The Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival (NYCWFF) descended on Brooklyn over the course of Oct. 17 to 20. The festival’s major events — Pier Parties and Grand Tasting & Culinary Demos — were hosted on the 450,000 square foot Brooklyn Army Terminal’s Invesco QQQ Festival Campus on the waterfront of Sunset Park. This marks the first year of the festival’s primary relocation from Manhattan to Brooklyn. 

“We’re incredibly excited to expand our footprint to Brooklyn and offer our most attended events at one culinary campus. We are pleased to offer the same Festival our guests know and love at a new location,” Festival Founder and Director Lee Brian Schrager said in a release. “We look forward to welcoming more Brooklyn chefs and partners to this year’s events and further providing them with a platform to showcase their impeccable talent.”

The Brooklyn vibe was particularly present at Thursday’s opening Pier Party. “Brooklyn Beats & Eats” was kicked-off by co-hosts and renowned local culinary figures: Esther Choi, chef and owner of Korean eatery mökbar in Park Slope; Bill Durney, the pitmaster and owner of Red Hook’s Hometown BBQ and Red Hook Tavern; Sean Feeney, co-owner of Williamsburg destinations for Italian, Misi and Lilia; Mark Iacono, pizzaiolo and owner of iconic Lucali pizza in Carroll Gardens; and Michael Solomonov, chef and co-owner of Laser Wolf, an Israeli hotspot in Williamsburg.

The event, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., spanned the length of Pier 4, flanked by moored tourist boats one side and the active NYC Ferry service bringing passengers to and from the terminal as the Manhattan skyline sparkled in distance.