The newest hipster party can be found at Floyd Bennett Field

By Meredith Deliso

Hipsters, this summer’s Woodstock awaits — and it’s only a bus ride away in Brooklyn.

Starting this month, Floyd Bennett Field will be home to Jelly NYC’s next big outdoor summer concert series.

Called Rock Beach, the party promoter abandons its usual Williamsburg stomping grounds, where it hosted concerts at McCarren Park (the so-called Pool Parties), the Williamsburg Waterfront and, last summer, a gravel lot on Wythe Avenue, for the wilds of MIll Basin the Jamaica Bay-bordered national park.

“After five years of Pool Parties in Williamsburg, we are very excited to be moving out to the Aviator Sports Complex near one of our favorite summer destinations,” said the organizers in a statement announcing the series. “We are looking forward to leaving Bedford Avenue behind and offering an ultimate weekend destination and adventure for all ages.”

To help those clueless as to where Floyd Bennett Field is, there will be a bus leaving from Williamsburg to bring you to and from the concerts. At $20, it’s a steal, considering what a car service would cost you.

The concerts kick off on Saturday, with performances from indie acts Penguin Prison, Wild Yaks, Janka Nabay and The Bubu Gang, and Monogold. And the series wouldn’t be in the spirit of those initial Pool Parties without some slip ’n’ slide and dodgeball.

For some more outdoor fun, organizers promise beach volleyball, swimming pools filled with ice cold water, and giant inflatables.

Beyond the kick-off, the series continues for five more Saturdays this summer — July 24, Aug. 7 and 20, and Sept. 3 and 10. The last three weekends also feature camping, timed to coincide with the park’s  campsite explosion that will make Floyd Bennett Field the nation’s largest urban campground — so you can have your own summer of love, so to speak.

Rock Beach at Floyd Bennett Field [3159 Flatbush Ave. off the Belt Parkway in Marine Park, (718) 758-7500], starting July 9 from 2 to 8 pm. Free. RSVP required. For info, visit www.rockbeachus.us.

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Sparta! American Gladiators-esque race to invade Brooklyn

By Roxanna Asgarian

This race is epic.

On Aug. 15, spears will be wielded and mud will fly when the Spartan Race invades Floyd Bennett Field.

The extreme contest — think “American Gladiator” meets Navy SEAL training — draws 1,500 competitors to test their mettle in an hour-long race comprised of such obstacles as a mud pit, fire jump and barbwire crawl (ouch!).

“Leave your comfort zones at home,” said race Director Brian Duncanson. “This is an extreme sporting event [but one] about the fun — getting dirty, getting down in the mud, something exciting and new.”

The 5K run is based upon the type of fitness training Spartan warriors underwent in ancient Greece, and, in a nod to that, would-be warriors from around the tri-state area will break out their Spartan armor and red tunics as they attempt such trials as the spear throw, balance beam obstacle course and wall climb, all intended to physically — and mentally — test the runners.

“Some people find the typical 5K a little boring,” said Spartan Race spokesman Doug Drotman. “This race adds a little action and strategy to what would normally be a traditional run in the park.”

Joe Chick, a Fort Greene-based marathon runner, decided to celebrate his birthday out at Floyd Bennett Field by channeling his inner Spartan and running the race with 35 of his closest friends.

“It’s something different, it’s not just going out to dinner or a happy hour,” said Chick, who had shirts emblazoned with a baby chick leaning on a Spartan war helmet and the words “I’m doing this for a chick” (a play on his last name) made for the race.

“My friends come from varied backgrounds. Some are just looking to finish the race, while others, like me, hope to do really well.”

For those not brave enough to enter the race, there will be live entertainment, BBQ and games all day at the park. You can even get your face painted and a set of spray-on abs so you can cheer on the warriors in true ancient Greek style.

The Aug. 15 spectacle is the third in an international series, with races also held in Montreal, Houston, and Manchester, England, among other cities. The ultimate Spartan warrior with the fastest race time from each city will be awarded an “authentic” Spartan spear, as well as a spot in the intimidatingly named Death Race, a 36-hour ultra endurance test held annually in Vermont.

The words of Homer may also serve as a motivating force: “I too shall lie in the dust when I am dead, but now let me win noble renown.”

That Homer, he really could write.

Spartan Race at Floyd Bennett Field [Flatbush Avenue and Aviation Road in Marine Park, (718) 758-7556], Aug. 15 from 8 am-6 pm. Entrance fee is $70, free to watch. For info, visit www.spartanrace.com.

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Rad trad!

Irish music isn’t just fiddles and jigs in 2/4 time. The scene is actually much more diverse, with influences of hip-hop, reggae and jazz finding their way into many modern bands.

For a taste of that diversity, you can’t do any better than Aviator’s Irish Music Festival on June 26 and 27, when 10 bands will bring Irish music, both traditional and contemporary, to Floyd Bennett Field.

Headlining both nights is Black 47. Now in its 20th year on the road, this Manhattan-based band has become the face for American Irish rock music — a poor man’s U2. Not that that’s a bad thing. The band has gained fans for their Celtic leanings, with music that borrows from Irish instrumental tradition and adds in reggae, hip-hop and jazz influences — a true child of the city.

Chris Byrne helped found Black 47, but eventually focussed on his own Irish music project — Seanchai and the Unity Squad. If you’ve been to Rocky Sullivan’s in Red Hook on a Saturday night, you’ve most likely seen them play their eclectic mix of hip-hop, reggae rock and trad. Catch them on the big stage outdoors on June 27.

For a mix of contemporary and traditional music, there’s also Boston’s Erin Og on June 26, mixing fiddle, tin whistle and acoustic guitar with powerful vocal harmonies.

The festival will also feature more traditional Irish acts, chief among them Girsha (pictured) on June 27. The young women are the spawn and pupils of another all-female trad act — Cherish the Ladies — so you know they’ve got the goods.

Irish Music Festival at Aviator Sports in Floyd Bennett Field [3159 Flatbush Ave. off the Belt Parkway in Marine Park, (718) 758-7556], June 26, 2-11 pm; June 27, 2-10 pm. Tickets are $20 ($30 for the weekend). For info, visit www.aviatorsports.com.

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Your 'Gateway' to Native American culture

Finally, someone has put the wow in pow wow.

And that means a half-naked man in a loincloth juggling a two-headed torch.

“It’s pretty dangerous — a way of showing the prowess and fearlessness of a warrior and his agility,” said Cliff Mathias, director of the Redhawk Arts Council, which will sponsor the Samoan “Fire Knife” dance as part of its three-day “Gateway to Nations” Native American festival, starting on June 4.

The all-weekend event brings together more than 1,000 Native American artists, performers and educators, demonstrating the finest in Native American song, dance, drumming, food and art.

Spectacles don’t all feature fire, but they’re all exciting, including the Men’s Fancy War, where men spin furiously with a circle of eagle feathers on their backs; the Hoop Dance, performers use small hoops to create shapes of animals while they dance to traditional drumming; and singing groups from northern Canada.

The visual element of the festival is another draw, said Mathias, thanks to the colorful regalia of the performers — from giant feather headpieces to buckskin dresses.

“It’s a modern take on our old styles,” said Mathias. “We still dance and sing the same, but we do use a lot of bright colors, which I think a lot of people are surprised by when they come to the pow wow.”

Indeed, the majority of the attendees are not of Native American descent (especially since Brooklyn’s American Indian population comprises half a percent of the borough’s population), but merely show up to experience the culture and authentic Native American cuisine, including buffalo burgers, venison stew, corn soup and fry bread.

This year, the festival, which typically has a strong emphasis on Native American culture of New York state, will be branching out to encompass indigenous people from outside the U.S., including a performance by a Polynesian dance troupe.

“Gateway to Nations” at the Gateway National Recreation Area Floyd Bennett Field [50 Aviation Rd. off Flatbush Avenue in Marine Park, (718) 258-0324], Friday, June 4, 10-5 pm; Saturday, June 5 and Sunday, June 6, 11 am-7 pm. Tickets are $12 for adults, $7 for seniors and children (6 and under free). For info, visit www.redhawkcouncil.org.

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