Green-Wood Springs Into A New Season Of Public Programs

Spring has sprung, and The Green-Wood Cemetery kicks off another exciting year of programming-from engaging history tours to hands-on environmental activations and the much-loved Concerts in the Catacombs. Much more than a cemetery, Green-Wood is transforming its sprawling green space into a distinctive setting for a wide-range of fascinating, one-of-a-kind events, concerts, tours, and so much more!

"The trees are flowering across our 478 acres, and that can mean only one thing: the programming season has begun! This spring and summer are filled with opportunities for visitors both new and old to discover all that Green-Wood has to offer," says Harry Weil, vice president of education and public programs at Green-Wood. "Throughout the months ahead, visitors can take part in family-friendly activities, experience performances, take trolley tours, discover death education, and enjoy nature in the heart of Brooklyn."

Green-Wood offers experiences for everyone, no matter your age or interests, including a range of free and low-cost options. All programs can be found on Green-Wood's website at green-wood.com/calendar. Green-Wood members also enjoy discounts year-round.

On tap this season are all-new performing arts experiences. The returning popular series, Concerts in the Catacombs, curated by Gelsey Bell, will feature Susie Ibarra on May 3rd and 4th, and the Daxophone Consort on June 21st and 22nd. Movement-based, interdisciplinary artist Eiko Otake will present With the Dead on May 6th and May 7th, and the internationally acclaimed Limón Dance Company will present an immersive experience with Exploring the Underworld.

All season long, visitors can explore the Cemetery through guided tours: hop aboard the trolley to Discover Green-Wood, take an early morning nature walk with Birding in Peace, explore the grounds under the cover of night with Green-Wood After Hours, and visit the Cemetery's most fascinating permanent residents with Green-Wood's Greatest Hits. Other thematic tours also are offered throughout the season.

For those with an avid curiosity, Green-Wood's death education programs explore themes of death and dying across experiences and cultures. Through its "A Day in the Life" series, attendees hear firsthand from death care professionals. At A Day in the Life of a Gravedigger (Tuesday, May 23rd), a Green-Wood gravedigger, crematory operator, and operations manager will each share about their daily routines, and at A Day in the Life of a Post-Mortem Restorative Specialist (Saturday, July 29th), attendees will explore another facet of the funerary world with embalmer, funeral director, and professional educator, Amanda King.

April is overflowing with opportunities to engage, including:

• Green-Wood at 185: (Tuesday, April 18th, virtual) On the 185th anniversary of the Cemetery's founding, Green-Wood Historian Jeff Richman will lead a lively virtual discussion about how, despite its humble beginnings and bleak financial prospects, Green-Wood rose to become the final resting place for New Yorkers and one of New York City's most beloved cultural institutions.

• City Nature Challenge: Family Fun with Genspace: (Sunday, April 30th) Join Green-Wood, Genspace educators, and expert naturalist guides for an adventurous morning of family activities that help us better understand our environment. Participants may also collect data on birds, insects, fungi, and plants at Green-Wood for the City Nature Challenge.

• Secrets in Stone: (Sundays, April 30th and May 21st) The Victorians loved a good secret-and they took a lot of them to the grave! Visitors encounter inverted torches, hourglasses with wings, and empty beds etched in centuries-old monuments. This eye-opening walking tour will showcase these curious depictions and let attendees in on the meaning of these eternal, though often cryptic, symbols.

On the horizon from May through August, programs and events include:

• Gay Green-Wood Trolley Tour: (Saturday, May 6th) Green-Wood celebrates illuminating LGBTQ+ permanent residents who have made a lasting impact on American history and culture. Along the way, attendees will visit the graves of "It's Raining Men" co-writer, Paul Jabara; sculptor of the Angel of the Waters sculpture atop Central Park's Bethesda Fountain, Emma Stebbins; and activists and founders of the Hetrick Martin Institute, Drs. Emery Hetrick and Damien Martin, among others.

• Naming the Lost Memorials Activation Ceremony: (Thursday, May 11th) Join Naming the Lost Memorials, a team of artists, activists, and folklorists that have been curating memorial sites to name and remember victims of the COVID-19 pandemic, for a ceremony featuring performances and prayers in the Historic Chapel. After the activation ceremony, the Memorial will be displayed along Green-Wood's fence near the Main Entrance.

• Exploring the Underworld: The Limón Dance Company: (Thursday, May 18th) The internationally acclaimed Limón Dance Company presents an immersive and unforgettable experience, featuring a repertoire reflecting themes of death, remembrance, and the celebration of life in this first-ever performance at the Cemetery.

• Memorial Day Concert: (Monday, May 29th) Green-Wood's annual Memorial Day Concert returns for its 23rd year. Bring a picnic, sit back, and enjoy the music by composers who are interred at Green-Wood, including James Weldon Johnson, Fred Ebb, and Leonard Bernstein. This year's repertoire-performed by high-school musicians of the ISO Symphonic Band at Third Street, led by music director Paul Corn and hosted by guest conductor Brian P. Worsdale-also includes works by a diverse range of contemporary composers.

• The Moth Mainstage: (Wednesday, June 14th) The much-beloved (and always sold out!) Moth Mainstages returns to Green-Wood featuring five tellers. Celebrate the ability of stories to honor both the diversity and commonality of human experience, and to satisfy a vital human need for connection.

• Juneteenth Family Day: (Saturday, June 17th) Celebrate this important holiday marking the end of slavery by delving deep in Black history at Green-Wood! This free event will include family-friendly tours and art activities inspired by the Black lives that are forever memorialized at Green-Wood.

• A Night at Niblo's Garden: (Thursday and Friday, July 13th and 14th) A Victorian extravaganza like none other! Set around beautiful Crescent Water this evening features a dazzling array of nineteenth-century showmanship under the starry summer skies. Bring a blanket and a picnic!

• The Battle of Brooklyn and The Meaning of Freedom: (Sunday, August 27th) The largest battle of the Revolutionary War-fought in August 1776-included a significant engagement on Green-Wood's Battle Hill. Attendees at this family-friendly event can take a tour through the "First Oval Office Project," a replica of George Washington's marquee tent used between 1778 and 1783; Pick up a flag from one of the many militias and regiments that fought in the battle and march to Battle Hill, enjoy fun activities with the Center for Brooklyn History and other partnering institutions, and then see the battle through 21st-century eyes with anew augmented reality app.

These are just a few highlights. For Green-Wood's full roster of public programs, visit green-wood.com/calendar.

Attending an event is just one way to support Green-Wood this season. On Thursday, June 8th, Green-Wood will present the annual Gala for Green-Wood, truly one of the most magical experiences in all of New York City. After the gates close to the public, attendees will enjoy a festive cocktail hour, a delicious, locally sourced dinner, dessert, music, and merriment. This year, Green-Wood presents acclaimed director Spike Lee with Green-Wood's DeWitt Clinton Award for Excellence, in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the arts and to Brooklyn.

Green-Wood is accessible by public transport, conveniently located one block from the 25th Street R Train station in Brooklyn. On-site parking is available for most daytime programs.