Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Coney Events: Nights Of Horror At Coney Island's New Luna Park

The new Luna Park amusement park in Coney Island gets into the Halloween Horror fascination with their "Nights of Horror" with a mix of fun and thrills of amusement park rides and live Halloween haunting terrors.  This one is suitable for children and adults of ages 14 and up.  And just one price includes unlimited access to twelve rides and the haunted maze intertwined throughout the park.

Nights of Horror
Luna Park Coney Island
October 2010
Fridays 15th, 22nd, and 29th
Saturdays 16th, 23rd, and 30th
Sundays 17th, 24th, and 31st

Fridays and Saturdays from 5pm to 12am
Sundays 5pm to 10pm

Luna Park at Coney Island
1000 Surf Avenue
Brooklyn, New York 11224
Phone: 718-373-LUNA (5862)

Monday, October 11, 2010

Coney Event: The Ride Inspector's Nightmare

The Halloween extravaganza at Coney Island USA is interactive, creepy, and a "ride" into a twisted nightmare of an amusement park gone hellishly wrong.

THE RIDE INSPECTOR'S NIGHTMARE is an interactive show (allow 45 minutes for the complete experience) that tours various rooms at the Coney Island Sideshows by the Seashore building generally not available to the public such as the damp creepy basement, back stairs, etc.

Audience members will take a "tour" of several amusement park ride "NYPD Crime Scenes" including a deadly collapsed roller coaster  and will meet living-dead performers along the way including drunken incompetent ride inspectors, creepy ticket sellers  and lots of dead and decapitated bodies of innocent tourists. At the conclusion of the show, the audience will also get to partake in a courtroom trial of the negligent ride inspector and will be sworn in for horrific jury duty.

CREEPSHOW AT THE FREAKSHOW is Coney Island’s original Halloween extravaganza and one of the best haunted tours in all of New York City. This year, the rides at new Luna Park will be open weekends during the October run of the show. Come see what the New York Press called "Not only the best and wildest haunted house in town, but the smartest as well."


Creepshow at the Freakshow 2010
"The Ride Inspector's Nightmare
Recurring nightmare dates and times:
Friday, October 15, 7pm - Midnight
Saturday, October 16, 5pm - Midnight
Sunday, October 17, 5pm - 10pm
Friday, October 22, 7pm - Midnight
Saturday, October 23, 5pm - 9pm
Sunday, October 24, 5pm - 10pm
Monday, October 25, 7pm - 10pm
Tuesday, October 26, 7pm - 10pm
Wednesday, October 27, 7pm - 10pm
Thursday, October 28, 7pm - 10pm
Friday, October 29, 7pm - Midnight
Saturday, October 30, 5pm - Midnight

Sunday, October 31, Halloween!, 4pm - Midnight
All tickets $10 at the door.
Parent or Guardian must accompany anyone 13 and under.
at Coney Island USA
1208 Surf Ave. (between Stillwell Ave. and West 12th Street)
Brooklyn, NY 11224
718-372-5159

Wednesday, October 06, 2010

City Needs To Acquire More Coney Land For A Prosperous Coney Future

Image courtesy of  Pavement Pieces  (Flickr.com)

The city did wonders to purchase the  6.5 acres of land from Thor Equities then lease it to Zamperla USA for their new Luna Park.  The new amusement park, making this past summer season one of the busiest Coney Island has seen in a while.  It also created a fixture in Coney Island for amusements. But more property currently owned by other private entities like Thor Equities needs to be purchased by the city or other civic minded entities in order to maintain the integrity of Coney Island as an amusement destination. And to also make the area in a viable revenue generator for the city itself.

In a panel discussion this past Thursday, September 28th 2010, entitled, "Heritage, Rides, Redevelopment: What's Next For Coney Island?",  executive at the Walt Disney Company, David Malmuth, argued that the area could easily draw 3.5 million visitors and tourists.  He stated that, “Land control is the key to making Coney viable and successful on a long-term basis,”

In a press release today the Save Coney Island group indicated about Malmuth's comments that, at least 26.5 acres of land for rides were require to accommodate this level of attendance. At present, he said, only 11.5 acres of land are set aside for amusements and only 6.5 acres are currently in active use.
“Size does matter,” he said. “If we’re going to make Coney Island a successful destination, we have to get to a certain scale that allows it to draw people, and hopefully draw people on a year-round basis.”

But he warned that land prices in Coney Island’s amusement district are currently too expensive for amusement operators to be able to invest in buying land for amusements.


Malmuth went on to stress the city needs to step it up and carry the major load in acquiring more property.  And how massively important it is to keep those historic buildings that are days away from their permanent doom.  Renovating them and showcasing them as Coney's historic area is hugely important in "terms of connecting people to place", to paraphrase Malmuth.

The city is running out of time.  The next few days and weeks are imperative to the future of Coney Island.

[The full release by the Save Coney Island group after the jump]:

Friday, October 01, 2010

Coney Island Even Has A Festival For Kites

That's right!  This weekend the sky at Coney Island's shore will be garnished with a spectacle in a colored variety competing for attention over the fabled sandy beach.  The Coney Island Kite Festival takes flight this weekend.

The event will be held this weekend:
Saturday and Sunday, October 2nd and 3rd
10am to 5pm on Coney Island's beach.
It's free!
Bring your kite or come by to see what others are flying.


(Image courtesy of Norman Blake)






Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Coney Events: Ekaterina Presents: Circus! Magic! Rock-N-Roll!

From Coney Island USA:
ALL STAR LINE UP!
The Incredible Super Sexy Daredevil CIRCUS UNA! The Piano Superstar CORN MO! He's getting huge by the minute, so you've got to catch his performance while we can still afford him....
Fresh from his World Tour the legendary street performer MAGIC BRIAN! He's got a new tricks up his sleeve and new tight trousers! And MISS EKATERINA - the damsel in a pinny with a sassy classy manner! It's the one in a million chance to see us together on the same stage - you will be sorry you missed it.


Burlesque at the Beach
Ekaterina Presents: Circus! Magic! Rock-N-Roll!
Thursday, September, 30th 2010
9 pm
$10
at Sideshow by the Seashore
Coney Island USA
1208 Surf Ave.

Panel Discusses What's Next For Coney Island

(Image courtesy of Save Coney Island)

Pulitzer Prize winning historian Mike Wallace moderates the panel discussion tomorrow, Thursday, September 28th 2010, entitled, "Heritage, Rides, Redevelopment: What's Next For Coney Island?" and presented by the City University of New York (CUNY).  Along with several local and city-wide preservation groups that will host the panel. The group hopes to answer vital questions regarding the future of Coney Island and its move forward.  The discussion also hopes to save the only remaining historic buildings, in Coney Island, from the impending doom they are facing at the hands of greed and the utter disregard for an important part of New York's social integrity that should be protected.

Envisioning the "Banker's Ballroom"
(Image courtesy of Save Coney Island
)
The panel will include Valerio Ferrari, CEO of Zamperla USA, the operator of the new amusement park Luna Park, Michael Immerso, historian and author of "The People's Playground" (whom in the last paragraph of his Coney Island book was the inspiration for the title of this blog).  Also included in the panel are; David Malmuth, developer and former Disney executive who oversaw the restoration of the New Amsterdam Theater, Lisa Ackerman, CEO of the World Monuments Fund, the leading private preservation organization with a worldwide focus, and Cora Cahan, President of The New 42nd Street, which has overseen the restoration of seven historic theaters in Times Square.

"Heritage, Rides, Redevelopment: What's Next For Coney Island?"
Thursday, September 30, 2010
6.30 pm to 8.30 pm
at the CUNY Graduate Center; Proshansky Auditorium
365 5th Ave (at 35th Street)


The event is sponsored by the Environmental Psychology Program at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, the NYC Graduate Urban Research Network, the New York Landmarks Conservancy, Save Coney Island, the Historic Districts Council, Coney Island USA and the Coney Island History Project.


Friday, September 24, 2010

10th Annual Coney Island Film Festival 2010 - Sunday, September 26th Line-Up


10th Annual Coney Island Film Festival
Line-up!
Runs September 24-26, 2010

At Sideshows By The Seashore and The Coney Island Museum in the historic Brooklyn neighborhood Coney Island, New York!  The 2010 Honoree is Darren Aronofsky, this Sunday, September 26th, 5pm, at the Coney Island Museum. The opening night extravaganza starts this Friday, September 24th.

Sunday, September 26th

Program 12
1:00 pm
at the CONEY ISLAND MUSEUM
1208 Surf Ave. 2nd Floor
"Hey Rachel..."
Sylvia Liken, Brooklyn NY, USA. Animation, 2:00

What About the Father?
Sara Strahan, New York, NY, USA. Experimental, 3:16

Hoop Springs Eternal

Linda Goldman, Ted Fisher, New York, NY, USA. Documentary Short, 5:26 (pictured)

A Fool's Idea - An Exploration of Clown, Pilot: "What is Clown?"

Brian Bernhard, Brooklyn NY, USA. Documentary Short, 9:53

Mermaids Of New York
Ilise S. Carter, Mica Scalin, New York, NY. Documentary Short, 16:00

The Faux Real

Suzanne Hillinger, Brooklyn NY, USA. Documentary Short, 20:33, Brooklyn Premiere!

Hell On Wheels: Gang Girls Forever

Katrina del Mar, New York NY, USA. Short, 36:34, Brooklyn Premiere!
Program 13 Coney Island Films
2:00 pm
at SIDESHOWS BY THE SEASHORE
1208 Surf Ave. Ground Floor

Gizmo Kaleidoscope
Susan Shaw, New York, NY, USA. Experimental, 3:17

The Waking Artist
Jacob Mendel, Ann Arbor, MI, USA. Short, 4:07, World Premiere!

Coney Island: Secrets of the Universe
Charles Denson, Berkeley CA, USA. Short, 6:00, World Premiere! (pictured)

My Own Private March
Howie Alex, New York NY, USA. Experimental, 7:45, World Premiere!

Night Falls on Coney Island
Daniel Turkewitz, New York NY, USA. Experimental, 9:34

Saving The Sideshow
Mahawish Rezvi, Rebecca Huval, New York, NY, USA, Documentary Short, 17:54, World Premiere!

Last Night in Astroland with Jimmy Prince
Lou Dembrow, NY NY, USA. Documentary Feature, 44:22, World Premiere!


Program 14
3:00 pm
at the CONEY ISLAND MUSEUM
1208 Surf Ave. 2nd Floor

The Skisherman
Chandler Kauffman, Brooklyn NY, USA. Documentary Short, 5:20

Tiger Ted Lowry

Chris Cassidy, Brooklyn NY, USA. Documentary Short, 11:18

Enter The Beard

Matthew Lawrence, Toms River NJ, USA. Documentary Short, 15:00, New York Premiere!  (pictured)


1939 I Have Seen The Future
Lisa Seidenberg, Westport CT, USA. Documentary Short, 35:00

Moby: One Time We Lived

Robert Powers, Woodside NY, USA. Music Video, 3:50
Program 15
4:00 pm
at SIDESHOWS BY THE SEASHORE

1208 Surf Ave. Ground Floor

Slap Back Jack "High Five Master"
Mark Newell, New York NY, USA. Animation, 11:03, New York Premiere!

Gelber & Manning in Pictures
James Lester, Brooklyn NY, USA. Short, 10:53, Brooklyn Premiere!

Road Less Traveled

Laura Moss, New York, NY, USA. Short, 6:45, World Premiere!

Land Without Shadows

Antoine Blanchet, Paris France. Short, 16:22, New York Premiere! (pictured)

The Cycle
Roy Clovis, Brooklyn NY, USA, Short, 17:55

Empire Corner
JP Chan, New York NY, USA, Short, 12:13, Brooklyn Premiere!

The Final Weapon
Stephan Berwick, Falls Church, VA, USA. Short, 15:00, New York Premiere!


Program16
5:00 pm
at the CONEY ISLAND MUSEUM

1208 Surf Ave. 2nd Floor

Special Event: 2010 Coney Island Film Festival Honoree Darren Aronofsky (in person) plus "Requiem for a Dream"

Requiem for a Dream
Directed by Darren Aronofsky, Unrated, 102 Minutes



Program 17
6:00 pm
at SIDESHOWS BY THE SEASHORE
1208 Surf Ave. Ground Floor

Albert
Elin Gronblom Brooklyn NY, USA. Short, 13:10, World Premiere!

Jules and Candy
Joseph Quirk, New York NY, USA. Short, 8:32

Butterflies of Trip City
Nika Belianina, Toronto On, Canada. Short, 14:50, World Premiere!

Tollbooth Motel
Annika Kurnick, New York, NY, USA, Short, 11:42

Blindsided
Mark Cabaroy, Bronx NY, USA. Short, 15:00

Le tramway fantôme de Marseille
Lionel Laget, Marseille, France. Silent Film, 12:00

You're Here
David Vandas, Langley BC, Canada. Music Video, 5:16


FOR ALL PROGRAMS:


Advance Tickets are $6. Click here to purchase. There are no extra service fees to buy online. We strongly advise purchasing in advance. All tickets sales are non-refundable.

For further information visit the Coney Island Film Festival website.
Buy tickets now


Have a fun-filled festival!