyn’s Textile Arts Center.

On horse-drawn hayrides offered throughout the day, learn about the Garden’s fruit-bearing collections from horticultural staff. Starts at the Herb Garden. Please note: All games and hayrides are on a first come, first served basis.

As the day winds up, join samba reggae drumming sensations Fogo Azul NYC and stilt-walking wonders Mortal Beasts & Deities for the annual children’s Halloween costume parade! Starts at Magnolia Plaza at 4:30 p.m.

Agricultural Arena

Local growers and the community gardeners of GreenThumb show off the fruits of their harvest.

Haitian Harvest

Haitian artist Mahalia Stines, joined by dancer Linda François and master drummer Youry Vixamer, leads a spirited talk and performance centered on the Vodou lwa of agriculture, Kouzen Zaka. 1 p.m. in the Fragrance Garden. Presented in partnership with Haiti Cultural Exchange.

Celebrate Sukkot

Rabbi Yehuda Benchemhoun shares the history and traditions of this Jewish harvest celebration. 3 p.m. in the Fragrance Garden.

Seasonal Harvest Tours

Brooklyn Botanic Garden guides lead a tour of all that is lovely in October. Tours at 1 & 3 p.m. Meet at Magnolia Plaza by the building steps.

Show larger version of Kids Watch a Concert An audience of young children, some wearing Halloween costumes, are enraptured by a performance.
Kids watch a music performance. Photo by Julie Markes.

Fun for Kids! in the Children’s Garden

Take a turn at pressing your own cider with a traditional cider press, apples provided! Place your bet on sack races around the Children’s Garden, while grooving to the sounds of the Strung Out String Band. Guided tours of the field and garden house will be offered every hour on the half hour.

Pep-up-a-Pumpkin! in the Discovery Garden

Decorate your own pumpkin to take home with you.

Family Science Day in the Steinhardt Conservatory

This annual event kicks off the year for Urban Advantage, a citywide partnership supporting effective science instruction in middle schools. Drop in and join UA students and teachers for hands-on exploration of plant parts, adaptations, and dissections. 1–4 p.m.

Partners

Haiti Cultural Exchange Brooklyn Cider House NYC Parks GreenThumb Rodgers & Hammerstein's Oklahoma! Urban Advantage Science Initiative

Tickets required for all! Members enter free with ticket.

Buy TicketsGet Member TicketsBecome a Member

All festival attendees must present ticket for entrance. Children under 14 must be accompanied by an adult. There are no reciprocal admissions or group discounts on festival days. Tickets are nonrefundable. All events held rain or shine.