Along with a place to pay your respects, Green-Wood Cemetery is also a place to, well, party: the gorgeous Brooklyn graveyard (500 25th Street at Fifth Avenue) is known for hosting all manner of musical performances, spirit tastings, twilight tours, spooky storytelling sessions and other after-hours festivities throughout the year, and come May, they’re adding a new fête to the growing list of programming: MoonFest.
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Kicking off the month on Friday, May 1 from 6pm to 11pm, MoonFest is Green-Wood’s first-ever after-hours celebration of, duh, the moon, that celestial being that controls the ocean tides, our biological rhythms, our moods and a whole host of mystical properties.
Underneath the light of the full Flower Moon — a symbol of spring bloom and warm-weather abundance — the nightfall event draws inspiration “from the Cemetery’s permanent resident, John Draper, who made history in 1840 by capturing one of the earliest photographs of the moon, proving we could bridge the 238,000-mile gap between the Earth and our celestial neighbor,” per organizers.
Creatives, scientists, historians and devoted stargazers from the Amateur Astronomers Association will guide you through tours, talks, and activities all inspired by Draper and his findings, “exploring the moon’s profound influence on our world, from the rhythm of the tides and time to mythology and the future of space travel.” A complete schedule of tours, lectures, and activities is to come; keep an eye on the Green-Wood Cemetery website for more details.
MoonFest is free and open to the public, though early registration is recommended. All activities are first-come, first-served and prior registration doesn’t guarantee you a spot among your fellow full-moon revelers, so be sure to arrive early!