Join us at this year’s Van Alen Block Party — a day of food, music, and dancing in the streets! We all need joyful, welcoming public spaces that truly serve our communities. The Van Alen Block Party showcases the creative energy of Gowanus and celebrates the power of bringing people together.

Performance Schedule: 12:15 pm — Batalá New York 1:00 pm — Son de Brooklyn 2:00 pm — KONANTÜ 2:30 pm — Ballet Folklórico Mexicano de Nueva York 2:45 pm — DJ Scribe 3:45 pm — Ballet Folklórico Mexicano de Nueva York 4:00 pm — The Gowanus Wildcats Drill Team 6:30–8 pm — DJ Niara Sterling

Van Alen Institute is a nonprofit organization that helps create equitable cities through inclusive design. In an equitable city, communities are engaged in the conception and creation of their built environment, regardless of income or personal circumstances. Community-driven decision-making builds resilience, social infrastructure, and ultimately, more just cities.

For 128 years, our purposeful community engagement, convening capacity, and global network have produced profound transformations in the public realm of New York City and beyond. With an interdisciplinary approach to design, the Van Alen team has backgrounds in architecture, arts and culture, civic advocacy, community engagement, preservation, and public policy.