45th Annual Third Avenue Festival Brings the Fun to Bay Ridge

The 45th Annual Third Avenue Festival, held on Sunday, Oct. 14 on the thoroughfare from 69th to 94th Streets, was a resounding success, with a huge crowd that enjoyed good weather, rides, games, vendors, food and live music.

“It was the biggest crowd we had in years,” said Festival organizer Chip Cafiero. “Everyone had a great time because there was so much to do. During the day, everything went smoothly. I could see the vendors were doing good business. The merchants should’ve done well too. There was so much entertainment and so much to do. People were saying to me, ‘Wow this is some party.’ I walked the whole thing and there was one thing going on after another, a lot of excitement.”

The day’s fun lasted well into evening. “There was still partying going on until after midnight as the bars were very crowded,” Cafiero said. “There was so much entertainment between the dance schools and over 20 bands that performed. There was plenty of music all over the place. Overall it was a success.”

Although it was mostly cloudy, the weather cooperated, helping turnout.

“Weather is the key to any outdoor event,” Cafiero explained. “For about 10 minutes, the sun broke through. That kind of weather is good for a festival because you’re not hot, people eat more and you don’t get as tired as you would on a hot day.”

The annual event, held the day after Ragamuffin, has great meaning for the Bay Ridge area.

“It’s a key in keeping Bay Ridge strong,” Cafiero said. “It brings out the community and brings new people into the community who get to see what it’s like. And they saw all that was going on. It was a success.”