Smorgasburg is an open-air food

market Market is a term used to describe concepts such as: *Market (economics), system in which parties engage in transactions according to supply and demand *Market economy *Marketplace, a physical marketplace or public market *Marketing, the act of sat ...

that originated in

Williamsburg, Brooklyn Williamsburg is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, bordered by Greenpoint to the north; Bedford–Stuyvesant to the south; Bushwick and East Williamsburg to the east; and the East River to the west. It was an independe ...

next to the

East River The East River is a saltwater Estuary, tidal estuary or strait in New York City. The waterway, which is not a river despite its name, connects Upper New York Bay on its south end to Long Island Sound on its north end. It separates Long Island, ...

. It takes place every Saturday in an empty lot. The name Smorgasburg is a

portmanteau In linguistics, a blend—also known as a blend word, lexical blend, or portmanteau—is a word formed by combining the meanings, and parts of the sounds, of two or more words together.

of "

Smörgåsbord Smorgasbord or Smörgåsbord (, ) is a buffet-style meal of Swedish origin. It is served with various hot and mainly cold dishes. It assumed its present form in the 19th century, following old traditions. Smörgåsbord became known in the US ...

" and "Williamsburg." Dozens of vendors sell their food and wares.

Format and history

It initially was started in 2011, by Jonathan Butler and Eric Demby as an offshoot of

Brooklyn Flea Brooklyn Flea is a company based in Brooklyn, New York. Founded in 2008 by Jonathan Butler, creator of Brownstoner Magazine, and Eric Demby, the former communications director for Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, Brooklyn Flea runs s ...

. Originally, some businesses were not able to set up at Brooklyn Flea due to limited space, so the founders created a food-centered version of the original market. They chose Brooklyn due to location and affordability of space. The food tends to be small-batch and innovative foods. Smorgasburg grew quickly in popularity and some vendors were able to upgrade to

brick-and-mortar Brick and mortar (or B&M) is an organization or business with a physical presence in a building or other structure. The term ''brick-and-mortar business'' is often used to refer to a company that possesses or leases retail shops, factory produc ...

locations. There is wide variety of food from over 100 vendors. It has since expanded to other locations, which are subject to change. Currently, it is open in Williamsburg on Saturdays and

Prospect Park Prospect Park may refer to: Businesses * Prospect Park (production company), entertainment production company *Prospect Park Productions NZ, theatre company based in Dunedin, New Zealand Places New Zealand * Prospect Park, New Zealand, a portion ...

on Sundays from April through October in both locations. It has also expanded to

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

in 2016. It takes place every Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Alameda Produce Market. This was also a way to revive a part of Los Angeles that was dead for many years, which is now referred to as The Row. At the Los Angeles location they feature over forty vendors and bring in around 8,000 people every Sunday.

References

External links

Official website
{{coord, 40.721110, -73.962567, display=title Festivals in New York City Food and drink festivals in the United States Brooklyn Food markets in the United States