Winter Solstice Parade Set to Fill Flatbush Avenue With Old-Time Tunes and Dance

Brooklyn is gearing up for another lively Winter Solstice celebration as Porch Stomp, Make Music New York and the North Flatbush Avenue Business Improvement District bring Flatfoot Flatbush back to the neighborhood for its twelfth year in 2025. The event, known as the borough’s first flatfooting parade, mixes old-time music, community spirit and Appalachian percussive dance to kick off the holiday season.

The afternoon starts at 1:00pm at Flatbush Avenue and Carlton with a warm-up and quick flatfooting workshop led by Megan Downes of City Stompers. From there, dancers, fiddlers and pickers head up Flatbush Avenue toward Dean Street before looping back toward Sixth Avenue, stopping at local businesses along the way to spread festive cheer.

This year’s lineup includes performances by Brooklyn Contra, City Stompers and Ring o'Bells Morris with Half Moon Sword, who will present northern English sword dancing and the traditional Abbots Bromley Horn Dance. The parade wraps at 3:00pm at the Sixth Avenue Triangle, where the celebration continues with participatory contra and square dances. St. Marks Avenue will be closed between Flatbush and Sixth to make room for more music and movement.

The party doesn’t end there. At 3:30pm, Burrito Bar on Flatbush hosts an indoor after-party featuring more live music, an open jam led by the Flatfoot Flatbush Band and the North Flatbush Avenue BID’s annual merchant holiday gathering.

Flatfoot Flatbush is produced by the North Flatbush Avenue BID in partnership with Porch Stomp. The Flatfoot Flatbush house band features Christian Apuzzo, Jaden Gladstone, Sam Dallas and Jefferson Hamer.

Schedule
1:00pm – Warm-up with Megan Downes at Flatbush and Carlton
1:15pm – Parade kickoff
1:15–3:00pm – Parade through the North Flatbush Avenue district with stops at local businesses
3:00pm – Performances and group dances at the Sixth Avenue Triangle
3:30pm – After-party and open jam at Burrito Bar

How to Join
String players, including guitar, mandolin, fiddle and banjo, are invited to join the Flatfoot Flatbush String Band by emailing [email protected] by Dec. 18 to receive music and instructions. Dancers and supporters can simply show up and join the route.

Flatfoot Flatbush is free, open to everyone and powered largely by volunteers. The event is part of Make Music Winter, produced by Make Music New York, which also organizes the citywide, outdoor summer solstice music celebration each June.