Free pastry potluck fills a car-free Driggs Avenue block on Oct. 24

Greenpoint’s Driggs Avenue will close to cars on Saturday, Oct. 24, for The Longest Pastry Table, a free potluck built around bread and baked goods. It runs from noon to 2 p.m.

Guests will sit along the edge of McCarren Park, on the block from Lorimer Street to North 12th Street. Pastry Runners organized the gathering together with three partners: North Brooklyn Open Streets, The Longest Table and the North Brooklyn Parks Alliance.

Who can join the Greenpoint pastry potluck

With the NYC Marathon coming up, organizers are calling on runners and running clubs citywide to pull up a seat. A training plan isn’t required, though. Neighbors, bread fans and anyone else are welcome.

Getting in has one condition: every guest brings a carb for the table. That can be bread or bagels, cookies or pastries, or something baked at home. Since no bakery lineup has been announced, the spread comes down to what people carry in. RSVP on the Pastry Runners website.

Where the Longest Table idea came from

The Longest Table began in Chelsea in 2022 with a single neighborhood potluck meant to bring strangers together over food. This year, organizers say, the five boroughs will host 44 Longest Table events. Elsewhere in the country there are more than 150, and more keep appearing outside the United States.

The Greenpoint edition also draws on North Brooklyn Open Streets, which since 2020 has turned streets over to people for strolling, play and community events. Organizers are studying ways to make Driggs Avenue, which cuts through McCarren Park, a more active part of neighborhood life.