WEST BROOKLYN — Atlantic Antic Festival returns for its 49th year on Sunday, Sept. 29, spanning 1.5 miles through Boerum Hill, Cobble Hill, Downtown Brooklyn and Brooklyn Heights. The festival, hosted and organized by the Atlantic Avenue Local Development Corporation (AALDC), will run from 12 to 6 p.m., rain or shine. 

The festival features 50 Atlantic Ave. merchants and over 300 vendors, with offerings ranging from global cuisine to fashion and crafts. Atlantic Antic aims to gather the community for a day of tradition, free entertainment and food. 

The AALDC is a nonprofit organization that aims to support economic development, historic preservation and cultural enrichment in the neighborhoods along Atlantic Ave. The AALDC started the Atlantic Antic Festival in 1974 to enrich the Atlantic Ave. Business Industrial District (BID) and raise funds to continue furthering its vision for the community. Now a major autumn festival, Atlantic Antic supports hundreds of businesses along the avenue while connecting the community. 

“Atlantic Avenue has great restaurants, wonderful food offerings at Sahadi’s, Damascus Bakery, Key Food and Trader Joe,” Howard Kolins, acting executive director of AALDC, told the Brooklyn Eagle during last year’s festival. “You will find clothing, animal care, a pet bakery (one of a kind!), baked goods, barbers, hair salons, spas and great clothing designers. Do you know we have almost 100 women-owned businesses? Truly we have it all. Atlantic Avenue is new to Brooklyn but still with a small-town vibe where the store owner will greet you by name.”

The 12th annual Atlantic Avenue Ambassador Award will be presented to the Arab-American Family Support Center (AAFSC) in recognition of their diligent work throughout the neighborhood and surrounding communities on the Community Stage near 3rd Avenue. The AAFSC is a non-profit, non-sectarian organization established in 1994 to provide culturally and linguistically competent, trauma-informed, multigenerational social services to immigrants and refugees. 

This year, Prospect Schools, Mommy Poppins and Brooklyn Bridge Parents Playtopia will present family-friendly entertainment between Hicks St. and Henry St. for ages 0 to 12. The free programming includes sports, games, crafts, bubbles, balloons and more. Local school nearby will also present kid-friendly programming, and on Boerum Pl., between Atlantic Ave. and State St., a Kids Zone will present bouncy houses, face painting and the Silly Jazz Band. 

Bindlestiff Family Cirkus, sponsored by Alloy LLC, will provide carnivalesque entertainment such as jugglers, acrobats, clowns and magic acts. The Brooklyn Nets basketball court will be open for passersby to shoot hoops.

The Community Stage will host live performances such as an R&B local musicians, children’s dance performances, drummers and rock bands. The Middle Eastern Stage on Clinton St. will present local Middle Eastern musicians and belly dancers. Meanwhile, on the corner of Nevins St., Kids Rock for Kids will gather rising teen bands from across the country. 

Major sponsors of the event include Maimonides, NYU Langone Health, Weill Cornell Medicine, TF Cornerstone, MetroPlus Health and Crunch, which will each offer unique experiences at the festival. 

For more information, visit Atlantic Avenue’s website or follow Atlantic Antic on Facebook, X or Instagram.