Party like it’s 1865 at A Night at Niblo’s Garden, with a Victorian circus and a vaudeville show including fire eaters and contortionists, in Brooklyn.
The popular old-fashioned extravaganza returns for two nights at Green-Wood Cemetery, celebrating “permanent resident” William Niblo (1789–1878).
The outdoor performances will have the 19th-century flair of Niblo’s historic theater.
It was one of NYC’s largest and most elebaroate theaters, with sparkling lanterns, fountains and an open-air restaurant and bar that featured the top musicians, dancers and entertainers of the time. It was in what we now call Soho, on Broadway, between Prince and Crosby.
Back to the present:
A Night at Niblo’s Garden is Friday and Saturday, July 13 and 14, 7pm to 9pm.
Green-Wood’s park-like grounds transform into a 19th-century pleasure garden and theater at the site of Niblo’s grand mausoleum, with entertainment curated by Bindlestiff Family Circus, a vaudeville and performing arts powerhouse.
Begin the evening with a picnic (bring your own) around beautiful Crescent Water pond.
Pre-show events include stepping step back in time with author, historian and Niblo expert Ben Feldman.
After the show, Niblo’s mausoleum will be open for candlelit exploring.
Be sure to allow time to tour of Green-Wood, to visit some of its famous residents. They include composer Leonard Bernstein, stained glass genius Louis Comfort Tiffany, and Charles Ebbetts, who owned the beloved Brooklyn Dodgers, who played in Ebbetts Field. There’s also a section where hundreds of Civil War soldiers are buried.
WHERE: – Meet inside the main gate, 25th Street at 5th Avenue, Brooklyn
COST: $40 To find out more information or to make online reservations, call 718-210-3080. Reservations are recommended.
Niblo’s Backstory:
William Niblo often visited his Green-Wood mausoleum before he moved there permanently.
Niblo’s Garden featured acrobats, vaudeville, dramas, musical concerts, and operas and was the premier destination of its time for entertainment in New York City.
Niblo’s was the site of America’s first piece of musical theater.
The fashionable theater-garden, located in Manhattan on Broadway between Prince and Crosby in what is now fashionable Soho, seated 3,200 persons. It was demolished in 1895.
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